Review- Starring Ted Danson And Holly Hunter NBC’s Mr. Mayor Is Less About Politics And More About Laughs

It takes a village to make a Mayor. Cast from left to right: Kyla Kenedy as Orly Bremer, SNL alum Bobby Moynihan as Jayden, Vella Lovell as Mikaela, Ted Danson as Mayor Neil Bremer, Holly Hunter as Arpi, and Mike Cabellon as Tommy. Photo courtesy of NBC.com

Created by Robert Carlock (30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmit, Friends) and Tina Fey (SNL, 30 Rock, Mean Girls) Mr. Mayor revolves around retired wealthy businessman Neil Bremer who runs for the office of Mayor in Los Angeles (post pandemic) after the previous mayor Victor Delgado (played by Erik Estrada) has a nervous break down from dealing with too much 2020 and unexpectedly quits during a press conference. Much to the surprise of most Los Angelenos (and himself), Neil wins and now needs to learn the rules of being a public official and, with the help of his team, learn how to avoid all the pitfalls that come with it while raising his moody teenage activist daughter who also shares his political aspirations. It’s a great mix of humor and the realities of being a city public servant that keep the show engaging and sharp without drawing on comedic fluff or dark political drama, which is a fantastic change of pace.

Photo courtesy of EW

While episode 1 brings us all up to speed, episode 2 shines the light on the boring day to day duties of being mayor that are rarely heard about unless something goes terribly wrong. Like say when you don’t listen to your staff’s advice, have too much fun at the new dispensary you just publicly opened, and eventually find yourself punching a beloved city mascot and/or causing a scene at a blogger’s funeral which creates multiple press opportunities that become verifiably meme-worthy. Not a good look but that’s why you have well-paid staff. A staff that will probably be asking for raises. Soon.

Photo courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

The show has had multiple setbacks and thanks to several cast and crew members testing positive Covid 19 the production was shut down in December 2020(with plans to resume in January) so only a few episodes are available to review but here’s some interesting background information on Mr. Mayor from Wikipedia:

“On July 18, 2019, it was reported that NBC had given a 13-episode straight-to-series order to an untitled Tina Fey and Robert Carlock comedy starring Ted Danson, who is set to play a wealthy businessman running for mayor of Los Angeles.^[6][1] Originally meant to be a spin-off/continuation of Fey’s series 30 Rock, the series was to star Alec Baldwin reprising his 30 Rock role of Jack Donaghy, following his political career in New York City. After around a year of negotiations, Baldwin dropped out of the project and was replaced with Danson. Danson declined to move from his home of Los Angeles, so the series was rewritten to take place there.^[7] On May 11, 2020, it was announced that the series would be called Mr. Mayor.”

All in all, Mr. Mayor is a well-crafted show that is witty, intelligent, and relatable with a great balance of office/teamwork humor and politics and personal struggles of the public servant life. It premieres on NBC on January 7, 2021, at 8:00 pm.

For more information including the official trailer click here