The National at House of Vans Chicago
photo by James Richards IV

The National's Matt Berninger developing, starring in new TV series w/ his brother

The National at House of Vans Chicago
The National at House of Vans Chicago (more by James Richards IV)

The National’s Matt Berninger is currently in the process of creating a new television series with the help of his brother Tom Berninger (actor/director), and wife Carin Besser (writer). Filmmaker Trent O’Donnell (New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) will also assist in developing the show.

In a recent Double J interview, alongside fellow The National member Aaron Dessner, Matt hinted at a half-hour sitcom based on his life, with Tom starring as his on-screen brother. Read excerpts from the interview below:

My brother [Tom Berninger] and my wife [Carin Besser] and I have been creating it, and then we teamed up with Trent and his wife […] It’s something we’ve been cooking for a while.

Brothers Matt and Tom previously collaborated on The National documentary Mistaken for Strangers back in 2014 which ended up being as much about their relationship as the band, and Matt said the idea for the TV show grew out of it:

My brother made this documentary [Mistaken For Strangers] and it has a lot of the same tone. But this is more scripted than that and it’s not a film Tom’s making, Tom is just a subject of it. It’s not a fake documentary.

Matt also revealed that Aaron Dessner is also involved:

Matt: I’m in a band. Aaron helped cast the band with all the guys who were working on the Grateful Dead project together, it’s a bunch of guys from different bands who we’ve known and been friends with for a long time. Aaron is in it as a producer, not as himself.

Aaron: I don’t have a speaking part. Well, I might…

While no concrete details have been released about the project, Matt says that “it won’t see the light of day this year.” Stay tuned for further updates.

The National will be holding their upcoming Homecoming festival in Cincinnati this April, where they’ll be performing their 2007 record Boxer in its entirety. Revisit a few highlights from the album below.