Season 1

**Season 1** is the first season of the Paramount+ series, *Mayor of Kingstown*. It consisted of 10 episodes, and premiered on Sunday November 14, 2021 with two episodes. It finished its first season on January 9, 2022. On February 1, 2022, the series was renewed for a second season.

## Synopsis

*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.*

## Cast and characters

### Starring

* Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky
* Dianne Wiest as Mariam McLusky
* Hugh Dillon as Ian
* Tobi Bamtefa as Bunny
* Taylor Handley as Kyle McLusky
* Emma Laird as Iris
* Derek Webster as Stevie
* Hamish Allan-Headley as Robert
* Pha'rez Lass as P-Dog
* Aidan Gillen as Milo Sunter
* Kyle Chandler as Mitch McLusky

### Guest starring

* James Jordan as Ed Simmons
* Nishi Munshi as Tracy McLusky
* Nichole Galicia as Rebecca
* Andrew Howard as Duke
* Michael Beach as Police Captain Kareem Moore
* Necar Zadegan as Evelyn Foley
* Jason Kelley as Tim Weaver
* Mandela Van Peebles as Sam
* Rob Kirkland as Captain Walter
* Rob Stewart as Captain Richard Heard
* Natasha Marc as Cherry
* Stacie Greenwell as Abby Steele
* Jose Pablo Cantillo as Carlos Jimenez
* George Tchortov as Joseph the Russian
* Chase Lawless as Sniper

## Gallery

### BTS images

Pizzeria storyboard sequence in 1.04:"The Price"
### Videos

Mayor of Kingstown - First Look Teaser - Paramount+Mayor of Kingstown - First Look Trailer - Paramount+Explore the Expanding Yellowstone Universe - Paramount+Mayor of Kingstown Trailer (HD) Jeremy Renner seriesMayor of Kingstown Season 1 Trailer 2 - Rotten Tomatoes TVMayor of Kingstown - Official Trailer - Paramount+Mayor of Kingstown - "The Mayor" - Paramount+Mayor of Kingstown - "Company Town" - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown, The Game, Clifford The Big Red Dog - Peak Of The Week (11-12-21) - Paramount+November Picks on Paramount+Jeremy Renner discusses his role in new Paramount+ drama "Mayor of Kingstown"Jeremy Renner on Wearing Hawkeye Costume at Daughter’s School & Mayor of KingstownCast of Mayor Of Kingstown Talk About The New Episodes & CharactersScoring MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN with composer Andrew Lockington - Exclusive Interview"Mayor of Kingstown" Taylor Handley interviewAidan Gillen & Emma Laird Interview- Mayor of KingstownMayor of Kingstown Clip - Jeremy Renner Is Gonna Be An Uncle -EXCLUSIVE-Mayor of Kingstown - Accolades - Paramount+MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN cast on their characters lives and how they survive the tough city of Kingstown!Inside Mayor of Kingstown - Paramount+ AustraliaJeremy Renner Breaks Down His Career, from 'The Hurt Locker' to 'The Avengers' - Vanity FairMayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- Series Premiere (S1, E1) - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Where The Only Industry Is Incarceration - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "The End Begins" (S1, E2) - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "Simply Murder" (S1, E3) - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "The Price" (S1, E4) - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "Orion" (S1, E5) - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "Every Feather" (S1, E6) - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "Along Came A Spider" (S1, E7) - Paramount+Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "The Devil Is Us" (S1, E8) - Paramount+Mayor of Kingstown - Mike Mike Mike - Paramount+Mayor of Kingstown - Midseason Trailer - Paramount+Taylor Handley what he loverd about working with Jeremy Renner on 'Mayor of Kingstown'Aidan Gillen & Emma Laird on working Jeremy Renner on 'Mayor of Kingstown'Mayor of Kingstown - "Victims" - Paramount+Dillon Hugh on working with Jeremy Renner on 'Mayor Of Kingstown'Jeremy Renner Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters - GQTHE MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN -HUGH DILLON INTERVIEWPha'rez Lass talks ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ on Paramount+Andrew Lockington Interview- Mayor of KingstownWATCH NOW- Actress Emma Laird talks about role in “Mayor of Kingstown”Jeremy Renner and Dianne Wiest discuss “Mayor of Kingstown” (Full Stream 11-17)Hugh Dillion talks about Mayor of Kingstown & YellowstoneSeason finale sneak peek of "Mayor of Kingstown"Emma Laird talks about Mayor of Kingstown Season Finale
## Notes and Trivia

