SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Mayor of Kingstown Season 4, Episode 1.

The return of Mayor of Kingstown is explosively brilliant. The Paramount+ show took a massive risk at the end of Season 3, when it killed off several of its most important characters. But the Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 premiere, penned by executive producer Dave Erickson, proves what all that was for—and then some.

“Coming ‘Round the Mountain” picks up not long after the events of Season 3, and most of the episode deals with the consequences. The bulk of the story concerns Kyle McLusky having taken a plea deal for the shooting on the bridge, and everyone else’s varying reactions to Kyle taking the fall. There’s understandable upset among the group that Kyle is being punished instead of Robert—to see Stevie so upset is particularly telling. But as Ian points out, Kyle isn’t protecting Robert; he’s protecting everybody, because Robert would take them all down. The 25th Hour-style plotline follows Kyle and his brother Mike as the hours count down to Kyle entering Anchor Bay prison. The only potential criticism is that it’s not necessarily shocking when Kyle is attacked just minutes after his arrival; the audience is trained to expect that by now. Plus, it wouldn’t give Taylor Handley much to do if Kyle was just sitting in his cell doing Sudoku.

But the Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 premiere really boils down to Handley and Jeremy Renner. Erickson puts a lot of other pieces and parts in motion, yet the core is the McLusky brothers and how Mike struggles with the situation while Kyle is resigned to it. Both actors are at the top of their game in their opposite yet equally intense portrayals. Renner has never been better; he once again picks up this show and carries it on his back. This episode exemplifies Mike’s inner conflict as the “mayor of Kingstown.” He works to protect everyone as much as possible, yet he can’t save his brother, and so what does that make him? Handley continues Kyle’s sort of fall from grace with quiet dignity. As Mike says, Kyle is the “one good man” in the city but now he’s hit rock bottom and he’s doing it on purpose.

Everyone has at least one intriguing moment in the premiere. Mayor of Kingstown co-creator Hugh Dillon is the sort of voice of the audience here, as Ian explains to Stevie what the score is, and then later gives Robert the earful he deserves. Ian continues to seem like he’s one step away from losing it on someone. Tobi Bamtefa’s Bunny Washington is overly confident, but yet still vulnerable in his interactions with Raphael. Necar Zadegan’s Evelyn is the one character who hasn’t changed much, but the scene in which Mike tells Evelyn he’s dead to her is painful given how close the characters once were. That small moment is a big indicator of how much things have changed in Kingstown.

What the creative team has done, too, is fill the holes left behind by Season 3’s deaths with new characters who are equally interesting—but importantly in different ways. Michael Beach (who’s thankfully still on Tulsa King) and Emma Laird are missed, and their characters’ absences play a role in what happens in the premiere. Their deaths aren’t forgotten. At the same time, the casting team deserves some flowers for finding new actors who fit well into the ethos of this show. The most high-profile casting is Nurse Jackie star Edie Falco as the new warden of Anchor Bay, who isn’t interested in cooperating with Mike whatsoever. Falco can obviously hold her own in a grim world; she’s played some of the toughest women on TV. Yet making her character the opposite of Kareem forces Mike (and the writing) to go in another direction.

Laura Benanti (Law & Order: SVU) joins the cast as Anchor Bay’s newest correctional officer, Cindy Stephens, and while Cindy’s relevance to the big picture isn’t immediately apparent, the character has a ton of potential. Mayor of Kingstown has always been great at exploring how women are treated in this environment, from the late Mariam McLusky to Kyle’s wife Tracy. Cindy is another way for the writers to tell this story through a new perspective, and Benanti fits in seamlessly. It should be interesting when she gets to interact with characters other than Carney.

This episode also introduces another new villain, and it’s possibly the best one yet. After the end (for real this time) of Milo Sunter, Mayor of Kingstown needs someone who can be a fearsome antagonist with the gravity to go toe-to-toe with Jeremy Renner, and the show has found it in Lennie James. Audiences mostly know James as Morgan in the Walking Dead franchise, but he’s one of the best British actors; his performance in the first season of Line of Duty is incredible and helped make that series a massive hit. He should do the same here. While audiences only see him briefly, he’s going to bring so much to Kingstown. Erickson has created new players who are only going to make the existing story better, while also ensuring his existing protagonists get what they need.

Because ultimately, Mayor of Kingstown is about family and community. “Coming ‘Round the Mountain” has some criminal drama to deal with, whether it’s Evelyn’s ongoing case or the last-moment resurfacing of Merle Callahan. (Another due criticism of the premiere is that when it’s mentioned that Callahan is no longer a problem, viewers know that means he’s going to be a problem.) But what makes this episode such a joy to watch is the human story between Kyle and Mike. There’s a grim feeling that always exists in Mayor of Kingstown. What counteracts that is caring about these characters. Audiences can see how much Mike cares for his brother, and Kyle cares for Tracy and baby Mitch, and their hearts break for the McLusky family regardless of everything else going on. That’s what makes this premiere a resounding success, and gets Season 4 off to a strong start.

Mayor of Kingstown streams Sundays on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.