Mayor of Kingstown

Mayor of Kingstown is an American crime thriller streaming television series created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon. The series premiered on November 14, 2021, on Paramount+. In February 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise[]

According to the Paramount+ description of the series, "Mayor of Kingstown follows the powerful McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption, and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither."^[1]

Cast[]

Main[]

• Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky, originally starting off as right-hand man for his older brother Mitch, Mike takes over as "Mayor" after Mitch's death in the first episode. The middle McLusky brother, Mike spent his whole childhood dreaming of getting out of Kingstown. Later in the season, we learn that Mike was once an inmate in the Kingstown prison and rose to the rank of "Shot-Caller" for the White inmates.
• Dianne Wiest as Miriam McLusky, the matriarch of the McLusky brothers. Miriam is a college professor who volunteers teaching inmates in the female prison. Miriam is fully aware of the activities that her sons take part in and has a deep animosity towards Mike.
• Hugh Dillon as Ian Ferguson, a seasoned, hard-nosed detective for the Kingstown Police Department and Kyle's partner.
• Tobi Bamtefa as Deverin "Bunny" Washington, leader of the Crips in Kingstown, Bunny spends his days sitting on a lawn chair selling drugs he has in coolers next to him out in the open. Bunny has a good relationship with Mike and is the closest thing to a friend that Mike has.
• Taylor Handley as Kyle McLusky, the youngest of the McLusky brothers. Kyle is a detective for the Kingstown Police Department. Kyle often battles with the choices he is forced to make assisting his two older brothers with their business dealings, as well as the questionable tactics his fellow officers employ on suspects. As a way to distance himself from the mayhem and corruption of working in Kingstown, Kyle is close to getting a transfer to the Michigan State Police. Kyle is also married to Tracy and is expecting their first son.
• Emma Laird as Iris, a smooth-talking escort who works for Milo and the Russian mafia to seduce and bribe government officials. Iris is originally brought into Kingstown in an attempt to control Mike.
• Derek Webster as Stevie, a detective for the Kingstown Police Department and another ally to the McLusky brothers.
• Hamish Allan-Headley as Robert Sawyer, a police sergeant that leads an elite team of Kingstown SWAT officers. Robert is a force of nature who isn't afraid to do whatever is necessary to get the job done, which includes operating his team as more of a death squad. A former Army Special Forces soldier who deployed to Afghanistan. Robert is also the father of a young son.
• Pha'rez Lass as P-Dog, leader of the Crip inmates in the Kingstown Prison.
• Aidan Gillen as Milo Sunter, a Russian mobster who is spending life in prison after killing a few guards during an armored car robbery.
• Kyle Chandler as Mitch McLusky, the oldest of the McLusky brothers, Mitch took over the role of "Mayor" after their father, the original "Mayor", passed away.

Recurring[]

• James Jordan as Ed Simmons, a corrections sergeant who helps coordinate with Mike and Mitch in dealing with the inmates.
• Nishi Munshi as Tracy McLusky, Kyle's wife, who is pregnant with their son.
• Nichole Galicia as Rebecca, who works as a secretary for Mitch and then later for Mike
• Andrew Howard as Duke, leader of a White Supremacist Gang, who controls the White inmates inside the prison. Duke once served time alongside Mike in the Kingstown Prison, both as acting "Shot Callers" for the Whites.
• Jose Pablo Cantillo as Carlos Jiménez, A high-ranking leader in the Mexican Mafia. Carlos also served time with Mike in the Kingstown prison back when he was a "Shot-Caller" for the whites.
• Michael Beach as Captain Kareem Moore, leader of the Kingstown prison guards
• Necar Zadegan as Evelyn Foley, district attorney for the City of Kingstown, who is, secretly, having an affair with Mike.
• Jason Kelley as Tim Weaver, a corrections officer who also helps Mike and Mitch.
• Mandela Van Peebles as Sam, Tim's nephew, and a rookie corrections officer, whose actions cause chaos within and outside the prison.
• Rob Kirkland as Captain Walter, captain of police in the Kingstown Police Department
• Rob Stewart as Captain Richard Heard, captain of detectives in the Kingstown Police Department
• Natasha Marc as Cherry, a young 20-year-old inmate in the female prison and one of Miriam's students.
• Stacie Greenwell as Abby Steele, a seasoned corrections officer assigned to the female prison.

Episodes[]

Production[]

The project was first announced in January 2020, when Paramount Network ordered the series.^[3] By February 2021, the series was transferred over to the Paramount+ streaming service, with Jeremy Renner cast to star.^[4] The next month, Dianne Wiest joined the cast,^[5] with Emma Laird, Derek Webster and Taylor Handley added in April.^[6][7] Series co-creator Hugh Dillon join the cast alongside Pha'rez Lass and Tobi Bamtefa in May.^[8] Kyle Chandler was revealed to have joined the cast in August following the release of a teaser poster for the series,^[9] while Aidan Gillen and Hamish Allan-Headley were added to the main cast.^[10] On February 1, 2022, Paramount+ renewed the series for a second season.^[11]

Filming on the first season took place from May 17 to October 4, 2021, in Hamilton, Ontario,^[12] Burlington, Ontario and in Kingston, Ontario, mainly the Kingston Penitentiary.^[13]

Andrew Lockington composed the music for the series. Lakeshore Records has released the soundtrack.^{[citation needed]}

Release[]

The 10-episode first season of Mayor of Kingstown premiered on November 14, 2021.^[14][15] The first two episodes had their linear premiere on November 21 and 28, 2021 on Paramount Network.

Reception[]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 32% approval rating with an average rating of 5.8/10, based on 25 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Despite campaigning with a strong pedigree, Mayor of Kingstown botches its reelection chances by giving constituents too much gloom and grit and not enough reasons to care."^[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 54 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[17]

During its debut in the US, which was simulcast on cable as a means of promotion, the series drew 2.6 million viewers linearly, making it Paramount Network's most-watched scripted premiere since 2018.^[18]

References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Mayor of Kingstown at IMDb
• Mayor of Kingstown at Rotten Tomatoes