* The project was first announced in January 2020, when Paramount Network ordered the series.
* By February 2021, the series was transferred over to the Paramount+ streaming service, with Jeremy Renner cast to star.
* The next month, Dianne Wiest joined the cast, with Emma Laird, Derek Webster and Taylor Handley added in April.
* Series co-creator Hugh Dillon joined the cast alongside Pha'rez Lass & Tobi Bamtefa in May.
* Kyle Chandler was revealed to have joined the cast in August following the release of a teaser poster for the series, while Aidan Gillen and Hamish Allan-Headley were added to the main cast.
* Filming on the series began on May 17, 2021, in Toronto and finally wrapped season one on October 2, 2021.
* On October 28, 2021, Paramount+ released the official trailer *Mayor of Kingstown* starring Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky, who is the mayor of a fictional city called Kingstown located in the state of Michigan. In Kingstown, incarceration is the only thriving industry. Coincidentally, this is a series that was 10 years in the making as the creators wanted to wait for the right time to finally bring it to life. "This story takes a comprehensive look at the entire prison system, the good, the bad and the ugly of it," executive producer David Glasser said during the Paramount+ TCA day. "These characters are in a situation in a town where they are trying to bring some justice to a town that has none, and that has operated on [that premise]. So, really at the end of the day, they are tackling a flawed system and giving us all parts of the pie to take a look at."
* The 10-episode season of Mayor of Kingstown premiered on November 14, 2021.
* On November 8, 2021 it was revealed by the Kingston’s film office says that the *Mayor of Kingstown* production is the largest film shoot ever to take place in the city. The filming, which took place over several weeks split into three separate shoots, saw more than $2 million in spending at local hotels. Moreover, according to the film office, the city’s hotels saw some of the highest occupancy rates in the province while crews were in town. Hotels reported being more than 80% booked in August and nearly 75% booked in September 2021.
* On November 10, 2021 Dianne Wiest joked that her character in the series would not be winning the "world's best mom" anytime soon.
* On November 13, 2021 Aidan Gillen mentioned that his character of Milo Sunter "is quite central to the story, a lot of it's set up in terms of how much we see this guy, and how much we know about him, a lot of that was kept back..."
* During the Sunday night debut in the US, which was simulcast on cable as a means of promotion, the crime thriller reportedly pulled in 2.6 million viewers linearly – and many more digitally. The numbers make it Paramount Network's most-watched scripted premiere since 2018.
* On November 15, 2021, it was revealed that while Kingstown, Michigan is not a real place. There is, however, a Kingston, Michigan. Still, *Mayor of Kingstown* wasn’t actually based on Kingston, MI. It was, however, based on Kingston, Ontario in Canada, co-creator Hugh Dillon’s hometown.
* On November 17, 2021, it was mentioned that while *Mayor of Kingstown* isn't based on a true story, the series centers around the influential McLusky family of Kingstown, MI, as they navigate the dark sides of the for-profit prison industry. Tackling themes such as systemic racism and police corruption in the process.
* On November 19, 2021, Jeremy Renner was interviewed by *The New York Times* and one of the things that was talked about, was how Renner, who has not played a continuing TV role in more than a decade stars in two very different streaming series, debuting 10 days apart (i.e. *Hawkeye* on Disney+ and *Mayor of Kingstown* Paramount+ respectively).
* Filming on the first season took place from May 17 to October 4, 2021, in Toronto, and in Kingston, Ontario mainly the Kingston Penitentiary.
* On November 24, 2021, Andrew Lockington mentioned that what drew him to composing for the series was that he was introduced through a mutual friend to Taylor (Sheridan). Lockingston mentions how he had been a massive fan of his writing and directing. Moreover, Lonckingston goes onto to say that *Mayor of Kingstown* is scored like a 10-hour movie. You’ve got themes that evolve over the course of the 10-episodes and you’ve got more than four themes just because of the sheer volume and time. You really have a chance to have this musical evolution of story... Subsequently, Lakeshore Records has released the soundtrack.
* On November 25, 2021, it was explained how throughout Season 1 Mariam teaches history to female prisoners, and some are grounded in grains of truth, and others were fabricated for the show.
