The Mayor another fish-out-of-water story
With its blend of music, comedy and a fast-talking perfectionist character, “The Mayor” offered Lea Michele “a little bit of everything” she was looking for as a followup to “Glee.”
She just needed help from some political pros to play the driven chief of staff to Brandon Micheal Hall’s lead character, a young rapper who runs for mayor of his northern California town in an effort to build buzz for his mixtape.
“Jeremy Bronson, who is the brains, writer, creator, genius behind ‘The Mayor,’ put me in touch with some incredible women who worked with Obama, actually, and helped me prepare for this role,” said Michele, who received two Golden Globe nominations for playing Type A teen Rachel Berry on “Glee.”
Debuting Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on CTV after its première on ABC this past Tuesday, the comedy series sees Hall’s character surprisingly win his bid for mayor, leading to an entertainer-turned-unlikely leader scenario reminiscent of what’s unfolding in the U.S.
Although the show was created before U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, it is timely. In the first episode, for instance, there’s a reference to White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.
“This show talks about some important political issues but it does it ina really lighthearted (way), and (that) we’re delivering this message through music and through comedy is so great,” Michele, 31, said in a recent interview in Toronto.
“It’s the best time to do it because a lot of kids will be able to relate to the show,” added Hall, 24, who was doing the interview with Michele via speakerphone because he couldn’t make it to Toronto for the press day.
“They’re finally going to see people that look like them or people that act the way that they act, and they’re going to see them in these really powerful and strong but also witty and comical positions during a time where things are a little bit grey and a little bit not so comical anymore.”