Granted, the bumbling politician structure and his eccentric team often looks like a slightly exaggerated version of “Veep”, without endless cursing. There is also a dose of heart associated with Neil Bremer de Danson, a retired billboard tycoon, who rushed to impress his teenage daughter (Kyla Kenedy) – a sitcom-style subplot that the show could probably have missed.
Debuting for half an hour in a row, the first episode adjusts the concept and the characters, including Bremer’s worried team leader (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Vella Lovell), who wonders what she got into; and a remnant from the previous administration (former “SNL” student Bobby Moynihan), basically kept around to have someone to play under the bus if things got worse.
Much of the conflict, however, comes from a City Hall veteran, Arpi (Holly Hunter, punching well below his acting weight), who resents having this newcomer in office.
The real hope for “Mr. Mayor” comes during the second episode, when Bremer makes a series of public appearances after an unfortunate pitstop in a marijuana dispensary. Its altered state yields a series of loud laugh moments, and it’s not just the brownies talking.
Like “30 Rock”, the jokes come fast and furious, and there’s a special Los Angeles-centric vibe, a little less innovative for its familiarity. (To begin with, distinguishing between second wives and daughters can be a real challenge.)
Fortunately, Danson raises even the most banal jokes and remains good company, if nothing else. There is also something vaguely comforting about having him back on Thursday at NBC, which has been his periodic home since “Cheers” debuted in 1982.
It is true that many, no doubt, are less inclined to laugh at the current state of politics than to cry. However, even in the face of it, it is strangely comforting to see Danson back in a place where everyone knows his name.
“Mr. Mayor” opens on January 7 at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time) on NBC.