Jay Baruchel To Star In Fox’s ‘A Moody Christmas’ Holiday Event Comedy Series

Nellie Andreeva

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EXCLUSIVE: Former Man Seeking Woman star Jay Baruchel is set as a lead opposite Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins in A Moody Christmas, Fox’s half-hour holiday event series adaptation of the Australian series. Slated to air in December, the single-camera comedy series hails from CBS TV Studios, which will co-produce with Fox Entertainment.

Written by Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Tad Quill, the six-episode A Moody Christmas centers on the Moodys, including Sean Sr. (Leary), his wife Ann (Perkins), their three grown children and an assorted mix of extended family members who gather for the holidays, with each packing his/her own eccentricities and complications.

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Baruchel will play Sean Jr, the oldest Moody child, still living at home, sleeping in his old room, he is the dreamer, the screw-up. A maintenance worker at a hockey rink, he’s immature and impulsive, with a crazy grandiose get-rich-quick plan.

Chelsea Frei was recently cast as his sister Bridget, the overachiever.

Fox is envisioning this as an ongoing event series franchise with multiple installments featuring the same core cast at important events throughout the Moodys’ lifecycle that could include a family wedding, a family vacation, a funeral and a graduation.

Fisher, Greenberg and Quill executive produce A Moody Christmas with Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum of The Tannenbaum Co. as well as Trent O’Donnell and Phil Lloyd, creators of the original series, and Jason Burrows — all three from Jungleboys FTV Pty Limited, the production company behind the Australian series.

Baruchel starred as Josh Greenberg on all three seasons of Simon Rich-created Man Seeking Woman on FXX. Also known for voicing Hiccup in the How To Train Your Dragon franchise, for co-writing and starring in the Goon movie franchise, for his starring role in cult classic coming-of-age series Undeclared and his part as the Led Zeppelin crazed fan in Almost Famous,, Baruchel was most recently seen on the big screen in The Kindness of Strangers. He recently wrapped directing his second feature, Random Acts of Violence, which he co-wrote, produced, and stars in opposite Jesse Williams and Jordana Brewster. He is repped by CAA, Thruline Entertainment and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols.

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