TED DANSON

A two-time Emmy winner for Cheers and three-time nominee for The Good Place, Danson, 74, returns as fictional Los Angeles Mayor Neil Bremer in the second season of Mr. Mayor (March 15 on NBC). The comedy series continues the tale of the inept politician, who angers his staff, faces a potential recall election, begins dating again and tries to successfully parent his teenage daughter.

What do you like about Neil? I love that he is good-natured, he is kind, he is so self-absorbed in his little orbit of being a billionaire that he just takes for granted that he can pull off being mayor—and he can’t. He’s in way over his head, but he’s doing it

to prove to his daughter he’s still got it.

You’re a father. How would you judge him as a dad? A smidge self-absorbed. But you know what? So was I at times. When my kids were young, I was doing Cheers and running off and doing films and stuff like that. I wasn’t absentee, but I was gone a lot. But Neil absolutely loves his daughter. He quit his job just so he could be around her and raise her. So there’s a lot of love and good intention.

What’s it like working with Holly Hunter, who plays Neil's adversary, Arpi? It’s like playing tennis with somebody who’s better than you: You end up having to improve your game. Holly’s very much that for me, Ted—and for Neil as well.

The Good Place got people to think about what it means to do the right thing. Are you satisfied with that as its takeaway? Yes: Try to be the best you can every day. We’re not going to become monks or philosophers overnight, but you do know what’s ethically right, especially the longer you’ve been on the planet.

You’re a longtime environmentalist. What is your current focus? I’m on the board of directors of Oceana and have been pretty much since its inception. I’ve been doing it since the mid-’80s.