On the heels of his starring turn on The Grinder, Fred Savage has signed an overall deal with the studio behind the well-received Fox comedy series, 20th TV. Under the multiyear pact, Savage will write, direct and produce projects for the studio and potentially could render acting services as well.
Savage, who started his career as an actor, had been focused on directing for most of the past decade, making a rare major foray into acting with his starring role opposite Rob Lowe on The Grinder, which ran for one season. As a director, Savage has worked on 20th TV’s comedy series Modern Family — for which he received a DGA nomination — Sons of Tucson, Friends with Benefits, Friends with Better Lives and The Crazy Ones.
“Fred is quite simply one of the most talented, creative forces out there; he can literally do it all,” said 20th TV President of Creative Affairs Jonnie Davis. “We’ve loved working with Fred as a director, and when (exec producer) Nick Stoller proposed getting him to star in The Grinder for us last season, it was a stroke of genius, and everyone from the critics to the audience welcomed him back with open arms. While that show sadly ended, we knew we wanted to stay in business with Fred for the long haul. His creativity and passion are infectious, and his relationships in the community are second to none.”
Savage has directed more than 200 TV episodes. He has served as producer and director on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Party Down, Best Friends Forever and Garfunkel & Oates. Some of his first directorial gigs were at 20th TV, including on the Fox comedy series Oliver Beene.
“(20th TV chairmen) Gary Newman and Dana Walden, along with Jonnie Davis and their teams, have been supporters of mine since the very beginning of my career behind the camera, giving me opportunities long before anyone else would,” Savage said. “I’m very appreciative of the confidence they’ve shown in me.”
For his role as Stewart Sanderson in The Grinder, Savage received a Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. The Wonder Years alum has been a frequent guest co-host on Live with Kelly this summer and is considered in the running for the permanent co-host job.
Savage is repped by WME and Jackoway Tyerman.
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