	+ In The Mayor of Kingstown, Mariam discusses the Civil War. The book *Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee* is seen on the student’s desks. She tells her students that the Civil War is “the only time in history, the oppressors fought each other over the rights of the oppressed” and goes on to say that a decade after the Union victory, “a new union army made up of mostly imprisoned confederate soldiers and immigrants reignited the genocide begun by Columbus some 400 years earlier”. A student then approaches Mariam and says that she grew up on Pine Ridge. The student is referring to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota where the battle of Wounded Knee took place in 1890. Many believe the massacre at Wounded Knee was revenge for the lives lost at Little Bighorn, which ties the student’s statement into Mariam’s lesson as well as the book the class is studying.
	+ In Mariam’s second lesson on The End Begins, she talks about the Cherokee being moved further west to Oklahoma. She tells a heart-wrenching story of how the Cherokee were forced to abandon their dogs — who they see not as pets but as guides with the souls of their ancestors — when made to cross the Mississippi River. Mariam continues as several of the students are seen crying, telling them that the dogs howled and leaped into the river, and drowned while trying to reach their families. This story comes from Alexis de Tocqueville’s *Democracy in America* and is a first-person account of the tragic story; however, Tocqueville’s story involves the Choctaws instead of the Cherokee.
	+ In Simply Murder, Mariam teaches a class on the origin of slavery that is drawn from the historical account of Pope Nicolas V from *Crónica dos feitos da Guiné* by Gomes Eanes de Zurara. Eanes de Zurara tells the story of the young Portuguese ship captain, Antam Goncalvez, who kidnapped a small group of Berbers with the help of his crew and another. Mariam’s story is that of an African king who is abducted by Portuguese explorers and negotiates his freedom by offering to collect 10 more slaves for the explorer when he returns the next year and 100 the year after that. Mariam concludes her lesson by asking, “would slavery have existed without this bargain? Perhaps the better question should be ‘would the bargain have existed without the desire for a slave?” While a provocative question, this question is largely off-base since slavery’s origins can be traced back to Mesopotamia in 6800 B.C. as is pointed out by Free the Slaves (via freetheslaves.net).
* On November 28, 2021, the day this episode premiered, Cameron K. Lewis, a storyboard artist for the series shared storyboard of the pizzeria sequence that he worked on.
	+ Also on this day, it was revealed that starting with this episode, Fans who went straight from watching “Yellowstone” to “Mayor of Kingstown” won’t be able to find it on CBS anymore. Starting Nov. 28, “MOK” will only be available on Paramount Plus. The President and CEO of MTV Entertainment Group, Chris McCarthy, released a statement about the shift from cable to streaming only:*Mayor of Kingstown is the #1 original scripted drama on Paramount+ since its rebrand and the number-one new scripted cable premiere since Yellowstone in 2018,” McCarthy said in a press release. “More importantly, it’s already outpacing Yellowstone in key demos … which is why we’re confident our franchise strategy is working and Mayor of Kingstown will continue to thrive after it moves exclusively to Paramount+ on November 28th.*
* On December 6, 2021, it was reported that Matilda Tour alum Drew Davis was set to make an appearance on the show.
* On December 10, 2021, co-stars Aidan Gillen (who plays Milo, a crime boss who currently resides in one of the prisons in Kingstown) and Emma Laird (who plays Iris, an associate of Milo’s who gets summoned to Kingstown) talked about what attracted them to this series, the strength of the scripts, the fun of peeling back so many layers of a character, the trick to playing someone in prison, and what it’s like to be a woman in this world...
* On December 17, 2021, some promotional images for Tracy McLusky were released by the official Twitter account for the series.
* On December 19, 2021, Rob Kirkland revealed that Taylor offered the part to him...
* On December 30, 2021, the tv network airings of *Mayor of Kingstown* on the Paramount Network causes some confusion when *Yellowstone* was still airing, but Mayor of Kingstown were not...
* On January 07, 2022, Chase Lawless revealed that he will play a heavily armed member of the National Guard that gets sent to one of the prisons at the heart of the series.

