January 20, 2015
It's not every day our elected officials delve into on-screen drama.
But in a recent taping for an appearance in the upcoming NBC show, "Allegiance," Mayor Michael Nutter made a cameo playing the role he does best: Mayor of Philadelphia."Allegiance" follows CIA analyst Alex O'Connor (Gavin Stenhouse), who specializes in Russian affairs. Unbeknownst to him, his parents are former spies for the Kremlin. A Russian-perpetrated terrorist plot within the U.S., however, demands the recruitment of the entire family. The drama is adapted from the Israeli show, "The Gordin Cell," which features ex-Soviets who relocate to Israel. "Allegiance" was filmed in Philly at the Masonic Temple and City Hall, among other locations.
According to the Daily News via philly.com, the series' executive producer, George Nolfi, requested Nutter give a realistic public speech for a celebratory event, saying,
"Here's the context: It's the anniversary of the founding of the city, you're giving a commemorative speech, it's a Sunday and you've come in to give the speech. That's all I'll have to do with it - I want your speechwriters to write the speech that you would give in that context."
Nutter's press secretary, Mark McDonald, told PhillyVoice.com he oversaw a team of staff writers who composed a TV-ready speech.
“It was a team effort, and we put out some suggested things."
Just how Nutter fits into the plot is unclear, though. McDonald declined to give details on the content of the address.
It's hard to go wrong when you've got your home team behind you.
"Allegiance" premieres Feb. 5 at 10 p.m. Watch out for Nutter's debut on Episode 3 of the series.
