20th Century Fox TV has reportedly signed television writer and showrunner Liz Meriwether to a new overall deal worth big money, according to Deadline.
- The new deal is reportedly for four years and worth somewhere in the high eight-figure range.
- Meriwether is the creator of Fox’s long-running hit comedy series New Girl, in addition to ABC’s Single Parents and Bless This Mess, and is considered to be one of the most sought after showrunners.
- In the four weeks since the finalization of Disney’s acquisition of Fox, 20th Century Fox TV has also given major overall deals to Drew Goddard, Jason Winer, Octavia Spencer, Nora Smith, Jake Kasdan & Melvin Mar, and Marlene I. King.
What they’re saying:
- Liz Meriwether: “Peter Rice, Howard Kurtzman, Jonnie Davis, and Dana Walden have been my creative partners since I was a receptionist living in New York writing a script called Sluts. I’m so grateful and thrilled to be able to keep making television at my home studio, which now, I’m hoping, also comes with tickets to Disneyland.”
- Dana Walden, Chairman of Disney TV Studios and ABC Entertainment: “Twelve years ago, when we first met, Liz was a wildly funny and talented playwright from New York, who was so dedicated to getting the characters and humor in her scripts exactly right, she’d often pull all nighters and sleep in her office. We’ve had the pleasure of watching her grow into a confident, formidable and successful showrunner, who’s currently overseeing three shows, a slate of development and, thankfully, sleeping in her house. She’s outrageously funny, endlessly creative, wildly prolific and also one of the greatest people you’ll ever have the good fortune to know. Craig, Jonnie, Howard and I have made it our mission to keep her here and we’re so glad she said yes.”