Fred Savage Horizontal Main Image - H 2012
Joe PuglieseFred Savage is laying down roots at 20th TV.
The childhood actor turned prolific TV director turned primetime star has inked an overall deal at the studio. Under the multiyear pact, Savage will write, direct and produce projects, with the option to also act as he did on this past season’s 20th TV-produced comedy The Grinder opposite Rob Lowe. The news comes as Savage’s name remains in the swirl as a potential co-host on Live With Kelly, where he is a frequent fill-in.
“Fred is quite simply one of the most talented, creative forces out there — he can literally do it all,” 20th TV’s president of creative affairs Jonnie Davis said Thursday in a statement. “We’ve loved working with Fred as a director, and when Nick Stoller proposed getting him to star in The Grinder for us last season, it was a stroke of genius, and everyone — from the critics to the audience — welcomed him back with open arms.”
He continued: “While that show sadly ended, we knew we wanted to stay in business with Fred for the long haul. His creativity and passion are infectious, and his relationships in the community are second to none. We’re thrilled to have him exclusively at 20th.”
Added Savage: “I could not be more thrilled to be invited to join the family at 20th. To go to work each day at a storied lot and collaborate with friends and colleagues who I have both worked with and admired throughout my career is a tremendous thrill. Gary Newman and Dana Walden, along with Jonnie Davis and their teams, have been supporters of mine since the very beginning of my career behind the camera, giving me opportunities long before anyone else would. I’m very appreciative of the confidence they’ve shown in me, and I’m excited to kick off our partnership with my latest career milestone: The Gracious Press Release Quote.”
Prior to Savage’s stint in front of the camera on Fox’s short-lived The Grinder, the Stanford grad spent several years directing series including 20th TV’s Modern Family as well as Party Down, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 2 Broke Girls and The Goldbergs. Earlier in his career, he was better known for his onscreen roles in such films as The Princess Bride and Vice Versa and, of course, on TV’s The Wonder Years, where starred as Kevin Arnold.
Savage is repped by WME and Jackoway Tyerman.
