Dan For Mayor didn't catch on. It has been cancelled :(
A pity. It was one of the funniest and cleverest shows on TV this past two seasons.
Also: because it changed a lot between seasons, it was fascinating to me in a whole other way.
The central premise (the hook) from episode one was very strong. The hero, upon learning that his ex-girlfriend is moving on with her life while he is busy standing still tells a small white lie in desperation, and...
...is soon running for mayor of his town.
It's a wonderful idea, and Fred Ewanuick is the perfect performer. He brings incredible charm to the table, and Dan was instantly incredibly likable. I found it very easy to root for Dan. I wanted him to win the election, I wanted him to get the girl, I wanted him to come out on top in every conceivable situation that arose. I liked Dan.
Dan wasn't the sharpest pencil in the box, and thus the idea of him running for mayor was inherently funny before anything even happened. Ewanuick played another "sitcom dumb" character on Corner Gas but the two characters were written and played differently. Think of Cheers: one character was "Sam Malone stupid", and one was "Woody Boyd stupid". So they lend themselves to different types of stories/jokes. And Dan was the perfect central character to carry this idea.
Season One followed the progress of his campaign, and his journey towards getting the girl back. The season was semi-serialised, and ended with Dan becoming Mayor. And getting the girl.
Because of that, Season Two (basically) reinvented the show. Which fascinates me.
Also: I admire it. Mark Farrell and the team brought a very specific story to completion in Season One, and moved on to a new story in Season Two. Which I think is kinda ballsy. Television is mostly about delivering the exact same thing every week. I love NCIS. Every NCIS is the same as every other NCIS. I know what I'm getting before the episode starts. Before the new season starts.
But I had no idea what was going to happen when Dan For Mayor came back. And that was very exciting.
Year Two moved the characters around like chess pieces. Partnerships from Season One were dissolved, and new allegiances were formed. I think all of the characters benefited from this. Except Jeff (the campaign manager). In many ways he was the 'other hero' of the show, as it was often his efforts to accomplish stuff that drove the episodes. That was gone in the second season, and Jeff was now a supporting character who had limited interaction with Dan and never in the a-plot. I missed that. But it's not much of a complaint, as the season was so good.
Without changing anything, the producers changed everything! Characters now had different roles within the stories. Dan still drove the a-plots, but he had different confidants now. His ex-girlfriend from season one was now his girlfriend, so there had to be a new reason for her to be in the show. This, and all the other changes, were accomplished seamlessly. Maybe with a new job, or a new goal in life. Nothing drastic. But enough to get the job done.
With the election out of the way, the show's stories were now self-contained and the world of the show grew. It was a quirky little town. And, had the show continued, I would have loved to have seen elements of season two revisited again. And again.
But, mostly, I just loved the characters. They were all immensely likable (just like on Corner Gas) and they were all so strongly drawn that part of the fun of the show was watching them react to stimuli in a way that only they would do. It would have been a dream show to pitch ideas for. Since, you could throw any idea into the mix and instantly have a fair idea how most of the characters would behave. So, let's say, all the power in town goes out: I instantly have an idea how the characters might respond to that. Or, if a movie was being filmed in town... Or if Dan had to spend a week in hospital... Or whatever...
Mostly, towards the end of the season, I was looking forward to seeing what Mike was going to do, what clique he was going to join, what hobby he was going to unveil, etc. Such a deranged character. Wonderful.
I don't know why Brisco County didn't catch on.
I don't know why My World And Welcome To It didn't catch on.
Or Andy Richter Controls The Universe. Or Sledge Hammer. Or several hundred other great shows.
Fans never tire of watching, however, or of rewatching them. And new fans find them. And I'm sure Dan For Mayor will be one of those shows. They don't catch on in a big way, but they sure live on.
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Dan For Mayor - A brief overview
