The Mayor

An altogether charming sitcom with witty one-liners and up-to-the-minute cultural references. [6 Oct 2017, p.82]

The cast is a winner, and the pilot marks a good start for what looks to be a productive first term in office.

It’s practically begging to be the heir to the “Modern Family” throne: earnest, family-friendly, smart.

What sets The Mayor apart, though, is its conviction. It’s the kind of earnestness not seen since Parks and Recreation. ... Hall gives a winning performance as Courtney that makes it easy to believe he’s more thoughtful than he seems. ... All in all, it’s one of the more promising debuts of the fall TV season.

Overall, The Mayor bites off a little more than it can chew. But it also proves that it not only knows where it’s going--as it teases Courtney’s real passion for his town and the support system that’ll help him in his new job--but where its strengths lie going forward.

The pilot doesn’t disappoint. The comedy features a timely premise full of playful political sendups, light social commentary and plenty of sharp, funny millennial-skewing pop-culture references.

The pilot snaps through the premise in such short order that there’s no effort involved from the viewer except to sit back and enjoy the hijinks.

The Mayor delivers on the two most important aspects a sitcom pilot needs: Great characters and a great concept. That the jokes are relevant and funny is also a good sign of things to come.

The degree to which the show succeeds will probably rest on how many viewers tune in and like what they see in Hall’s brash, energetic performance.

One of the most promising new network shows of the fall season.

ABC's The Mayor might seem like a small-scale version of another duly elected leader, but it's among the fall TV season's more promising series, with the disclaimer that the protagonist's shtick might begin to get old before he completes a season, much less a full term.

The Mayor’s first outing doesn’t just throw a worthy ensemble together---it assembles them around the makings of something that could be worth their time and talent.

The Mayor can be preachy and predictable, but is also spirited and reasonably amusing in this opening scene-setter. Hall brings considerable charisma to the lead role and Brown supplies the needed anchoring presence. Michele, the former Glee star, still seems to be finding her way, though, in a role that at the moment doesn’t really fit her.

The Mayor needs more depth to take it beyond the standard sitcom formula.

Faintly charming and landing an occasional punchline like that one, The Mayor is somewhat more amusing than open-mic night at a college pub, but that's about as extravagant as the praise is going to get.

My biggest concern rewatching the pilot was that almost everything I found memorable was in the premise-setting first half. Then in the second half, when the show tries illustrating what it might be like to have Courtney as mayor, it becomes pretty flat. Since that's the actual show, I'd want to see something better.

It’s a cute premise. But the pilot is not believable or funny, which isn’t to say it couldn’t have been either of those things, but the details don’t ring true and the humor is sort of amusing but rarely elicits a laugh.