Hulu today announced a series order of “Untitled Wayne Brady & Family Project” (working title) from Fremantle and A Wayne & Mandie Creative, the joint production company founded by Wayne Brady and Mandie Taketa. A launch date on the platform is forthcoming. The season will consist of eight episodes.
Everyone knows Wayne Brady – actor, comedian, host, singer and preeminent multihyphenate of this generation. But there’s more to the man seen onstage. What happens when an entertainer so iconic peels back the curtain on the realities of an unexpected life? In “Untitled Wayne Brady & Family Project” (working title), Brady has turned the term “modern family” on its head. He’s still best friends with his ex-wife, soulmate and business partner, Mandie Taketa. Together, they co-parent their 20-year-old daughter, Maile Brady, a student and aspiring artist, as well as running their production company, A Wayne & Mandie Creative (“Wayne Brady’s Comedy IQ”). Jason Fordham, Mandie’s life partner of 12 years, handles the family’s cinematography and post-production; and Mandie and Jason recently expanded their already blended family with the birth of their son, Sundance-Isamu.
With Brady at a sudden crossroads in his life, “Untitled Wayne Brady & Family Project” (working title) offers an intimate look into his blended family’s personal life – revealing unexpected points of view and values that most people (including his own family) have a hard time understanding. People see their social media posts from vacations to dancing in Tik-Toks, but what’s behind the joyful 15 seconds of fun? Their real life is not always as easy and as simple as it seems.
The series order comes on the heels of a banner year in the unscripted series space for Hulu, including the third season of “The Kardashians” and the recent order of 20 additional episodes of that show, as well as “The D’Amelio Show”‘s forthcoming third season. The streamer also recently announced “Vanderpump Villa,” starring and executive produced by Lisa Vanderpump.
“Untitled Wayne Brady & Family Project” (working title) will be produced by Fremantle, A Wayne & Mandie Creative, and executive produced by Wayne Brady, Mandie Taketa, Shahram Qureshi and Rachel Tung.
Currently, Fremantle is in production on the 15th season of “Let’s Make A Deal,” for which Wayne has won a Daytime Emmy(R) Award for Outstanding Game Show Host. The company’s other preeminent series include global hits such as “America’s Got Talent,” which has remained the No. 1 show of the summer in total viewers since premiering in 2006. In addition, “American Idol,” has remained the No. 1 program in its Sunday timeslot for the 18-49 demo for four straight seasons. This past year, Fremantle also brought the iconic game show “Password” back to television with host Keke Palmer and recurring celebrity contestant, Jimmy Fallon. “Password” was the No. 1 new unscripted series for 2022 in total households.
