Disclosure: I attended a screening of an episode of The Mayor and interviewed 2 of its stars, Bernard David Jones (“Jermaine Leforge”) and Marcel Spears (“T.K. Clifton”), as part of a press trip. All opinions are mine.
ABC’s THE MAYOR
Photo credit ABC
So many choices exist in the land of television! How can you ever choose what shows to watch and which ones to pass on? Well, you gotta do your research and read blog reviews like this one! I’m telling you right now, you should be watching THE MAYOR on ABC. Why? I’m glad you asked.
It’s family friendly
Photo credit: ABC/Tony Rivetti
The Mayor is a show you can watch with your entire family. During our interview with Bernard David Jones (“Jermaine Leforge”) and Marcel Spears (“T.K. Clifton”) it was easy to tell that these guys are passionate about what they do, and they’re passionate about making a difference. They are such nice guys too! They gave us each a big hug like we were long lost friends. And that’s how it felt sitting down to talk with them.
Bernard David Jones had this to say about THE MAYOR: “I think that what’s important about our show and is special is that you can gather the family together, sit down and watch a show and then maybe discuss some of the issues that are happening.” Marcel Spears added, “Yeah, this is one of those shows that you can sit down as a family and watch.”
I love this! So many families are disconnected today. When I was growing up we had one television. That meant that we watched together. Now most families have a television for each family member plus one. Everyone watches what they want, and it’s rarely the same thing.
Make Tuesday night a family night, watch THE MAYOR together, and talk about the show. Even if your kids are young, instilling a heart for community is something that they can learn at any age. They can learn a lot from the characters on THE MAYOR.
It’s got a great cast
Marcel Spears, Me, Bernard David Jones
I’ll start with the guys we got to interview because they were just so much fun and so down-to-earth. I loved interviewing them! You can read what they had to say about working on THE MAYOR and what they’ve got to say about their co-stars. You could really tell how much they love working together!
Photo Credit: Allison Waken / AllForTheBoys.com
Marcel Spears (“T.K. Clifton”): THE MAYOR is Spears’s first television show, but he’s been on stage in multiple productions. We asked him what it was like transitioning from stage to television. “Being on stage…you can do the show eight times a week, but for that audience, it’s their first time seeing it…so you have to recreate these performances…but everything…changes. Doing this show, you get a chance to really craft your performance in a different way… I get to see my performance and edit…I get to [say] let me get one more take. Also, in theater, you make families fast…You have to love each other really quickly or hate each other really quickly and that is that relationship for the next two to three months…and then you move on. Here, it’s like a long-term relationship…because we see each other sixteen, seventeen hours out of the day.”
Bernard David Jones (“Jermaine Leforge”): Jones has acted in several television series including “Meet the Browns,” “Single Ladies,” and “House of Payne.” When we asked how he got involved with THE MAYOR, he had this to say: “My agent sent me the casting notice and I was like, okay, cool. I read the script and I said, I have to be a part of this. I don’t know how I’m gonna do it, but I need to be a part of this. It was so amazing. The script was so funny. It was topical. It was current and I was just like, man, I need to do this.”
Photo Credit: Allison Waken / AllForTheBoys.com
Brandon Micheal Hall (“Courtney Rose”): The guys had so much great stuff to say about Hall, who was recently named one of Variety’s Top Ten Television Stars to Watch for 2017. “Brandon [is] such a great actor. He’s young, but his ability to be a leader, onscreen and off-screen, is amazing. We’re blessed to have a leader in Brandon. He’s wise beyond his years. He’s a great actor. Juilliard trained. But he’s a great friend. [He’s] taking on the position of being the number one and being the star of the show and really learning as he goes and being a servant leader and making sure that we’re all okay and taking care of us.”
Lea Michele (“Valentina Barella”): Lea Michele needs no introduction, I’m sure! We all know her from her music to her acting on stage and screen. When the guys were talking about the show they said, “Lea’s like the sister of the group. She got three new brothers that she loves, but also doesn’t know if she wanted.”
Yvette Nicole Brown (“Dina Rose”): I love her. My kids are the right age to have watched “Drake & Josh” and watch they did. Over and over and over. She was hilarious on the show, so when I saw she was going to be on THE MAYOR, I was thrilled. Jones and Spears say, “She is literally like Big Sis. You can’t walk anywhere with her [because people are like “Yvette, we love you. We love you. We love you.” ] And I [BDJ] always say, Yvette, you know what, I hope that people love me the way that they love you and respect you, and she said, just be yourself and have a heart for people.”
It’s not afraid to take on real issues
Courtney makes his first mayoral appearance at his old elementary school and discovers that their music program, which helped changed his life, is in danger of being eliminated. Val educates Courtney about how he needs to work the system in order to provide the school with appropriate funding, and they work together to outsmart Councilman Ed Gunt (David Spade). Meanwhile, Jermaine proudly embraces his new role as communications director, as Dina pushes T.K. to realize the significance of his job as director of Constituent Services. Photo Credit: (ABC/Tony Rivetti)
THE MAYOR is a comedy, but it’s a comedy that is “real.” Dina was a teenager when she had Courtney, so there’s the reality of being a teenage single mom. Dina is also like a mom to Jermaine and T.K. I’m not sure if we’ll find out more about their moms on the show or why Dina is the woman they look to as their mom, but that is reality in so many cases.
The show takes on politics but in a comedic, light-hearted way. You’ll be able to talk to your kids about things like putting people first and the importance of community. Jones says, “I think what’s also special about our show is that we come from a non-partisan standpoint. We present what’s going on these communities and we offer solutions on how to fix it.” Spears added, “…when you really get down to talking about [the] issues that affect the day-to-day operation of a city, I think everybody gets closer to the middle than even I thought in the beginning.”
It’s fun!
Photo credit: (ABC/Tony Rivetti)
We could all use more fun in our lives, right? The day-to-day issues we face are hard! Having something that is heartwarming, funny and encouraging to watch at the end of the day might be just the thing to make a rotten day seem alright.
Check out this clip from the pilot episode, and you’ll see what I mean!
Watch and Follow THE MAYOR
THE MAYOR airs Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC. Here is a sneak peek at tonight’s episode!
Tonight’s (10/17/17) episode is entitled “Buyer’s Remorse.” As Courtney settles into his new role as mayor, he’s faced with a dismal approval rating as the citizens of Fort Grey express their lack of confidence in his ability to lead, as well as those on his own staff. He realizes that he needs to take an unconventional approach when dealing with Councilman Ed Gunt (David Spade) and comes up with a plan to quickly turn public opinion in his favor, on “The Mayor.”
Like THE MAYOR on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheMayorABC/
Follow THE MAYOR on Twitter https://twitter.com/TheMayorABC (Follow along with #TheMayor)
Follow THE MAYOR on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/themayorabc/
Have you seen THE MAYOR yet? If not, be sure to catch up on demand or on the ABC app! I’d love to talk about this show with you!
Such a great post! I can feel the energy in the room. They were super sweet guys.
They really are!
If we had more community in our lives I think that we’d all be a lot happier. Love the message and the actors (in the clips) are hilarious! Looking forward to watching it.
Definitely! These guys have such great hearts and attitudes!