'MacGruber' Series Ordered at Peacock

MacGruber is coming out of retirement once again for a new mission on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. According to a report by Variety, Peacock has officially ordered a MacGruber series, starring Will Forte as the unassuming spy. There is no word yet on when the series might premiere.

MacGruber began as a sketch on Saturday Night Live back when Forte was in the main cast. He played a parody version of classic action heroes of movies and TV — particularly McGyver. In 2010, the sketches were adapted into a feature-length film directed by The Lonely Island's Jorma Taccone. Now, Taccone and Forte are returning to the franchise for Peacock's new show. The series will be eight episodes long to start, and will air exclusively on the burgeoning streaming service.

Each episode of the new MacGruber show will be half an hour long, and the season will follow an over-arching plot line. At NBCUniversal's TCA press day on Monday, it was revealed that the series would begin with MacGruber being released from prison after over a decade. Even this will not have dampened his confidence as the "ultimate hero and uber patriot."

The series will pit MacGruber against a mysterious villain from his past named Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth. The entire world will be at stake on this new mission, and MacGruber will need to battle his own internal demons as well. Peacock even released a teaser for the series, made up of stock footage, clips from the MacGruber movie and old SNL Sketches, and one new shot of Forte in costume.

The MacGruber series was put into development back in January, though there was no guarantee that it would go to series. In spite of the coronavirus pandemic, it sounds like the series has impressed executives enough to earn it a sizable order. Forte is a writer and executive producer on the new series, along with Taccone and John Solomon. The three of them wrote the film together as well.

The MacGruber movie was a commercial flop in its time, but it has survived as a cult classic. Comedy fans often praise it as one of the last great blockbuster comedies. However it earned just $9 million at the box office, falling short of its $10 million budget. Producers are now hoping that the show can outpace its predecessor and live up to its potential.