Tag / Mr. Mayor

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Post Mortem – Mr. Mayor

After two mini-seasons on NBC. Mr. Mayor was cancelled this past May.  Created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, following their Netflix hit Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the show starred Ted Danson as the newly elected mayor of Los Angeles, trying to impress his teenage daughter while dealing with a staff of characters.

Following his starring turn on The Good Place, Danson put on a good performance here, and the show overall was enjoyable.  However, I don’t know if network television is the place for shows as absurd as this one.  I can understand why Fey and Carlock would want to work with NBC, their longtime home from their SNL and 30 Rock days, but they may be better served sticking to streaming services, where shows like this can be a hit without needing the mass appeal that their inherent absurdity drives away.

I’m sure the cast will move on to other projects.  Bobby Moynihan showed some pretty good chops outside of the confines of SNL.  Vella Lovell is also someone I look forward to seeing more of in the future.

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NBC Upfronts

Comedy makes a return to the one-time home of Must See TV, as a single hour-long comedy block comes to Friday.  NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday that contained a single comedy and only two new shows making the cut.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by a reboot of Quantum Leap, where a new team looks to follow up on the mysteries of the original.  Tuesday leads off with more of The Voice, followed by a second season of La Brea and the fifth and final season of New Amsterdam.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and three entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  The Capital One College Bowl kicks things off on Friday until November, when it will be replaced by the new George Lopez comedy Lopez vs. Lopez, Young Rock.  Both will be followed by two hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

The Blacklist moves to midseason for its tenth go-around, though it is still producing a full 22-episode season.  Comedies waiting for midseason include a Night Court reboot, starring John Laroquette and Melissa Rouch, and the returning American Auto and Grand Crew.  Several drama pilots were not ready for consideration but may see life as midseason replacements.

Shows gone from our sets include This Is Us, The Thing About Pam, Ordinary Joe, The Endgame, Mr. Mayor, Keenan, and the never-aired Hungry.

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NBC Upfronts

In a sad state of affairs for the one-time home of the Must See TV comedy block that dominated the ratings and multiple nights of programming, NBC announced a fall schedule yesterday that contained nary a single comedy and only 3 new shows making the cut.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Ordinary Joe, a new heartfelt, life-affirming drama telling parallel stories about a recent college grad and the different paths he could take based on a single decision.  Tuesday leads off with more of The Voice, followed by La Brea, an epic adventure that begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths, and, finally, the new season of New Amsterdam.

Wednesday and Thursday have both been turned over completely to Dick Wolf, with his 3 Chicago series running back to back to back on Wednesday.  Thursday has been handed over to his Law & Order franchise, with the new L&O: For The Defense leading off the night, followed by the returning SVU and Organized Crime.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

The comedy lineup won’t be back until midseason, with new shows American Auto, a workplace comedy that takes the wheels off the automobile industry, and Grand Crew, a new comedy from the the Brooklyn Nine-Nine team that proves that life is better with your crew, joining the returning Kenan, Mr. Mayor, and Young Rock.  This Is Us will also return at midseason for a sixth and final season.  The fate of a number of other shows, including Debris, Ellen’s Game of Games, Good Girls, Manifest, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, are still up in the air.

Cancelled shows include Connecting and Superstore.

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Midseason Review – Thursdays

old-tv-set1We are on the back half of our look back at the offerings for the new fall season. Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week for my television viewing habits, but not this year. Here’s what was on the slate for this season.

7:30

Connecting – The first pandemic-based comedy arrives on NBC.

I’m not entirely sure this ever aired.

8:00

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 17th season, picking up where the abbreviated 16th season left off.

Well, they’ve turned in 100% on COVID, which I guess makes sense for a medical drama.

9:00

Star Trek: Discovery – The first season of the CBS All Access show moves to CBS proper.

I tried watching the first episode and, having just gone through 7 seasons of DS9, I didn’t have it in me to start up another Star Trek series.

Now, for new entries that will be hitting the screen this winter:

Mr. Mayor – Ted Danson returns in this latest vehicle from Tina Fey.

The Chase – Sara Haines hosts this rebooted game show, featuring three of Jeopardy’s biggest winners.

Clarice – Yet another sequel to The Silence Of The Lambs that may be interesting.

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NBC Upfronts

Earlier this month, NBC presented their upfront presentation in the guise of a 30 Rock reunion episode.  Jack McBrayer’s Kenneth, who had been put in charge of NBC in the series finale, continues in that role in the special, putting together the fall lineup for the real NBC that will air… sometime.  The week will get off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by another season of Manifest.  Tuesday stays static, leading off with more of The Voice, followed by This Is Us and New Amsterdam.

Wednesday also stays the same, with Dick Wolf’s 3 Chicago series running back to back to back.  Thursday starts with a small comedy block, with Superstore followed by Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Law & Order: SVU moves up an hour for its 22nd season, followed by a new spin-off series, Law & Order: Organized Crime, bringing Christopher Meloni back to the L&O fold.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

New shows on tap for midseason include The Keenan Show, a family comedy starring Kenan Thompson, Mr. Mayor, a comedy starring Ted Danson as a wealthy businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles for all the wrong reasons, and Young Rock, inspired by and starring Dwayne Johnson.