Although it hails from the comedy genius minds of Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, who have created series such as 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt together, NBC's sitcom Mr. Mayor has taken a little while to find its footing. Chronicling the unlikely mayoral administration of retired advertising expert Neil Bremer (Ted Danson), the series fits perfectly into Fey and Carlock's signature brand of quirky, snarky humor.
But as quirky, snarky, and downright weird as the show might be, it's clear that not every main character in the show's compact cast was developed to be a fan-favorite, as some characters are much more enjoyable than others.
Mikaela Shaw
To put it simply, Mikaela Shaw is a parody of millennials. She works as Mayor Bremer's Chief of Staff, despite having no qualifications whatsoever given her past and present experience as a social media influencer.
Woefully out of touch and spoiled beyond all reasonable disbelief, Mikaela is a character for whom everything is a slight. There is potential within her relationship with Tommy and Arpi in particular, as they both challenge her to get out of her own head. With the series still in its infancy, hopefully, there's still time for Mikaela to loosen up a little and have more fun.
Arpi Meskimen
In a series filled with a cast of truly weird characters, Holly Hunter's Arpi Meskimen might just be the weirdest of them all. At the beginning of the show, Arpi is a losing candidate for mayor who previously spent three decades serving in a position on the Los Angeles City Council.
After impressing Mayor Bremer with her peculiar levels of devotion, Arpi is promoted to Deputy Mayor, but her weirdness somehow only intensifies with the promotion. Calculating, committed, and unabashed in her love of Los Angeles and its many peculiarities, Arpi might not be the mayor Los Angeles has, but she might be the mayor it deserves.
Tommy Tomás
A character with a lot of potential who has been improving consistently since the pilot is Mayor Bremer's Chief Strategist, the cheekily named Tommy Tomás. Given that Tommy is responsible for strategy and, by extension, marketing for Mayor Bremer, it's pretty safe to say that Tommy is terrible at his job, no matter how hard he tries not to be.
A driven perfectionist with a condescending attitude and a sense of entitlement comparable to but slightly less than Mikaela's, Tommy is another millennial with an edge that definitely needs softening as the series continues. Recent misadventures in trying to help Mayor Bremer connect with his daughter have shown the hilarious possibilities inherent in Tommy's character.
Orly Bremer
It says something about the state of the world, and of politics in particular, in Mr. Mayor's universe that one of the most reliable voices of reason in the series is none other than Mayor Bremer's teenage daughter, Orly.
Depicted with none of the judgmental edge that burdens millennials Mikaela and Tommy, Orly is a rare character allowed to exist unburdened by the political reality of her father's administration while also taking on important everyday political issues through her advocacy at school. Orly primarily functions as a means of inspiration for Mayor Bremer, but also as a way for him to stay in touch with the reality faced by the population he serves.
Jayden Kwapis
The role of Jayden Kwapis is one that easily could have been unbearable, even cloying, but through the winning casting of Saturday Night Live veteran Bobby Moynihan, Jayden is regularly one of the highlights of every episode of Mr. Mayor so far. Jayden is the Communications Director in Mayor Bremer's administration, even though he himself struggles with the most basic everyday forms of communication and conversation.
Desperate to be liked by everyone and be friends with his colleagues, Jayden still somehow never comes off as annoying or invasive. He is eager to please without being overbearing, and the combination of his earnest nerdiness and surprisingly deep level of knowledge of politics and other topical issues make for a truly winning combination.
Neil Bremer
As with Jayden, the role of Mayor Neil Bremer is very easily one that could have gone so very, very awry. It's been reported, after all, that this series was originally meant as a 30 Rock spinoff centering on Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy, yet this series would not have worked at all with Baldwin's character in this lead role. Neil Bremer is clueless, selfish, out of touch, out of date, and everything that a sympathetic main character should never be.
But with beloved sitcom veteran Ted Danson taking on the lead role, it's impossible to do anything but root for Bremer to succeed. Though Neil may have taken on his mayoral race as a lark, it's clear that he is coming around to caring for the people of Los Angeles and the responsibilities he has taken on as a result of his new position. He might not be the best mayor or the best dad ever, but he cares. At the end of the day, that's enough to separate him from so many other politicians and series leads.