Mike Cabellon is making a splash on the comedy scene in the newest project from legends Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Mr. Mayor. With Season Two kicking off mid-March, Mike is back in his fan-favorite role, Tommy Tomás. The character is chief strategist to Mayor Neil Bremer, played by none other than Ted Danson. I sat down with Tommy and discussed season two of Mr. Mayor, working with comedy legends, and what to expect from Mike in the future.
KY KASSELMAN: First, congratulations on the season two premiere of Mr. Mayor! It’s a great episode. So what should fans expect from this season of Mr. Mayor?
MIKE CABELLON: Oh, gosh, the show’s just so much better now. Season One we shot in the middle of a pandemic. And you know, I think that that kind of thing kind of shows when you’re uneasy behind the scenes and it ends up on camera. And I think this season, everyone was just so much more excited to get back and be safe and be able to tell jokes and have a beginning, middle and end. The first season was cut short. So just everything about this new season feels like a whole new world. And we’re bringing new people into it! There are a lot more guest stars this season. So yeah, I think there’s a lot to look forward to this season.
KY: Great! Well that leads me into my next question perfectly; the season premiere showed a new batch of characters coming in. How is this going to affect the characters that we have already gotten to know and love?
MIKE: Greatly. I think that for me specifically, Tommy definitely feels sort of threatened by the I-Team this season. But as we saw in the pilot, there might be a little bit of romantic spark between Mikaela and James. So I think that everyone’s sense of relationships within the office and everyone’s sense of hierarchy within the office is just going to get completely turned on its head
KY: Right, absolutely. So speaking of character dynamics and everything, how is it to explore those, not only with your character, Tommy, but with Tommy’s relationship to the other characters?
MIKE: It’s exciting! It’s been really nice this season because I feel like during the first season, well for any TV show during season one, you have to sort of establish the baseline for characters. And I think Tommy’s baseline is, like, shady, you know, kind of catty. And it’s so much nicer for me to be [kind] to my coworkers this season! You know, Tommy is sort of growing in his friendships and his alliances with people. As he gets closer to his coworkers, I get to hang out more and be nicer to my coworkers in real life. And that’s been a real treat.
KY: Yeah, that’s awesome. So how much input do you get in the writers room in terms of shaping your character?
MIKE: So the writers room is primarily New York based, because that’s where Tina and Robert are, so I don’t have a ton of input as far as the story goes. But, we always have Tina, Robert, or one of the other writers on set when we’re shooting. And I mean, they’ve got a pretty good batting average, you know! They come in and the scripts are pretty much already there. But if ever there’s a question where it’s like, “this line doesn’t feel right,” or “I think it would be funny if we did something like this,” they’re very open to it. And they’re also very open to letting us improvise, which is really nice. But the thing about improv is you’re usually improvising to make a script better, and you can’t really improve upon perfection. Tina and Robert come with these amazing scripts and it’s like, “okay, yeah, this is it.”
KY: Yeah, that’s incredible. So kind of going off of that, you’re surrounded by Tina Fey and Ted Danson and comedy legends. What have you learned from your cast & crew?
MIKE: Oh, man, everything. Everything I know, I’ve learned from them. Everyone brings a little something different to the table. So just with the two names you said, you know, Tina’s been doing this for so long. She’s so good at it that she brings a sense of professionalism to the set where it’s like, we’re here to manufacture a TV show. There’s a time and a place for fun and a time and a place for work. And she’s all about the work. And I really, really admire her work ethic. With Ted, he’s taught me everything about how to carry myself as a professional actor, because this is my first series regular role. If we’re shooting on location and someone comes up to ask for a photo, it’s like, wow. The way he tells stories about old Hollywood and what it was like to work on Cheers. He sort of lends this air of like, oh, that’s what a star looks like. That’s what I’m going to aim for, that’s what I want to try and emulate when I’m his age.
KY: Absolutely. So speaking of Cheers, what are some of your favorite sitcoms?
MIKE: Oh, boy, this is going to sound like I’m sucking up but truly 30 Rock was. When I was in college, it was like the Bible to me, you know? So it helped in the audition process. I was like, “Oh, I know what this rhythm is supposed to sound like, it’s 30 Rock, so I can aim for that.” More recently, I think Atlanta has done things that no other TV show, comedy or drama, has done.
