Though The Good Place may have wrapped (boo!), that doesn’t mean that Ted Danson will be away from your TV screens (yay!). The much-beloved actor, who also counts Cheers and Becker among his many credits, is poised to take on yet another role – Mayor of Los Angeles – on NBC starting tonight.
Ted Danson Takes On Mr. Mayor
From its dynamo creators to the series’ plotlines, here are five things that you should know about the newest addition to the Thursday night line-up.
Masters and Creators
Mr. Mayor’s begetters, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, come armed with quite the pedigree. Fey created the workplace comedy 30 Rock, which Carlock spearheaded as writer/executive producer, and together they created the Netflix original series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. In addition, both contributed years worth of sketches for Saturday Night Live,
Premise
Mr. Mayor will focus on the political career of one Neil Bremer, a wealthy businessman who enters the mayoral race “for all the wrong reasons. Once he wins he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his staff, and connect with his teenage daughter, all while controlling the coyote population.”
Origin Story
If Fey and Carlock had their druthers, Mr. Mayor would have been a direct continuation of 30 Rock. In the sitcom’s embryonic stage, the plan was to follow Alec Baldwin’s character, Jack Donaghy, as he ran for mayor of New York City. When negotiations stalled, Baldwin bowed out of the project and Danson was approached to replace him.
New Star Demands New Edits
With a new star in place, major revisions proved necessary. First, all previously established connections to 30 Rock were removed. Then the setting was relocated from the East Coast to the West – though that was down to Danson’s refusal to move far afield from his L.A.-based abode.
Cast Crawl
In addition to Danson, Mr. Mayor will also feature Bobby Moynihan (formerly of Saturday Night Live), Vella Lovell (ex-Heather Davis, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Mike Cabellon, Kyla Kenedy, and Academy Award winner Holly Hunter in starring roles. This marks Hunter’s first major television part since 2018’s Here and Now.
Mr. Mayor premieres tonight, Thursday, January 7, 2021. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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