‘Modern Family’ Duo Christopher Lloyd, Danny Zuker Land Comedy ‘Mammoth’ at Fox

Fox is doubling the number of live-action half-hours on its slate.

The network has placed a series order for Mammoth, a comedy about a high school gym teacher who is buried in an avalanche in 1983 and rescued in the present day. Modern Family co-creator Christopher Lloyd and writer/executive producer Danny Zuker are co-showrunners on the series, which is based on a BBC Two show of the same name.

Mammoth is set to premiere in the 2027-28 season on Fox. The network currently only has one live-action, half-hour comedy, Animal Control, on its schedule (the network also considers the hourlong Best Medicine a comedy).

Here’s the description of Mammoth: “Coach Tony Mammoth is a larger-than-life high school gym teacher whose life is put on ice in 1983, when he’s buried in a freak ski avalanche. Forty years later, he thaws out to a world that has completely changed … but he’s convinced it really didn’t need to. Still clinging to life in the ‘80s — complete with his Burt Reynolds mustache and treasured Trans-Am —Mammoth returns to the job he loves, only to discover that today’s rules, relationships, and realities bear little resemblance to the world he once knew.”

“The world moved on. Tony Mammoth didn’t,” Fox Television Network president Michael Thorn said in a statement. “That’s an incredibly funny premise, but what Christopher and Danny have developed is so much richer: a wildly original comedy with huge laughs, deep heart, and characters everyone will relate to, whether they like it or not. I look forward to apologizing on Tony’s behalf for years to come.”

Lloyd and Zuker both won multiple Emmys as producers of ABC’s Modern Family. They are writers, co-showrunners and executive producers on Mammoth. Mark Linsey and Angie Stephenson of BBC Studios Los Angeles and Mike Bubbins, creator of the BBC series, also exec produce.

“Tony Mammoth genuinely believes he mastered manhood the first time around, making his new reality the ultimate wakeup call and greatest challenge in an otherwise flawless life,” said Lloyd. “He’s charming, wildly self-assured, hopelessly out of step and, despite his many blind spots, impossible not to root for.” 

Added Zuker, “Tony gets the second chance so many people wish for, only to find that his bravado doesn’t quite match his new reality. We love his shameless confidence, his fascination with a world he barely recognizes, and the big heart underneath it all. He’s a lot. We can’t wait to bring him to Fox.”