Television shows large and small are hitting the small screen in the 2020-2021 TV season after the previous season had to come to an abrupt end due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with precautions in place for the safety of the casts and crews. Unfortunately, those precautions don't always work to keep everybody on set 100% COVID-free, resulting in the shutdowns of several shows, including some on NBC. Now, an upcoming NBC comedy joins Chicago Med and Chicago Fire in halting production due to positive COVID tests.
The Good Place alum Ted Danson's return to NBC with Mr. Mayor has run into a problem. Production shut down on December 14 following multiple positive tests for COVID-19, according to Deadline, with the positive tests coming from Zone A. On Mr. Mayor, Zone A includes the cast as well as crew members who interact with the actors. Four tests have reportedly come back since Friday, December 11. All of that said, Mr. Mayor may not be in the for the same kind of two-week shutdown that NBC dramas Chicago Med and Chicago Fire (both of which have since resumed) faced.
The production shutdown is reportedly only in effect for the day of December 14 at the time of writing, while contact tracing happens for the cast and crew who have been exposed in accordance with guidelines from the state, the county, and NBCUniversal. Universal TV is evaluating what's happening with Mr. Mayor to make the call about whether filming can begin again on December 15.
Although it may seem somewhat surprising that it's even possible for Mr. Mayor to resume filming so soon after positive COVID tests when NBC's Chicago Med and Chicago Fire had to suspend production for far longer, Med and Fire faced guidelines from Illinois and Chicago while Mr. Mayor films in Los Angeles. Mr. Mayor is currently scheduled to make its NBC premiere with a double episode on Thursday, January 7 starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Ted Danson plays the titular mayor in Mr. Mayor, but not a career politician. His character is a retired businessman whose reason for running for mayor of Los Angeles is to prove that he's "still got it." He clearly has "still got it" enough to win the election for the mayor of L.A., but actually doing the job might not be easy for him.
Holly Hunter plays his greatest critic, while Kyla Kenedy will appear as his teenage daughter. In his attempts to gain his critic's respect and connect with his daughter, he'll also try to tackle the challenges of his new job. Bobby Moynihan, whose post-Saturday Night Live sitcom was cancelled by CBS, is on board the NBC comedy as well.
Only time will tell if Mr. Mayor resumes production this week or if the suspension lasts longer. For now, you can look forward to Ted Danson's return to NBC following the end of The Good Place on January 7. If you're in the market for additional viewing options in the new year, check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.
