Dan for Mayor

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

A Canadian sitcom set in the fictional Wessex, Ontario, Dan for Mayor follows slacker bartender Dan Phillips (Fred Ewanuick of Corner Gas fame) who, on a whim, announces his intention to run for mayor when his ex-girlfriend announces her engagement. Aided by his best buddy turned campaign manager Jeff, the first season shows Dan on the campaign trail, and the second season shows him finding his footing at Wessex Town Hall. The show was created by Paul Mather, Kevin White, and Mark Farrell, who also wrote for Corner Gas.

The series lasted from March, 2010 to August, 2011, and aired a total of 26 episodes in two seasons on CTV. The series was officially cancelled in September 2011, along with sister series Hiccups, and So You Think You Can Dance Canada.


Tropes used in Dan for Mayor include:


  • Backup Twin: After Bud is hit by a bus, his previously unmentioned twin appears in the following episode.
  • Butt Monkey: Dan provides entertainment for the entire town, (much like his character Hank in "Corner Gas")
  • Clueless Deputy: The Deputy Mayor, Alan.
  • Dork Horse Candidate: Entire premise is a variation of the idea.
  • Look Both Ways: In the pilot the current Mayor Bud, Dan's opponent, is his by a bus.
    • And again when Dan lets a cat he borrowed jump out in front of a bus.
  • Runaway Fiance: Claire in episode seven
  • Sleazy Politician: "Ethical Dilemma" introduces Sam Jefferson, a corrupt Ethics Commissioner.
    • In "Revenge is Swifty", we learn that the late Mayor Calgrove expensed the city for items such as a flat-screen TV and Alan never reported it.