## Reception

According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series reports a 29% approval rating with an average rating of 6/10, based on 21 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". The audience score however is a 79%. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 54 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

## External Links

* Mayor of Kingstown at the Internet Movie Database
* Follow Mayor of Kingstown (@mayorofkingstown) on Instagram
* Mayor of Kingstown on Wikipedia
* Follow Mayor of Kingstown (@kingstown) on Twitter
* Watch *Mayor of Kingstown* on Paramount+

## References

1. ↑ ‘Mayor Of Kingstown’ Renewed For Season 2 At Paramount+ - Deadline
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Mayor of Kingstown” LOGLINES - ViacomCBS Express
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Calgary-born actor, fight choreographer Chase Lawless lands role in Mayor of Kingstown, indie films - Calgary Herald
4. ↑ Paramount Network Orders ‘Mayor Of Kingstown’ From ‘Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan & Renews ‘The Last Cowboy’ For Second Season TCA - Deadline
5. ↑ ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoff, ‘Mayor Of Kingstown’, ‘Land Man’ Among Series On Taylor Sheridan’s Upcoming Slate For Paramount+ - Deadline
6. ↑ Dianne Wiest Joins Jeremy Renner In Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ Series For Paramount+ - Deadline
7. ↑ ‘Mayor of Kingstown’: Emma Laird Joins Taylor Sheridan’s Series For Paramount+ - Deadline
8. ↑ ‘Mayor Of Kingstown’: Hugh Dillon, Pha’rez Lass & Tobi Bamtefa Join Cast As Production Begins On Taylor Sheridan’s Series For Paramount+ - Deadline
9. ↑ ‘Mayor Of Kingstown’: Kyle Chandler Joins Jeremy Renner In Taylor Sheridan’s Series For Paramount+ - Deadline
10. ↑ ‘Mayor Of Kingstown’: Aidan Gillen, Hamish Allan-Headley, Nishi Munshi, Michael Beach, Mandela Van Peebles Among 12 Cast In Taylor Sheridan’s Series For Paramount+ - Deadline
11. ↑ "In Production" - Ontario Creates
12. ↑ Mayor of Kingstown Trailer Teams Jeremy Renner & Kyle Chandler on Paramount+ This November - TV Web
13. ↑ ‘Yellowstone’ Season 4 Gets November Premiere Date With Two Eps — Watch Teaser — That Launch Jeremy Renner Drama ‘Mayor Of Kingstown’ & Sam Elliott Prequel ‘1883’ On Paramount+ - Deadline
14. ↑ First 'Mayor of Kingstown' Trailer Reveals Taylor Sheridan's New Thriller Series Starring Kyle Chandler & Jeremy Renner - Collider
15. ↑ Mayor of Kingstown shoot brings millions to Kingston economy: film office - Global News
16. ↑ Dianne Wiest on ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ role: Definitely not world’s best mom - What to Watch
17. ↑ Gillan & Emma Laird Interview: Mayor of Kingstown - Screen Rant
18. ↑ TV Ratings: ‘Yellowstone’ Stays Strong in Week 2, ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ Premieres to 2.6 Million Viewers - Variety
19. ↑ Where is ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ Filmed? See the Filming Locations - Decider
20. ↑ Here's How Mayor of Kingstown Is and Isn't Based on a True Story - Popsugar
21. ↑ Jeremy Renner Takes Aim at TV in ‘Hawkeye’ and ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ - NY Times
22. ↑ The Mayor Of Kingstown (Series) - Production List
23. ↑ Kingston, Ont. shines on the big screen - CTV News
24. ↑ Interview: Composer Andrew Lockington Discusses Mayor of Kingstown - Comingsoon.net
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Mayor of Kingstown's Mariam History Lessons Explained: Are They True? - Screen Rant
26. ↑ Cameron K. Lewis Nov. 28, 2021 Tweet - Twitter
27. ↑ ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ Fans Won’t Be Happy Over Schedule Change - Outsider
28. ↑ Kids on Tour Dec. 6, 2021 Tweet - Twitter
29. ↑ 'Mayor of Kingstown': Aidan Gillen & Emma Laird on What Attracted Them to the Show and Their Characters' Connection - Collider
30. ↑ Mayor of Kingstown Dec. 17, 2021 Tweet - Twitter
31. ↑ Rob Kirkland Interview: Mayor of Kingstown - Screen Rant
32. ↑ Promotional airings of streaming series cause confusion - Wire.Lee.Net
33. ↑ Mayor of Kingstown Rotten Tomatoes Score- Rotten Tomatoes
34. ↑ Mayor of Kingstown Metacritic rating - Metacritic