For anyone whose biggest holiday wishes involve a Taylor Sheridan overload on the small screen, this is going to be a most fabulous winter. Sheridan put western expanses in his rear view in co-creating Mayor of Kingstown with series star Hugh Dillon, with MCU fixture Jeremy Renner and Friday Night Lights and Bloodline vet Kyle Chandler heading things up as the McLusky brothers. And judging by the first trailer for the upcoming Paramount+ series, as seen above, the life of a McLusky is one full of street brawls and facial wounds.
Mayor of Kingstown's titular Michigan location is one that probably looks familiar to many people. A town with basically one claim to fame, where families and industries are reliant on that very element. In Kingstown's case, it's a prison, which means crime and its many dirty details are embedded in everything within, and that includes Jeremy Renner's Mike McLusky and Kyle Chandler's Mitch McLusky. Dubbed "power brokers" in the show's official synopsis, the McLusky family essentially appears to be enforcers looking to keep the status quo as status-y quo-y as can be. Even if it means corruption, inequality and racism are allowed to continue on.
Okay, so maybe "enforcer" is just a glorified way of saying things, as Dianne Wiest's Miriam put it far more bluntly, calling them "fix-it men" and "parttime gangsters." I'm sure someone will throw the word "thug" out there, too. But hey, you can't say they don't have any empathy, as Renner's character clearly tried offering some sound advice to that worried young woman, advising her to GTFO of town before things went badly for her. Basically, he's a hero, right?
It's an interesting time for Mayor of Kingstown to come out, given its storyline leaning into mass incarcerations, corruption in local police departments, treatment of prisoners, and all things racially motivated. Surely there will be some repercussive moments that subvert having two white dudes as the badass line-keeping leads in this story. Taylor Sheridan isn't naive in the slightest, so I can't wait to see how he and Hugh Dillon plant the stakes for this new series. Especially if it means watching Renner and Chandler going ham on people, while taking just as many licks themselves.
With Disney+'s Hawkeye series on the way, Jeremy Renner will officially be a TV star by the time 2022 arrives, and won't be lacking in bumps and bruises for his efforts. With the MCU series likely being a one-off for the actor, it's possible-going-on-likely that Mayor of Kingstown will go for multiple seasons, given ViacomCBS and Paramount's partnership with Taylor Sheridan. He's also delivering Yellowstone's highly anticipated and secretive fourth season the week before Kingstown kicks off, with the prequel spinoff 1883 debuting in December. Here's hoping we'll get to see Renner, Kyle Chandler or Dianne Wiest making synergy-friendly cameos in the Yellowstone-verse at some point, too.
Mayor of Kingstown will make its gritty and bloodstained debut on Paramount+ on Sunday, November 14. Those who haven't subscribed yet won't be out of luck, though, as Paramount Network will be simulcasting the first episode that Sunday evening following a new episode of Yellowstone Season 4. Head to our 2021 Fall TV schedule to see what else will be premiering before then!
