Brandon Micheal Hall, Lea Michelle and Yvette Nicole Brown attended a panel at Paley Center’s PaleyFest Fall TV Previews on Saturday to talk about their upcoming ABC comedy series “The Mayor.”

“This show is fundamentally about the growth of a boy into a man, and a man into a leader,” Hall said (via Variety) of “The Mayor,” which follows the story of hip-hop artist Courtney Rose (Hall) who runs for mayor to promote his mixtape and ends up being elected.

Michele plays the role of Valentina Barella, a campaign manager for Courtney’s mayoral-race rival who eventually becomes his own chief of staff. “Courtney leads with his heart. [But] Valentina is the brains,” Michelle said of her role. “She’s tough, but they learn from each other and grow.”

Meanwhile, Brown — who plays Courtney’s mom, Dina, on the show — is hoping that the series will make people realize that anyone, with or without experience in politics, can actually lead a community as long as he or she really cares about it.

“I love that Courtney doesn’t know what he’s doing. He figures it out as he goes along,” Brown said. “I hope it lights a fire in people who watch, that they can do it, too. In this political environment, it’s all hands on deck. We have to do what we can for our community because the people in Washington, D.C., may not do it.”

While “The Mayor” tackles politics, executive producer and co-creator Jeremy Bronson previously told TV Insider that “Democrats and Republicans are not a part of the [show’s] universe.” “This is about a young man growing up and the people he’s populated his life with,” Bronson said. “The challenges that he’s facing are community-based.”

Music has an integral role on “The Mayor.” In fact, that’s one of the things that made Daveed Diggs sign on as executive producer on the show. Being a hip-hop artist himself, Diggs told Entertainment Weekly last June that the show’s premise appealed to his “rap nerd instincts.” Diggs is composing original raps for each episode and Hall performs all the songs himself.

“The Mayor” premieres on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 9:30 p.m. EDT on ABC.

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