Alec Baldwin to star as NYC mayor in new TV series

He’s flirted with the idea of running for mayor before and now he’ll get to live out his dream on the small screen.Actor Alec Baldwin is starring in an untitled TV series for Universal Television and HBO about a billionaire real estate developer named Joe Byrne who suddenly finds himself mayor of New York City.

A pilot for the hour-long drama will likely be shot this September in New York and the 30 Rock star will be an executive producer for the show if it’s picked up for a full season.“The character is a philanthropist, a big businessman and well-known tabloid fixture in New York,” Baldwin told Deadline. “He’s Trump without the baggage, Bloomberg but a Democrat, George Soros if he was in real estate, a left-leaning Democrat who is also a businessman who understands the reality of how the city has to be run to create the right climate for the business community.”

The character is also a divorced dad and playboy with a dark past, Deadline reported.“We’ve seen from shows like Kevin Spacey’s House Of Cards that you can go anywhere creatively,” Baldwin said. “He throws Kate Mara’s character in front of a subway train and you think, what the hell is going on? You can create these Shakespearean character arcs, and pull the curtain back on how New York City is actually run and how political careers are made and lost in the city.”