The McLusky family are power brokers in Mayor of Kingstown, Paramount’s hit drama series that tackles themes of systemic racism, corruption, and inequality. The series stars Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky, Taylor Handley as Kyle McLusky, Dianne Wiest plays their mother Miriam, alongside Hugh Dillon, Tobi Bamtefa, and more.

“It’s sort of a family drama dilemma, enmeshed with the huge drama and dilemma of our prison system in America, and how the world is sort of divided into gangs,” commented Wiest.

Since first airing in November 2021, Mayor of Kingstown has been renewed for a second season but first, Paramount is set to release Season One on Blu-ray and DVD on September 27, 2022, including more than two hours of special features listed below:

  • Behind the Story segments for each episode
  • Perdition: Making Mayor of Kingstown
  • Zero Sum Game: The Finale
  • Inside Mayor of Kingstown
  • Character Spots
  • Cast Favorite Scenes

Dianne Wiest and Jeremy Renner in Mayor of Kingstown

“I think Miriam, I think that the death of her husband a number of years ago… I think she’s given up on family, and maybe given up on everything but trying to reach the prisoners through teaching history and philosophy,” commented Wiest on her character. She continued, "she tries to tell them, ‘Don’t just be in here in depression, you can actually wake up part of your mind. You can actually do something.’ But I think as a mother, she’s given up on family. She just is too filled with rage at the losses she suffered and has gone down a bad path, and takes her rage out on Jeremy… I think rather than feel anything, she’d rather fight. Not unlike a gang member.”

Although Wiest’s character takes out her rage on Renner’s, she noted that he is a delight to work with behind the scenes. This is certainly believable, especially considering that Renner is a decorated actor having been nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor for The Hurt Locker in 2010, as well as Best Supporting Actor for The Town in 2011.

“It’s just heaven,” said Wiest, “I love to work with him. I am always so happy when I have a scene with him because he’s the kind of actor who is incapable of telling an untruth in his acting. He’s incapable of it. What you see is what is true, and there are no frills about it… I really adore him.”

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Created by Hugh Dillon and Taylor Sheridan

HughDillonMayorofKingstown
Paramount Pictures

In addition to starring in Mayor of Kingstown, Dillon also serves as the creator of the series alongside Taylor Sheridan, who is known for various other hits like Yellowstone, 1883, Hell or High Water, and more.

“A lot of it is really a story of his life,” commented Wiest, referring to how Dillon grew up in a small town named Kingston in Ontario, Canada. “Not that he was ever a prisoner but that he did live in Kingston, which is a true prison town in Canada where we actually shot season one. So, Hugh and Taylor, I think are very dear friends, but they got together with the writing and the storytelling and came up with this.”

As for what she hopes viewers take away from watching the series, Wiest commented that she wants audiences to “help change America’s prison system. Help change it. You can. We have the greatest, biggest, hugest prison system in the world. Much bigger than Russia, much bigger than China. Any problem like immigration, poverty, or race, we solve by throwing people in jail.”

Mayor of Kingstown comes to us from Paramount Pictures.