When planning for the future, sometimes it’s necessary to close a storyline, even one that has served the series well.
That’s precisely what Mayor of Kingstown co-creator Hugh Dillon and co-creator Taylor Sheridan decided to do in the season three finale of the Paramount+ series.
The show follows peacemaker and fixer Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) as he navigates the complexities of running a fictional prison-industry town.
Throughout the three seasons, McLusky’s most formidable adversary was the Russian mafia, which had infiltrated the fictional Michigan border town with drugs, guns, and sex trafficking.
He faced off against two of the Russian mafia’s most ruthless and violent bosses—Milo Sunter (Aidan Gillen) and Konstantin Noskov (Yorick van Wageningen)—and worked to protect Iris (Emma Laird), a young woman sex-trafficked by the brutal Russian gang and referred to as a “broken angel.”
However, by the end of the season three finale, all the characters involved in the Russian mob arc, including those McLusky loathed and the one he cared for, met their demise in the same bloody, brutal, or melancholic manner they first appeared in Kingstown.
First, viewers learned that Milo had actually escaped the boat at the end of season two, a boat that McLusky had rigged with stolen bonds and bombs.
Then, Milo forced Iris to kill Konstantin (the boss who gave her the name) in exchange for her freedom, which McLusky made her take.
Iris reluctantly killed Konstantin and, after leaving McLusky, he overpowered Milo and shot him to death when Milo made disrespectful remarks about McLusky’s deceased mother, Miriam (Dianne Wiest).
In one of the final scenes, Iris is shown alone on the back of a bus, lifeless and cold with her eyes wide open after a drug overdose.
In a recent interview, Dillon discussed the emotional wrap-up of season three, closing the Iris chapter, and the challenges faced by the cast and crew—especially after Renner returned to work following his near-fatal accident.
Dillon also shared his hopes for continuing the story of Kingstown, as Paramount+ has yet to announce a renewal for season four. So, the finale went out with a metaphoric firework.
I absolutely love it. The show means everything to me. I was just talking to Jeremy [Renner] this morning, and it seemed like it took forever to get here, and then suddenly, it’s the finale!
But it’s incredibly satisfying to reach this point, and I couldn’t be more excited for Jeremy and his family, just to have gotten to that ending. What Jeremy has accomplished behind and in front of the camera is nothing short of spectacular in every way.
With the deaths of Milo, Konstantin, and Iris, does this mark the end of that storyline in the Kingstown saga?
Yeah, I think so. It actually mirrors the pattern of authentic criminality because it creates a vacuum. And, of course, that vacuum will be filled—it’s human nature.
Iris’ death was heartbreaking and shocked many viewers. Yet some believe it made sense, considering her desire for love and fear of being alone. Why did Iris take her own life?
Actually, she didn’t take her own life; it was an accidental overdose. That’s part of the show’s authenticity, reflecting where I grew up. I struggled with heroin early on, and I’ve had friends who died from it; opioid addiction is a real issue.
Taylor [Sheridan] taught me to speak about what you know and not to pull any punches, which is what we did. Life is brutal and unfair, and we wanted to tell real stories that have an impact. This is as real as it gets.
But I have to say, what Emma Laird did with that character was extraordinary, far beyond what was on the page. When you saw that last sequence, it broke your heart, and that’s exactly what we wanted.
She worked incredibly hard on the series, took on really difficult tasks, and she gave it her all. From her work in season one, she fully developed that character, and we are deeply grateful to her as both a person and an actor. For someone like you to say it broke your heart means we did our job.
Mayor of Kingstown TV Show (Photo: Paramount+)
Why did you decide to bring Milo back?
Aidan is just a force of nature, and it was important to wrap up that part of the story. Our showrunner, Dave Erickson, did a fantastic job.
He saw the path forward, and Taylor ensured that if you looked carefully at the end of season two, you’d realize, “Oh, he did get off that boat.”
It was poetic, tying all the stories together so brilliantly, and when that bubble popped, it also created a new one with the vacuum left behind by the fall of this criminal wall.
Jeremy’s family was there during the scene with Milo when he talked about Mike McLusky’s mom. I watched it in real-time, looking at the monitors, and what Jeremy expressed in his face in that scene captured everything—Miriam being gone, dealing with Milo, and the Iris situation.
Renner has this incredible ability to convey so much with just facial expressions and a few words. It’s poetry.
Let’s talk about Jeremy. How would you describe his mental and physical strength as filming progressed?
He came out strong! That opening, that’s where it all began. And physically, being in Pittsburgh during winter was incredibly challenging.
Nobody was sure where we’d end up, but we had great scripts, and Jeremy was excited about the shoot. We had Taylor ensuring we had a solid team, and with Christoph Schrewe directing, that was the start.
From there, it felt like a whirlwind leading up to the finale on the bridge. Sometimes, when you’re lucky, everything falls into place, creating a sense of urgency.
I think everyone was so focused on being there for Jeremy that it just gained momentum, and Jeremy was able to do what he does best—nail it in front of the camera and support the other actors.
Why does Evelyn Foley (Necar Zadegan) seem to have it out for your character, Ian Ferguson, and how might that play out in a potential season four?
I think Ian’s just collateral damage because she’s really after Robert Sawyer [SWAT leader played by Hamish Allan-Headley]. What’s interesting is that many of these characters are townies—they grew up in this town.
In Kingston [Ontario, Canada, on which the series is based], there were people who were from Kingston and others who went to school and got a job there.
Hopefully, we’ll look into this more if we get to see how things unfold—these characters have known each other since they were kids, and they went to school together, just like Evelyn.
There’s so much baggage, and now as professionals, people remember every little thing from their history.
Evelyn has been after Robert Sawyer from the start. She believes he shouldn’t be a police officer and is determined to bring him down. She even said she’d shoot through a wall to get to him.
“What’s this serial killer shooting, and where were you?” So now, she’s investigating me, and she’s had issues with the KPD from day one.
But she also said she’ll follow the rule of law, which is fascinating about her character. That tension in her relationship with Mike comes from the fact that Mike operates in a grey area.
What are your thoughts and plans for season four?
From your lips to God’s ears! (Laughs) And, you know, God is a fan of Mayor of Kingstown.
It’s thrilling to be a part of Mayor of Kingstown and to deliver these characters. A major driving force is seeing the satisfaction of Jeremy Renner.
He’s made an incredible comeback, and it’s amazing to see him artistically fulfilled. The scripts are strong, the characters are compelling, and that’s what we want to keep doing—leave no stone unturned. This show is very much rock ‘n’ roll.
Mayor of Kingstown season three is now streaming on Paramount+.
