A month ago, we reported on an upcoming NBC project from 30 Rock masterminds Tina Fey and Robert Carlock that will star Ted Danson as a rich guy who becomes mayor of Los Angeles “for all the wrong reasons” and then has to figure out how to do a good job while reconnecting with his teenage daughter. This seems kind of obvious retrospect, but The Hollywood Reporter now says that the project began life as a sequel to/spin-off of 30 Rock, with Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy being the rich guy who gets elected mayor for all the wrong reasons—though it would’ve taken place in New York and Tracy Morgan would’ve been the teenage daughter (we assume).
THR says Baldwin was in negotiations “for the better part of a year” before ultimately dropping out, at which point Fey and Carlock offered the project to Danson—who refused to move to New York, necessitating the Los Angeles shift. One of the interesting things about this, though, is that a 30 Rock sequel show was seriously in the works for a year and we never heard about it. We reported last April that Jane Krakowski had heard “talk” of a 30 Rock revival, but it sounds like this is unrelated to something like that. Either way, while this new show is no longer tied to 30 Rock in any real way, it does mean the guts of that classic show are present in this new one. That seems like a good thing.
55 Comments
I prefer Danson to Baldwin any day.You can’t stop Danson!
Because I like Ted Danson (Danson) I think they couldn’t pick a better person to choose
Because I like Ted Danson (Danson) this mediocre premise will be getting my views
Gene Gene the Danson Machine
Tiny Danson Man.
Danson Queen
“Danson Days Are Here Again!”-Title of article by some total hack should this show be a success.
“Whaddya want me to do, wear turkeys on my feet?!”
I don’t feel like Danson, no sir, no Danson today.
Negotiations broke down after Baldwin called the actress playing his daughter a rude, thoughtless little pig.
The actress was Chloe Grace Moretz, and they were just reenacting their 30 Rock characters’ feud.
The only good thing Alec Baldwin has done in 20 years is playing Jack Donaghy, and he decided not to continue doing it, which now makes him even worse.
Eh, he was pretty good in the Mission Impossible films.
Well played, Clerks…
Man, that just barely counts because the Clerks animated series is somehow 19 fucking years old now. Goddamn that makes me feel old.Also, YOU’RE a cigarette.
“Nothing can kill The Grimace.”
HOW CAN THAT BE!
Sure thing Bryant, my conservative father-in-law
Classic Bryant.
The guy is 60 and has young kids so I’m guessing he probably doesn’t want the strain of a regular TV gig.
SNL is a pretty regular gig for him.
He’s also pretty great in Still Alice.
Come now, he’s awesome as a braying jackass in “The Departed”. I’d also add “It’s Complicated” with Meryl Streep and….well I’m sure there’s some other small film I’m forgetting.
I’m looking forward to this show, but am still annoyed by the teenage daughter angle. Not that the 72-year old Danson can’t have a teenage daughter, but wouldn’t it be more interesting to have him rebuild a relationship with an estranged 30 or 40 year old daughter and maybe his granddaughters?
A middle-aged woman? What is this, Cannes? Eww.
It would have had a 40 year old daughter, but none of the 23 year olds they auditioned were right for the role.
You win for that comment.
Does this mean that Little Danson Man has been shelved?
He once was tall
But now he’s smallIt’s a small Ted Danson.
This sounds exactly like the sort of premise for a network show “30 Rock” would have mocked. I didn’t watch “Becker”, I won’t be watching this.
Yeah! What has Ted Danson ever done to inspire faith in television viewers!
Now I won’t have this kind of jeering for any new Danson projects!
Yeah, you’re right. This sounds exactly like ‘Bitch Hunter’ or ‘MILF Island’.
Pretty sure both of those are movies included with my Desus & Mero (Showtime) subscription.
Hold out for ‘Who Dat Ninja?!’
When will Hollywood finally give us ‘Honky Grandma Be Trippin’’?
AFTER Werewolf Bar Mitzvah, tyvm.
And God Cop.
Hey man, Becker was great… till the last season when Dax left again
The premise of Kimmy Schmidt sure sounds dumb on paper, doesn’t it? Let’s maybe hang on until they even film any of it.
Fey/Carlock + Good Place-era Danson = I’m in.
I’m on board for Ted Danson, but I’m checking out as soon as Tina Fey does another one of those “write a whole five episodes about a character I insert so I can play another kooky version of an SNL character and add nothing to the plot development and bore the shit out of anyone” arcs she’s so fucking fond of. Great News was a pretty shitty show, but seeing Tina pop up, I knew it was utter shit. It’s the same point I gave up on Kimmy Schmidt.
I really enjoyed her arc on Kimmy Schmidt. I had to give up on Good News before she appeared, something about it made me cringe.
It’s just bad. I made it two episodes in, couldn’t take anymore. It’s like watching a 3-camera show with the canned laughter removed, or one that was so bad the studio audience couldn’t be prompted to laugh.
Her first season cameo as the lawyer was OKAY I guess, even though I am sick to death of all the Marcia jokes and want them to stop. Showing up again as the therapist was too much for me. I really wanted to like Kimmy Schmidt, but Kimmy herself just didn’t strike a chord with me. And I love Ellie Kempler – it just felt .. blah. Plus, playing Kimmy’s rapist so prominently for laughs made me really uncomfortable. ugh, Great News. It has potential, but it feels too broad? Broad storylines, broad acting. I’ve continued to watch only for Nicole Ritchie. I never thought she would be the one to give the most nuanced performance on a show whose cast includes Michael Higgins.
“Great News was a pretty shitty show”
Wildly incorrect, but alright. I’ll agree with you on Tina’s self inserts not being great though.
I want to like it more than I do, but it feels really hammy? It has a really good cast (I’m not sure I buy Katie and the boss as a couple but I love their work dynamic for sure) and Nicole Ritchie is a fucking revelation1 But the acting is a little 80s style, after school special, too obvious when it could be a little more nuanced and smart? I think it just feels really broad, and I think the writing is lazy compared to what the cast is capable of delivery – Michael John Higgins especially.
That’s fair. I think I’ve felt a bit how you feel toward it sometimes about it being kinda broad and that JMH could be given more depth (since his whole character is largely old man yells at cloud), but the cast and quality and pace of jokes immediately won me over. I only discovered it after it was cancelled and I really wish I had kept up while it was on air. At least it’s pretty easily rewatchable though.
See, I find the delivery and the jokes a little too on the nose to find it more than watchable, but I can see what they’re going for. 30 Rock had these issues at times … the supporting cast were incredible and weird and strong and felt very lived in, but Tracey and Liz and Jenna felt really off to me at times. I’m just not sure how I feel about Tina as a long term writer. She does phenomenal short term work, such as movies and skits and books. Her long term, shows running over years work, leaves me feeling a little lost. It’s like she doesn’t have an endgame in sight when she starts?
Is it weird I’m attracted to Ted Danson? I mean, I don’t wanna fuck him, but I’d love a chance to be near him.
C’mon, just fuck him
That’s the natural human reaction to Ted Danson.
Even though I know he was playing a character, Bored to Death made me want to get high with him. Him and Zach Galifinackis’s character sitting in a car together stoned was delightful.
In a way, Great News was a 30 Rock spin-off.
Yeah, it was very 30 Rock – we called it 40 Rock when we couldn’t remember the name…