Mayor of Kingstown kills off a major character in the premiere episode

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of Mayor of Kingstown.

Well, that was unexpected!

Not long into the premiere of Mayor of Kingstown, it is revealed that Kyle Chandler plays Mitch McLusky, the power broker who holds the eponymous title in his Michigan hometown. But his time in "office" is suddenly cut short.

That's right, Chandler fans: The actor beloved by all for his starring role in Friday Night Lights is fatally gunned down in the second act. Kingstown needs a new "mayor," and it looks like his younger brother Mike (Jeremy Renner) will end up taking his brother's place.

First, a primer on the series from the very prolific Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone): Mitch and his brother Mike are introduced as unofficial community liaisons to the local prison population in Kingstown, Mich. In other words, if someone inside the local big house is having a problem getting along with others, a family member will reach out to the suit-wearing McLuskys to make it go away. This line of unpaid (and often criminal) work doesn't sit well with their mother Mariam (Dianne Wiest), who serves as a teacher in the nearby women's prison. At least she still respects her youngest son, Kyle (Taylor Handley), who works in law enforcement (though seems to do some off-the-books work for his brothers).

Nevertheless, Mitch and Mike McLusky enjoy great respect in their working-class town and are definitely serving a need, as evidenced by the large (and rough-looking) crowd that fills their office waiting room. But it's one of those ne'er-do-wells who signals the beginning of the end for Mitch. Through a series of events, this trash-talking baddo learns the McLuskys are in possession of an associate's large sum of cash—so he follows Mitch into the office and guns him down to get it.

After discovering his dead brother, Mike vows to leave Kingstown and the family business for good. But someone arrives in need of assistance from the mayor, and as expected, Mike can't help himself.

Paramount+ ordered 10 episodes of the series, which is executive-produced by Sheridan and Antoine Fuqua (Shooter). The drama is part of Sheridan's overall deal with MTV Entertainment and ViacomCBS to create scripted and procedural series for both the Paramount Network and its streaming service. Sheridan is also behind 1883, a Yellowstone prequel that stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott.

Mayor of Kingstown, which also stars Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), streams on Paramount+.

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