NBC’s sitcom,Mr. Mayoraired from January 2021, until its swift cancelation in mid-2022. The series stars Ted Danson as the Los Angeles mayor, although Tina Fey originally planned for the show to bethe spinoff to her claim to fame,30 Rock. Following the popularity of Jack Donaghy, Alec Baldwin was reportedly in negotiations with Fey and her team for over a year before the project fell through. Although Danson’s character was a welcome addition and contributed to some series highlights,Mr. Mayorunfortunately fell short of expectations as it couldn’t capitalize on the success of30 Rock,which ended after season 7.
The 18-year-old sitcom’s finale in season 7, episode 13, “Last Lunch,” has been accepted as one ofthe best TV show finales of the decade.Donaghy’s character would have continued his life in New York, where he navigates his political agenda from the mayor’s office of New York City. There are clear likenesses between the corporate conservative, Jack Donaghy, andMr. Mayor’s opportunistic character, Neil Bremer, and it’s interesting to consider what the NBC show could have led to, if the plans for the 18-year-old comedy spinoff had gone ahead as intended.
How Ted Danson’s Mr. Mayor Character Is Like The Good Place’s Michael
Ted Danson is onto his next role as Neil Bremer in Mr. Mayor. According to Danson, Neil is a lot like his last character, Michael from The Good Place.
Tina Fey’s Mr. Mayor Was Originally Supposed To Be A 30 Rock Jack Donaghy Spinoff - Why The Connection Was Changed
The Show Eventually Settled In Los Angeles To Accommodate Danson
Negotiations between Baldwin, Fey and her creative partner, Robert Carlock, were taking place for over a year beforeBaldwin later dropped outof the projectfor unknown reasons, in spite of reprising his role asJack Donaghy in the virtual special for NBCin 2022. This ultimately changed the direction of the show massively, and the writers were compelled to look for alternatives for their series protagonist. In hindsight,30 Rock’s unconventional satirical humor would be difficult to replicate today, and so the only option was to abandon the spinoff and rework it around another actor.
The script was reworked to accommodate Danson on the West Coast, consequentially removing any connection it had to30 Rockto become an entirely fresh project for the comedy duo.
Coming on off the back ofThe Good Place’s momentous success, Ted Danson was the clear contender for the new series lead inMr. Mayor. However, whenDanson refused to relocate to New York Cityfor the role, it meant that the dynamics of the show had to change considerably. The script was reworked to accommodate Danson on the West Coast, consequentially removing any connection it had to30 Rockto become an entirely fresh project for the comedy duo.
How Mr. Mayor’s Neil Bremer Compares To 30 Rock’s Jack Donaghy
Jack Donaghy’s Influence Can Be Seen In Mr. Mayor’s Neil Bremer
Without a doubt, anyone familiar with30 Rockwill notice the subtle similarities between Jack Donaghy and Neil Bremer. Despite undergoing huge revisions, there are moments inMr. Mayorwhere it is transparent thatthe script was written with Donaghy in mind, which does make Neil’s character all that more entertaining to watch. From the gags to the signature one-liners, the first episode establishes Neil as a corporate businessman whose beliefs teeter towards the conservative, and bears a shocking resemblance to Jack Donaghy.
Neil Bremer is a wealthy, single-parent father who strives to continue climbing the corporate ladder and earning the praise of his teenage daughter. This makes sense following the30 Rockfinale, where Jack becomes a single parent to his daughter, Liddy. The time span between30 RocktoMr. Mayorwould mean thatJack’s daughter would have been around the same age as Neil’s daughter, Orly (Kyla Kenedy). That being said, Neil’s character appears to tend more towards spending time with his daughter after his late-wife’s death, whereas Jack’s separation with Avery (Elizabeth Banks) affected his relationship with Liddy.
Why Mr. Mayor Was Canceled After Only 2 Seasons
The Sitcom Doesn’t Reach The Same Level Of Quality As Fey’s Other Projects
Arguably, the biggest challengeMr. Mayorfaced in its time on the air was theunavoidable change of direction the show was forced to takeafter the loss of Baldwin, especially so soon after the global pandemic. A number of shows faced difficulty with ratings post-Covid, regardless, but establishing a new series that recognizes the pandemic within its universe was an even bigger risk. Essentially, audiences turn to the sitcom genre to escape the hardships of daily life, and so crisis realism does not do overwhelmingly well within the format.
On the other hand,30 Rockskyrocketed in popularity beyond its finale in 2013. The Rockefeller hit was helped along the way byhaving Baldwin’s name attached to the project, who was feasibly the biggest star signed onto the project. In addition, the series was broadly influenced byTina Fey’s time onSaturday Night Live, which greatly favored the show’s authenticity, as well as appealing to the intended comedic crowd at that time. The Los Angeles political sitcom sadly couldn’t thrive without Jack Donaghy’s well-established lead, resulting in mediocre ratings that led toMr. Mayor’s cancelation after just two seasons.
