Mr. Mayor Season 2 - What We Know So Far

Over the past two decades, Tina Fey has become one of the most recognizable names in American comedy, parlaying her success as a head writer on the famous sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live to create the widely beloved NBC sitcom 30 Rock, a satirical look at the dysfunction behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show. It was on 30 Rock that Fey worked with Robert Carlock, who was part of the writers room for all seven seasons of the show.

Following the end of 30 Rock, the two teamed up to co-create the Netflix comedy series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, about the life of a young woman who escapes a cult and moves to New York City, as well as the people around her. The series ran for four seasons on the streaming service, and once it wrapped up, the creative duo returned to NBC for the comedy series Mr. Mayor, about the trials and tribulations of a billboard ad executive who becomes the mayor of Los Angeles after winning the first political election he runs in. NBC has announced that they have renewed the show for a second season, and here's what we know so far.

NBC's newest comedy series made its debut in January 2021 and, like numerous other shows, suffered casualties due to COVID while it was shooting. In the case of Mr. Mayor, the large ensemble cast was an indicator of the difficulties the show would have. Filming was suspended twice: once in March 2020, as per Variety, alongside most US shows, and again in December 2020, as per Deadline, after a number of crew members tested positive for COVID-19. All of this ultimately resulted in the show's first season having only nine episodes, with the season finale airing in February 2021.

While the show has been confirmed to be returning, NBC has not announced an official premiere date for season 2 yet. However, there are a few factors to consider, chief among them the fact that fellow NBC comedy sitcoms such as Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine will be ending their runs soon, which may mean that NBC will want to ensure viewers keep tuning in to the network by premiering Mr. Mayor as soon as possible. On the other hand, Mr. Mayor's midseason premiere may have already set a trend the network executives will be hesitant to disrupt. The decision will ultimately come down to how many episodes NBC and Mr. Mayor's creative team can agree on for the show's sophomore season, especially given the reduction of the first season's episodes.

At the center of Mr. Mayor, playing main character Neil Bremer, is sitcom legend Ted Danson. Best known for his role as Sam Malone in the decade-plus NBC series Cheers, Danson has hardly rested on his laurels since the show went off the air in 1993. He played the titular cantankerous doctor in Becker and corrupt businessman Arthur Frobisher in the FX drama Damages and most recently played Michael in another ensemble NBC sitcom, The Good Place.

But Danson is far from the only big name in the cast, as he's also joined by Holly Hunter. Known for roles in both movies and television, Hunter plays Arpi Meskimen, a career politician who becomes Bremer's deputy mayor by the end of the first episode. Prior to landing at Mr. Mayor, Hunter was deftly juggling movie and tv roles, voicing Elastigirl in Pixar's The Incredibles 2, while showing up as Sally Yates in the Showtime series The Comey Rule.

Other members of the ensemble cast include notable names like Bobby Moynihan, himself a Saturday Night Live alum like Tina Fey, playing communications director Jayden Kwapis, Speechless' Kyla Kenedy as Neil's daughter Orly Bremer, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Vella Lovell as Chief of Staff Mikaela Shaw, and up-and-comer Mike Cabellon in his first main series role as Chief Strategist Tommy Tomás.

All the main characters and their corresponding performers appear poised to return for Season 2.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed in 2019 that Mr. Mayor was originally conceived by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock as a spinoff of 30 Rock which would focus on Jack Donaghy, played by Alec Baldwin, as he changed careers to become a mayor. In keeping with the show, it was meant to be set in New York, but when Baldwin dropped out, the show went in a new creative direction with Ted Danson. To fulfill Danson's wishes to shoot close to home, the show's setting went from New York to Los Angeles as a result.

The first season focused on Neil, Orly, Arpi, and the rest of the mayoral team as they navigated city-level politics and working with each other, often toward mitigating an issue Neil had made worse. Several members of the team developed friendships with each other, their differing perspectives helping the characters see their own lives in new ways. Season 2 promises to continue this trend as the mayoral team and Orly become more adept at navigating the city's issues and better understand each other. In an interview with TVLine, Vella Lovell spoke about how comedy, rather than politics, is the show's first priority, and that is sure to remain Mr. Mayor's focus when it returns for its second season.