Bekah Brunstetter is extending her relationship with Universal Global Television following the Season 2 renewal of Peacock’s The Five Star Weekend.
The series’ creator, executive producer and showrunner has signed an overall deal with Universal Global Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. The agreement is Brunstetter’s first overall pact and will see her develop and produce shows exclusively for the studio, with projects intended for various platforms.
The deal arrives as Brunstetter works on the second season of The Five Star Weekend, starring Jennifer Garner. The original installment, based on Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel, became Peacock’s most-watched scripted original to date.
The show’s success also carried over into publishing, sending Hilderbrand’s book back onto The New York Times bestseller list. Brunstetter executive produces the series alongside Sue Naegle, Ali Krug, Minkie Spiro, Garner, Liz Benjamin and Hilderbrand.
“Bekah writes wonderfully complex characters, as demonstrated by the audiences drawn to The Five Star Weekend,” Universal Global Television President Beatrice Springborn said. “Her talent is matched by an incredible work ethic and a true spirit of collaboration. We’re excited to continue championing Bekah’s extraordinary storytelling.”
From Television to Theater
Brunstetter’s credits span television and the stage. She spent three seasons as a writer-producer on Dan Fogelman’s NBC series This Is Us and shared in three of the show’s Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series.
She later served as a co-executive producer on Molly Smith Metzler’s Netflix limited series Maid and Sirens.
Her theater work includes writing the book for the musical adaptation of The Notebook, which brought her a Tony nomination in 2024. Her play The Cake has received more than 100 productions around the world and had an off-Broadway run at Manhattan Theater Club.
Brunstetter described Universal Global Television as her new creative home and said the deal will give her an opportunity to build beyond her current Peacock series.
“After so many wonderful yet unpredictable years as a playwright and TV writer, I’m so humbled and honored by this opportunity to make Universal Global Television my creative home,” she said. “I’m thrilled to not just make more of The Five Star Weekend, but also to explore new projects, expanding my love of juicy, hopeful stories into other genres and worlds. I feel so inspired by UGT’s eye for great storytelling and can’t wait to see what we cook up together.”
Brunstetter is represented by WME, The Shuman Company and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.
ShowBiz Take
This deal matters because it takes the collaboration between Brunstetter and Universal Global Television beyond a single successful series. The Five Star Weekend has already earned a second season, set a Peacock scripted-original viewership benchmark and renewed interest in the novel that inspired it. Now the studio is giving its creator room to pursue additional shows across different genres and settings.
The timing also puts Brunstetter’s two creative tracks in clear focus. She is continuing work on the project that established her relationship with the studio while preparing to develop new programming exclusively for UGT. Her background across television drama, limited series, musicals and plays gives the agreement a foundation broader than The Five Star Weekend alone.
What Happens Next?
Brunstetter’s immediate confirmed project is Season 2 of The Five Star Weekend. At the same time, her new overall deal calls for her to develop and produce additional shows for Universal Global Television aimed at various platforms.
While the next individual projects have not been detailed in the supplied material, Brunstetter has made clear that she intends to use the agreement to explore new genres and worlds while continuing the Jennifer Garner-led Peacock series.