The Mayor

After the initial buzz, promising an original comedy with a charismatic main character played by a talented rising star, I believed it would be a winner. However, The Mayor turned out to be a winner only for a short while after some initial missteps. The area of humor was handled with decent certainty, but the storyline, where most characters play the same comedic tune (T.K. the innocent fool, Jermaine the cunning opportunist, Dina sweeping all the Black sitcom clichés), turns the end of the series (which was also mercilessly yanked off the air by the ABC network) into a somewhat bitter experience. Not to mention the moments when Courtney starts becoming a spoiled brat. Nevertheless, I will remember this bite-sized treat with a smile and it can only be attributed to the ever-reliable Lea Michele. Her Val, with her nerdiness and strive for perfection, is quite similar to Rachel Berry from Glee, which brings me joy. Even though she only sings once in the whole series, and only for a few seconds, it is still more than enough to make her unequivocally my favorite character. And this is in a project primarily based on the chemistry of the central trio of guys, which doesn't bode well. Let alone permanently. (09.02.2018)