Denis Leary (Rescue Me, The Amazing Spider-Man) and Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds, Sharper Objects) are going to star in Fox’s upcoming comedy series A Moody Christmas. A Moody Christmas will have six half-hour episodes for a holiday event based off of the original Australian series. A Moody Christmas is about a dysfunctional family of five who get together to celebrate the holidays, but they are all hiding secrets from one another. Fox plans to air the episodes in December before the Christmas holiday.
Leary plays Sean Sr., the beloved father of three eccentric adult children. Meanwhile, Perkins will play Ann Moody, the matriarch of the Moody clan. Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment at Fox Entertainment, said on Leary’s casting, “We have always wanted to work with Denis, whose signature gruffness, sarcasm and, dare I say it, heart make him the perfect fit for this role. The Moody family nails that indescribable mix of love, loyalty and absolute chaos, and we can’t wait to introduce our viewers to them all this holiday season.” Thorn also remarked on Perkin’s casting announcement, “I can think of no better foil for Denis Leary than Elizabeth. She’s got the comedy chops and the gravitas to go toe-to-toe with him in any situation, and I can’t wait to see their chemistry ignite on screen. Here’s to a very Moody Christmas!”
A Moody Christmas comes from CBS TV Studios, which will co-produce with Fox Entertainment. Writers on the series include Bob Fisher (We’re The Millers, Overboard), Rob Greenberg (Fraiser, How I Met Your Mother), and Tad Quill (Scrubs, Angel from Hell). The writing team will executive produce with Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum, a married producing duo that worked on Two and a Half Men. The creative team behind the original series, Trent O’Donnell, Phil Lloyd, and Jason Burrows, will also work as executive producers.
If the show proves successful, Fox is hoping to expand the Moody franchise past the Christmas episodes with multiple installments featuring the same core cast. Installments would feature important life events such as a family wedding, a vacation, a funeral, or a graduation with the Moody Family.