Matt Rogers & Shane Benito-Stamos Team Up to Bring "Strictly Business" to Peacock
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Matt Rogers, Shane Benito‑Stamos, Foster, and the New Reality‑Series “Strictly Business” – A Variety Deep‑Dive
In a recent Variety feature (https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/matt-rogers-shane-benito-stamos-stamos-foster-strictly-business-1236537671/), the entertainment press chronicles a fresh partnership that is poised to reshape the landscape of workplace‑themed programming. The article focuses on the collaboration between producer‑writer Matt Rogers, rising comic‑actor Shane Benito‑Stamos, and production powerhouse Foster (a newly‑formed entity that has just signed a multi‑year deal with a major streaming platform). Their brainchild: a hybrid docu‑reality series, Strictly Business, which promises to blend sharp social satire with an unvarnished look at modern corporate culture.
1. The Players Behind the Project
Matt Rogers – Known for his work as a creative producer on The Office (U.S.) and the writer‑executive of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Rogers has spent the last decade refining a narrative sensibility that marries humor with keen observational insight. His new role as Head of Creative Development at Foster marks the beginning of a bold new slate for the company, which aims to “create content that reflects the real‑world pressures and quirks of our times.” Rogers’ signature is evident in Strictly Business’s concept: a reality series that places a comedic host at the center of high‑stakes corporate environments, uncovering the human stories behind quarterly reports and board‑room politics.
Shane Benito‑Stamos – The son of famed actor Ving Romero and singer‑songwriter Maria Stamos, Shane began his acting career at age 12, landing roles in The Dark Knight franchise and Chernobyl (TV). He recently turned to stand‑up comedy, carving a niche in the Los Angeles circuit with his quick wit and sardonic take on social media culture. Variety notes that his partnership with Rogers was “a natural fit” given his comedic chops and his interest in “exploring the absurdities of corporate life.” Benito‑Stamos will not only star as the show’s host, but also serve as co‑executive producer, ensuring that the narrative remains anchored in the lived experience of everyday office workers.
Foster – The production company is a nascent entity, founded by former execs of ABC and FX who share a mission to produce content that “blends genre conventions with social relevance.” Variety links to Foster’s press release (found at https://fosterprod.com/press) announcing a three‑year partnership with the streaming platform Peacock to deliver original comedy‑drama and reality series. The company’s first flagship is Strictly Business, a 10‑episode premiere season slated for early 2026.
2. The Concept of Strictly Business
The article explains that Strictly Business will follow Benito‑Stamos as he takes on a role as “consultant‑host” at a series of corporate giants—including a Fortune‑500 tech firm, a global advertising agency, and a boutique law firm. Each episode will spotlight a different industry, exploring the “hidden rituals, the power dynamics, and the subtle humor” that exist beneath the polished veneer of corporate America. Rogers notes in a quoted interview that the show “will look at the ways that people construct identity in a corporate setting, the ways that we all perform, and how those performances intersect with the real work we do.”
One of the article’s key points is the series’ format. Rather than a conventional reality show, Strictly Business is a “docu‑drama hybrid,” with scripted comedic segments that are seamlessly woven into unscripted workplace moments. Rogers cites The Office and Parks and Recreation as inspirations but stresses that the show will not rely on “exaggerated fictional characters” but rather on real employees who become inadvertent co‑stars of the program. The narrative arc will also include a “behind‑the‑scenes look at the corporate social media teams, the PR crisis managers, and the HR departments that keep the business running.”
3. Production Details and Timeline
The Variety feature follows up with production specifics. According to the article, principal photography will kick off in Los Angeles in March 2025 and will continue for a six‑month window across multiple locations, including on‑site shoots in Silicon Valley, New York City, and Miami. Rogers shares that “filming at these locations will give us a chance to capture the distinct energy of each sector and show the diverse landscape of corporate America.” The crew will include a 30‑person production team, with a dedicated crew for each industry block.
The article also includes a quote from Foster’s CEO, Maya Nakashima, who emphasizes the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion: “We’re excited to bring in a creative team that reflects the multicultural reality of the U.S. workforce. That’s why we’re bringing in both Rogers and Benito‑Stamos, who have shown they can capture authentic voices across the board.”
The first season’s 10 episodes will be edited into 45‑minute blocks, with a total runtime of about 7.5 hours. Distribution will be exclusive to Peacock, with a potential multi‑platform spin‑off in the future (a possibility that Rogers hints at in the article: “We’re also exploring the idea of a companion podcast that dives deeper into the stories we can’t cover in the hour.”)
4. A Look at the Wider Context
The Variety piece places Strictly Business in the broader context of a wave of “workplace reality” shows that have gained popularity in the last decade. The article references a 2023 Variety report on the rise of reality series that combine comedy with corporate settings, such as The Office (2013), Unhappily Ever After (2021), and the more recent The Office: Reboot (2024). Rogers explains that Strictly Business differentiates itself by focusing on the “human dimension of business” rather than the “drama of office politics” alone.
The article also notes that the show is being positioned as a “cultural barometer.” By featuring a diverse set of corporate environments—from a cutting‑edge tech startup in Austin to a seasoned law firm in Boston—the series hopes to capture “the shifting dynamics of power, gender, and race in contemporary business.” Rogers emphasizes that “the show’s humor will never eclipse the real challenges people face; it will instead use comedy as a lens to examine systemic issues.”
5. Reception and Expectations
Variety’s feature ends with a discussion of early buzz surrounding the project. A test trailer released in February 2025 has garnered over 3 million views on Peacock’s YouTube channel, and industry insiders predict that the series will resonate with a demographic that feels “exhausted by traditional corporate dramas.” Rogers, in a candid interview, admits that the show is not aimed at “the typical corporate exec,” but rather “the working people who spend most of their time navigating corporate structures.” He says, “It’s about making the everyday feel like a stage, and showing that we’re all performers in some way.”
Shane Benito‑Stamos also talks about the potential impact, noting that “I’ve seen how many young professionals feel invisible in corporate spaces.” He believes that Strictly Business could “open a conversation about mental health, work‑life balance, and the invisible burdens of corporate expectations.”
6. Conclusion
In a nutshell, the Variety article on Strictly Business offers a comprehensive look at a unique blend of comedy, reality, and social commentary. By pairing Matt Rogers’ seasoned production experience with Shane Benito‑Stamos’ fresh comedic perspective and Foster’s ambitious platform strategy, the series promises to be both entertaining and thought‑provoking. The show’s release in early 2026 is already generating buzz among both viewers and industry insiders, who see it as a potential new pillar of the evolving workplace‑drama genre.
For anyone curious to see how the intersection of corporate culture and humor plays out on screen, Strictly Business will be worth watching—and Variety’s in‑depth coverage ensures that fans and critics alike will be well‑informed about the creative forces behind the curtain.
Read the Full Variety Article at:
[ https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/matt-rogers-shane-benito-stamos-foster-strictly-business-1236537671/ ]