KY: Oh, absolutely.
MIKE: My favorite underrated answer is You’re The Worst, which is another FX show. And not enough people watched it. But that was like, sometimes you watch a show and you’re like, oh, this was written for me. You’re The Worst was so up my alley. And I love that so much.
KY: That’s definitely on my watch list! I’m gonna have to watch it soon. So who are some guest stars that you would love to have on Mr. Mayor?
MIKE: Oh, that’s a really good question. So the first place my brain goes is that because the show takes place in LA, we can have a lot of people in Hollywood play themselves. You know what I mean? Like, it’s easy to have an actor on to play themselves. Personally, I’d love to meet Edgar Wright. So I’d love to have him on the show. Or at least some sort of crazy director person. Yeah, my brain just goes to directors I want to work with. It’s such a weird answer.
KY: No I love that! Are you aware of the fan movement on Twitter to have Shelley Long guest star on Mr. Mayor?
MIKE: I am. Yeah, I also think that that’s sort of a movement that has followed Ted Danson around for the last 40 shows he’s been on. People have asked for Shelley Long to guest star in everything.
KY: I mean, as they should, right? So what would you like to see from your character Tommy in the future of the show?
MIKE: Well this season, I got to work a lot more with a stunt coordinator for some things. And I think that’s so much fun. I think that Tommy is a very “stand and talk” kind of character; a lot of his jokes are very verbal, and I love that about him. As opposed to you know, Jayden gets so many physical humor bits. Like when he gets a baseball to the nuts, or when he gets run over by a bicycle. And there’s things like that that are just so fun. And I think physical comedy is so underrated. I think in the last like 10 or 20 years it’s sort of become passe, but I think it’s kind of starting to come back. I’m really excited for The Lost City to come out because it feels like that has so many physical moments, like in the trailer like the car falls off a cliff. There’s so much slapstick. I know there’s a movie coming out set at a silent retreat where like, the second two-thirds of the movie are all completely silent and it’s all physical comedy. I’m so excited for that! So, to answer your original question, I feel like one thing I want to do is more physical stuff. I want Tommy to get into his body because it’s one thing to stand and talk. And that’s its own kind of challenge. But it’s a different kind of challenge to sell a joke with your body. And I’m really excited to get to do that kind of stuff
KY: That sounds super exciting! So when it comes to the workplace comedy trope, it’s so common in sitcoms, and there are a lot of them on right now. What makes Mr. Mayor special in that regard?
MIKE: I think what makes Mr. Mayor special is the creative team behind it. A sitcom is basically either a workplace sitcom or a family sitcom, right? So really, the only thing that anyone can ever bring to the table is yourself. You know, “I’m a writer, and this is my perspective on the workplace.” “I’m an actor and I have this perspective on families.” Tina Fey and Robert Carlock have this very distinct voice, you can see it from a mile away. If I didn’t tell you Mr. Mayor was written by them, within three minutes you’d be like, “yeah, this was written by them, right?” Because it has that same sort of cadence and depth that 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt had. And so I think that’s sort of our secret sauce is like, if those shows were for you, the show is going to be for you.
KY: Yeah, for sure! All right, I just have one more question. What else is coming up for you?
MIKE: That is a great question. I mean, the big thing right now is Mr. Mayor. That is like my bread and butter and we have 10 episodes this season, which is one more than we got last season. So I’m so excited for the next 10 weeks. I’m also doing a lot of writing, I have a feature script I’m trying to develop. I have an animated pilot that is in development, but the development pipeline is so long, so I don’t want to tease anything and be like “It’s coming out soon!” because it could be years. But, I’m always writing and I’m always trying to look for the next thing. So yeah, I guess keep your eyes peeled eventually.
KY: Yeah, absolutely. That’s all exciting stuff! Well, congrats on Mr. Mayor, season two. I’m so excited for the rest of the season.
MIKE: You and me both!
Watch Mr. Mayor Tuesdays at 8:30/7:30c on NBC!
