The fall TV season all but kicks off tonight with a pair of new comedies from CBS in Young Sheldon and Me, Myself & I among the offerings. Unlike The Big Bang Theory prequel, Me, Myself & I starring Bobby Moynihan, John Larroquette and Jack Dylan Grazer is a totally new effort – though it already feels old. As I say in my video review above, looking at Me, Myself & I, Fox’s October 1-debuting Ghosted and ABC’s October 3-premiering The Mayor, there is only one truly funny show here that feels fresh.
Avoiding being caught in a Donald Trump spin cycle but certainly timely, The Mayor — from ex-Hardball producer and Speechless EP Jeremy Bronson and Hamilton alum Daveed Diggs — aims to be a lot smarter than you’d expect. Plundering stereotypes to flip them and sidestepping cynicism for more of an alternative outsider approach, the Brandon Micheal Hall-led series centers on a struggling rapper who shocks even himself when he is elected mayor of the fictional California town of Fort Grey.
Yes, The Mayor will have to keep its game fresh to sustain momentum week after week. However, unlike many a comedy in this season or others, it has a strong bench in Community’s Yvette Nicole Brown as Hall’s onscreen mom, and Scream Queens’ Lea Michele. That cast is all the stronger with its in-house Vladimir and Estragon from Waiting For Godot meets Josh and Sam from The West Wing in Bernard David Jones and Marcel Spears as Hall’s best pals.
Ghosted, the heavily X-Files-influenced Crag Robinson and Adam Scott-starring comedy, is funny here and there. Unfortunately, it is also paranormally pedestrian despite the clear chemistry between the reunited Hot Tub Time Machine actors. It previewed online on Twitter this past week.
Click on my review above to see more of my take on Me, Myself & I, Ghosted and The Mayor. Will you be watching Young Sheldon and Me, Myself & I tonight?
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