Apple TV+ has picked up the eight-episode limited series The Off Weeks, starring and executive produced by Jessica Chastain (George & Tammy) and Ben Stiller (Severance). Michael Showalter (The Idea of You, The Dropout) will direct and executive produce alongside Alissa Nutting (Made For Love), who will also serve as showrunner.
The project follows writing professor Gus Adler, whose divorce has thrown his life into chaos. He struggles to hold things together during “on weeks” when he has custody of his kids. But in his “off weeks,” he’s falling dangerously in love with Stella West, a mysterious woman whose arrival puts Gus’ on-week duties and off-weeks ambitions on a fatal collision course.
Stiller and Chastain previously collaborated on the animated film Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, lending their voices to Alex, a lion, and Gia, a jaguar, respectively. Stiller and Showalter worked together on the Apple TV+ miniseries The Shrink Next Door.
The Off Weeks is produced for Apple TV+ by wiip. The series is showrun and executive produced by Nutting. Stiller executive produces for Red Hour alongside John Lesher, and Chastain executive produces alongside Kelly Carmichael for Freckle Films. Showalter, who directs and developed the project with Semi-Formal Productions, executive produces alongside Jordana Mollick. Paul Lee and Gabriel Fisher executive produce for wiip. Peter Principato, Allen Fischer and Brian Steinberg executive produce for Artists First. Dean Bakopoulos (Made for Love) also serves as executive producer.
The project is an expansion of Stiller’s relationship with the streamer, of which they recently celebrated their success on the Adam Scott-led series Severance at the Emmy Awards. The show received 27 nominations with eight wins, including Outstanding Lead Actress for Britt Lower, as well as Outstanding Supporting Actor and Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Tramell Tillman and Merritt Wever, respectively. Up next, Stiller will premiere the documentary feature Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost. He is repped by WME, VIE and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Chastain will soon be seen in the upcoming Apple Original thriller The Savant, premiering September 26, on which she also executive produced. Chastain is repped by Mosaic, CAA, and Hansen, Jacobson.
Showalter and Semi-Formal are represented by UTA, Artists First and Goodman Genow.
Nutting is repped by CAA and Artists First.