Chris Pratt Ruined Mike Schur's 'Field of Dreams' TV Series

By Dustin Rowles | TV | August 26, 2024 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | August 26, 2024 |

Mike Schur is arguably one of the best writers and showrunners in television today. He’s the mastermind behind hits like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place. Schur has also used his clout as an executive producer to greenlight brilliant series such as Primo and Rutherford Falls.

But here’s the thing: Schur is also a massive baseball fan. So massive, in fact, that he co-hosts a podcast with Joe Posnanski, primarily about baseball (though they occasionally dive into other sports). For Schur, it’s not about the money - all proceeds go to charity. It’s simply an outlet for him to geek out about his favorite thing. His knowledge runs deeper than most baseball commentators, and his enthusiasm for the sport is so infectious that it’s fun to listen to even if you’re not as into baseball as you once were.

So, who better than Mike Schur to create a Field of Dreams TV series? Schur making a show about his favorite thing is basically the television equivalent of Cameron Crowe making Almost Famous. Peacock was on board, even allocating a whopping $15 million per episode. To sweeten the deal, they had Chris Pratt as the star - a guy who got his big break on Schur’s Parks and Recreation before going on to headline two massive franchises: Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World. Say what you will about Pratt as a person, but he can play a baseball player. We’ve seen it in Moneyball.

It had all the makings of one of the best shows in recent years. But it never happened. Why? Because of Chris Pratt, that’s why. According to Puck:

And the noted Red Sox fan took a swing at Universal I.P. with Field of Dreams at Peacock. It was never reported, but the project fell apart after Chris Pratt agreed to star and then abruptly dropped out, and Schur’s replacement, newcomer Bill Heck, was deemed insufficient by Peacock execs for a show with a $15 million-per-episode price tag. Schur also wanted to film at Fenway Park.

Yikes. Pratt really is living up to his “worst Chris” reputation. No word on why he dropped out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with the character saying things that might tarnish Pratt’s carefully cultivated apolitical Christian image.