By Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times
January 8, 2021
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Ted Danson, left, as Mayor Neil Bremer, and Bobby Moynihan as Jayden Kwapis in NBC s Mr. Mayor. (Mitchell Haddad/NBC)
With “Mr. Mayor,” Robert Carlock and Tina Fey of “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” fame take their satirical live-action cartoon machine west to Los Angeles, enlisting Ted Danson in a promising semi-political comedy about a semi-political mayor. (It is not “Veep: L.A.,” nor it is related to the tragicomedy currently being played out in our actual halls of power.)
Danson plays Neil Bremer, a rich Los Angeles businessman – locals with a moderately long memory may think of Richard Riordan – who finds himself the city’s mayor, almost by accident – which may briefly call to mind Donald Trump, though that is where that resemblance ends. Bremer has pulled himself out of lethargic retirement in part to cut a better figure in the eyes of his daughter, Orly (Kyla Kenedy), who resents hi
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The mayor’s Spanish-language skills
What “Mr. Mayor” says: Before a speech, campaign manager Mikaela (Vella Lovell) reminds Mayor Bremer, “Please don’t try to speak Spanish again.” He responds, “It’s not my fault ‘pero’ means dog and but that’s just goofy.”
The real deal: Of course, politicians’ halfhearted, unsuccessful attempts to speak Spanish in their speeches
nearly half of the population is Latinx. But L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti is not quite as hopeless as Bremer: by his own estimation, he speaks “good community meeting Spanish.” Also, “pero” means but; “perro” means dog. If we ran down the list of English words that sound similar but have wildly different meanings, we’d be here all day.
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With “Mr. Mayor,” Robert Carlock and Tina Fey of “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” fame take their satirical live-action cartoon machine west to Los Angeles, enlisting Ted Danson in a promising semi-political comedy about a semi-political mayor. (It is not “Veep: L.A.,” nor it is related to the tragicomedy currently being played out in our actual halls of power.)
Danson plays Neil Bremer, a rich Los Angeles businessman locals with a moderately long memory may think of Richard Riordan who finds himself the city’s mayor, almost by accident which may briefly call to mind Donald Trump, though that is where that resemblance ends. Bremer has pulled himself out of lethargic retirement in part to cut a better figure in the eyes of his daughter, Orly (Kyla Kenedy), who resents him in a reflexive teenage way “Stop controlling my narrative,” she’ll say which is to say she also doesn’t. (In fact, Danson and Kenedy have the show’s best chemistry.)
Tina Fey and Robert Carlock Executive Produced
The show is set in Los Angeles
Ted Danson wants to be clear. His new show “Mr. Mayor” is not about politics. It’s a workplace comedy set in Los Angeles’ City Hall. And in a time where anything political is so divisive, it’s smart to make that distinction less people start picking sides before the show debuts.
Here’s hoping they give it a chance. “Mr. Mayor” is the brainchild of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock ( 30 Rock ). And the whip smart writing will feel familiar to fans of that show.
Mitchell Haddad/NBC