Star Trek: Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan signs two-year development deal with CBS Studios

Mike McMahan, left, speaks at Star Trek Las Vegas (2019) in a panel moderated by Jordan Hoffman, right

DECEMBER 11, 2020 - It looks like Star Trek: Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan will be sticking around for a while. Variety reported earlier this week that McMahan has signed a new deal with CBS Studios. The two-year agreement would give CBS exclusive production rights to any television “content created or developed by McMahan”.

It’s been a busy year for McMahan. He’s seen two of his creations make their television debuts: Hulu’s Solar Opposites premiered on May 8th of this year, and Lower Decks started on August 6th. While there’s no word yet as to whether Lower Decks will get picked up for a third season (or beyond) it is clear that CBS likes what it’s seeing from McMahan, enough to keep him all for themselves.

CBS Studios Head of Animation and Vice President of Comedy Development Alec Botnick announced the deal. “We feel so fortunate that Mike chose to partner with us for this next stage of his career,” Botnick said of McMahan. “Being able to be a part of his journey and helping him realize the stories he wants to tell, and how he wants to tell them, is the reason many of us got into this business.”

Likewise, McMahan said he was excited about continuing his partnership with CBS. “I’ve always wanted to be allies with a corporation whose logo is a giant, unblinking eye,” he said. “I think we’ll be able to make some truly weird stuff together.”

You can watch McMahan's “truly weird” Star Trek stuff come to life in Star Trek: Lower Decks; the entirety of season one is now streaming on CBS All Access.