*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Mayor of Kingstown season 2.*
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The brand new third season of Mayor of Kingstown is especially important to series lead Jeremy Renner, not only because it signals a return of his fan-favourite character of Mike McLusky, but because the upcoming season is also the first project Renner worked on following his life-changing accident.
After being crushed by a snowplow in January 2023, the actor returned to work on the Paramount Plus drama just one year afterwards.
It's a "reaching of limits" that Renner had to face that is also reflected in his character's journey this season, he shares with RadioTimes.com.
Chatting about the new season and whether Mike reaches his limits in season 3, Renner said: "Yeah, that was kind of injected just by my own personal reaching my limits, right?
"Thank goodness that the narrative of the show started off that way, with mourning the mother’s loss, who’s a big matriarch and big emotional landing spot for us in this show.
"The loss of her and then also reaching your limits of a lot of other things, Mike makes big changes this season."
Jeremy Renner in Mayor of Kingstown. Paramount Plus
Renner added: "There’s also more [intimacy] and a softness to him, in some ways. But then, when you reach your limits, you just make some real harsh decisions and that happens. It’s pretty exciting to watch."
The 2023 accident saw Renner pulled under his 14,000-pound snowcat when clearing snow from his neighbour's driveways, going on to break 38 bones and have several surgeries to treat his extensive injuries.
The new season of the hit Taylor Sheridan drama sees the stakes higher than ever - but as mentioned, it also includes a lot more intimacy when it comes to exploring the characters at the heart of it.
Talking about what fans can expect this season, Renner said that season 3 is "bigger, bolder, higher stakes, but also more intimate - and that’s why it’s important".
He went on: "Taylor Sheridan is always really vulnerable about writing something so violent and explosive, literally explosive, but then also have, underneath it, there’s something so poetic and intimate and delicate. It’s really, really interesting the way he writes, I love it because it is really exciting to watch.
"It is cranked up, there is a lot going on this season, but I think, also, there is that poetry and that intimacy with all the characters.
"Between even Bunny and Mike, there’s a lot – I love that relationship, I love how complicated it is, it’s more bromance-y then also gets very at odds with each other. There’s a lot you can expect, and it’s always fun to watch characters you can spend a bit of time with."
The season 3 synopsis for Mayor of Kingstown reads: "In season 3, a series of explosions rocks Kingstown and its citizens, as a new face of the Russian mob sets up shop in the city, and a drug war rages inside and outside prison walls.
"The pressure is on Mike McLusky to end the war, but things get complicated when a familiar face from his incarcerated past threatens to undermine the mayor’s attempts to keep the peace among all factions."
Mayor of Kingstown season 3 will premiere on Paramount Plus on Monday 3rd June 2024.
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
