Already Paramount+’s latest series “Mayor of Kingstown” has been getting a lot of comparisons to HBO’s hit series that premiered this summer, “Mare of Easttown”— and it makes sense. There are similarities in terms of a gritty town built on the blue-collar lives of its inhabitants who try to make sense of the grey area in life. There’s crime, corruption and a lot of cover-ups going on, and ultimately, a path for characters to try and find their own way through “right” and “wrong.”
What is different about this particular show from “Yellowstone” writer Taylor Sheridan’s new drama series is the vehicle for those stories. In “Mayor” brother Kyle Chandler [Mitch], Jeremy Renner [Mike] and Taylor Handley [Kyle] try to navigate their own familial woes, which are brought up constantly thanks to Chandler being dubbed the Mayor of the small town in Michigan. But that title didn’t come through an official political race, instead, the name precedes the eldest brother for his involvement in crime, or more so, his facilitating of inner workings of prisons which the city is built on. That notion is highlighted early on in the series as Renner’s character explains in an early voiceover: “Kingstown is home to seven prisons in a 10-mile radius. Twenty-thousand lost souls with no hope, no future, and I’m their link to a world that doesn’t want them.”
Two of the brothers are deeply involved in the world and looking in from the outside, most of Kingston’s inhabitants—even those of affluence (the local police chief for instance)—can’t really say what Mitch or Mike for that matter do for a living, but it’s dubbed important. As we see with the story, there’s a lot more that goes on in the world of prisons than just the justice system, and the McLuskey brothers are at the helm of it all, much to their estranged mother’s [Dianne West] chagrin.
Handley, who plays the youngest brother perhaps is thrust into the most interesting position, wanting to support his family on one hand, while also trying to do his job and uphold the law on the other. Audiences will get to see firsthand just how quickly things and events switch up the narrative of the story (even within the first episode), and Handley sat down to give a bit more insight into what people can expect from the show’s freshman season.
What was it about this role and show that interested you in the first place?
When I first got the script and the audition for ‘Mayor of Kingstown’, the thing that stood out to me right away was Tayler Sheridan writing and directing… I’m a big fan of all his work and having wanted to work with him since the first time I saw ‘Sicario.’ It was like I needed to do everything I can to get this. Then when I saw that I’d be starring opposite Jeremy Renner as his brother—then I really said I need to do everything I can to get this. Then the content and the story really speaks for itself. It was one of the most interesting scripts I had read in years, and knowing Taylor was at the helm, I knew the quality at which it was going to be told.
What would you tell audiences to expect for your character’s journey specifically?
Kyle is conflicted at the beginning of this season, and that conflict runs throughout because he’s essentially and initially given an offer to be a state trooper out of Kingstown, that decision is weighing on him the entire season. Whereas he is a police officer and detective in a local police force, he wants to uphold the law and do right by the law…However, his loyalty to his family and his loyalty to his brothers have him operating in the grey. He really feels strongly about upholding the law, but he also feels strongly about backing up his brothers—therein lies the conflict and therein lies the ups and downs of Kyle the entire first season.
So ultimately, what does this show have to say about right and wrong and the grey area of life?
The grey area, right and wrong—I really think the essence of this story is about desperate people living in an inescapable town in an inescapable situation that are doing their best to survive with what’s been given to them and what they have to work with. I think that’s going to resonate with a lot of people especially with today’s climate and everything that’s been going on in the last couple of years. I just think that a lot of people might feel like their backs are up against the wall. I know I’ve felt like that personally these last couple years…Not saying it’ll correlate a lot with ‘Kingstown’, but I think the characters are relatable in doing what you can do to survive.
‘Mayor of Kingstown’ will premiere on Paramount+ Nov. 14.
