The Walking Dead alum shines in NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor
By Adam Carlson
Fans of The Walking Dead have seen the cast go on to do some great things after their exit from the popular AMC zombie drama show. For example, Jon Bernthal has gone on to do The Punisher, Tom Payne has found a great role on Prodigal Son, and Sonequa Martin-Green is crushing it on Star Trek: Discovery.
But it’s time to start talking about Kyla Kenedy. She is a young actress who has been proving herself on television sitcoms after her character Mika Samuels was killed off the show in one of the most powerful and memorable episodes of The Walking Dead ever made: The Grove.
Kenedy, who was 11 when part of AMC’s undead apocalypse, found more success when joining the ABC sitcom Speechless. Working with Minnie Driver (Grosse Point Blank), John Ross Bowie (Big Bang Theory), Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911), and others to create an uplifting yet hilarious show about a family that includes a non-verbal young man in a wheelchair. Speechless ran for three seasons and lasted 63 episodes before ending in April of 2019.
Her television return came on Jan. 7, 2021, when Mr. Mayor premiered on NBC. Now teaming with Ted Danson (Cheers, The Good Place), Holly Hunter (The Piano, Broadcast News), Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Dollface), and others, it appears as though the network has a hit on their hands.
Why is The Walking Dead actress such a good fit for Mr. Mayor?
Moving out of the angsty child phase of her acting career, Kyla Kenedy is 17 years old and has embraced the role of the sarcastic teenager who struggles to relate to their parents. The dynamic between her character Orly Bremer and Danson’s Neil Bremer is that of a believable modern father-daughter and the two steal the show in their scenes together.
Of course, that dynamic is included in a story that involves Danson’s character being a retired businessman who is surprisingly elected the mayor of Los Angeles. That situation creates some big drama in the style of Parks and Recreation at times that spills over into the family with humorous and interesting results.
A sitcom wouldn’t be a sitcom without some good messages along the way. In the first four episodes, ethics, honesty, compassion, and loyalty are just some of the topics addressed in Mr. Mayor, but the show is crafted in a way that the experiences are endearing rather than preachy.
Mr. Mayor airs Thursdays at 8/7c on NBC and would make a great show to watch if you enjoy sitcoms and the previous work of Kyla Kenedy, including her time on AMC’s The Walking Dead.