Warren Littlefield Sets New Overall Deal With 20th Television and ABC Signature, Plans Expansion Into Unscripted
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Warren Littlefield is looking to make more Must-See TV with Disney’s 20th Television and ABC Signature. The network president-turned-producer, whose prolific output in recent years has included “Fargo,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Dopesick,” has sealed a multi-year overall deal with 20th and ABC Signature that will keep him exclusive with those studios through 2026.
Littlefield was most recently in a joint deal with 20th Television and Fox 21. His Littlefield Company has been based at the company since 2016 (prior to Disney’s acquisition of Fox production assets), when he first signed a pact with Fox 21.
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“Despite the incredible COVID challenges of the past two years we’ve been fortunate to be able to continue to produce high quality and award winning television content,” Littlefield said in a statement. “I’m grateful to [Disney General Entertainment chairman] Dana Walden for her leadership and belief that we’ve only just begun our journey together. Both [20th Television president] Karey Burke and [ABC Signature president] Jonnie Davis and their outstanding teams give us the support we need to succeed.”
The Littlefield Company is part of the Emmy-winning teams behind Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and FX’s “Fargo,” as well as 20th Television’s “Dopesick,” the Hulu limited series starring Michael Keaton that just won a Peabody Award. (Keaton has also won Golden Globe, SAG and Critics Choice awards for his role.) Next up, Littlefield is behind FX’s upcoming drama “The Old Man,” starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow which premieres June 16.
“Warren is more than just a gifted producer, he’s a giant in television, and I say that as someone who had the good fortune to start my career under him at NBC,” said Burke. “Being able to work side by side with him again has been one of the great privileges of joining 20th, and his contributions to ‘Dopesick’ and ‘The Old Man’ have been extraordinary. He’s one of those guys where you truly believe that despite his incredible track record, his best work is still ahead of him.”
Added Davis: “We are huge fans of Warren’s creative vision, spectacular taste, and his ability to elevate every project, and we jumped at the chance to partner with 20th on a new deal for this visionary producer. We look forward to many projects together in the years ahead.”
Littlefield, of course, was one of the architects behind NBC’s hitmaking run in the 1990s, as it dominated primetime with hits like “Friends,” “Frasier” and “ER.” And before that, he worked under Brandon Tartikoff, developing iconic shows like “Cheers” and “The Golden Girls.” He has been portrayed by Bob Balaban in “The Late Shift” and “Seinfeld” (via a character that wasn’t actually Littlefield, but based on him).
Littlefield’s producing partners include Ann Johnson, Lisa Harrison and Graham Littlefield along with Vivien Mao, Alice Losk and Patty Mann.
In his statement, Littlefield also said he plans an expansion into the international marketplace, which he said he believes “represents a growth opportunity and our development slate reflects that.” The Littlefield Co. will also be adding an unscripted executive “as we embrace the full range of opportunities that content offers.”
“We look forward to delivering more content across more Disney-owned platforms,” he said. “Our collective quest at the company is to find and work with artists with vision, then to help them architect that into outstanding content by protecting their vision. That fuels us. I’ve spent my entire career focused on the development and production of television entertainment. Looking back I have a lot of satisfaction with the choices I’ve made but couldn’t be more excited by the road ahead.”
Littlefield is repped by WME, the Framework Collective and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox.
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