Season 4 of Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+ is underway, and it remains a banger of a show. So far, there have been deaths, betrayals, and characters showing their true colors. And that was only during the premiere. Imagine what's coming next.
Before the season started, I had the opportunity to talk to the writer and creator of the show, Hugh Dillon, and the new to the show, Laura Benanti, who plays Cindy Stephens. Both get into why you should watch the show and some deep dives into their characters.
“The first episode starts it, and it doesn’t let up. But I’ll tell you that there’s a particular episode I wrote where Laura changes the entire series. The whole show moves with velocity, and you can’t look away. It’s hypnotic. But when you get to (episodes) nine and ten, it detonates," Dillon teased of the season.
Of course, one of the biggest questions on the fans' minds this season is whether Ian is a good or bad person. It's an answer that Dillon skirted telling Show Snob, “I know where you’re going, and you’re going to love season 4. It’s outrageous.” After seeing some of the future episodes, I can confirm that this season is, in fact, outrageous.
Most of the “good” people in Mayor of Kingstown are antagonists and, with Cindy being new, fans are eager to see what side she falls on.
“Cindy comes in for very noble reasons, which is to create a stable life for her three children," Benanti teases of her character. “What [Cindy] couldn’t have ever anticipated is the world outside of the prison, and how they feed into each other in such a dark, sinister way.”
"You don't really know who's good, and you don't really know who's bad. And, frankly, that is kind of life. We have a sense of who people are, but everyone is both."Laura Benanti
"One of the things that’s cool about this show is we do see the masks that people have to wear with each other, but then there’s the quiet moments where you get to see who somebody actually is on the inside. I think in the first few episodes, we see a lot of Cindy sort of absorbing where she is and what she’s gotten herself into," Berlantic revealed in what is maybe the best explanation of the show.
As you've seen in the first episode, Cindy's not ready for things; however, she becomes someone who’s able to push back, and that Cindy eventually, “Has the strength to do things she never anticipated she’d ever need to do.”
One of the other new stars of season three is the amazing Edie Falco, who plays the new Anchor Bay Prison warden, Nina Hobbs.
“Even as a person, she’s got the demeanor and an incredible B.S. detector," Dillion noted. "And to amplify it to the degree in which we have, and what we’ve done with the character, it’s flawless, really. It’s unapologetically relentless and ruthless. And, yet, dignified.”
"She's a force of nature."Hugh Dillon on Edie Falco
Dillion also discussed his approach to the characters in Mayor of Kingstown, and it’s something writers will appreciate.
“I love when people kind of don’t tell you the whole truth and they’re your friends, and you find out later, ‘Really?! So we’re friends and you didn’t tell me that?’ And so I love to watch that dynamic, and I love the intricacies of human emotions and how people exist in the world.”
Finally, when asked what people should know going into season 4. He simply put, “I don’t want them to know anything. I want them to just watch the show and discover it.” As someone who’s seen what’s coming, you have no idea how right he is. Just sit back and experience it.
Thanks for reading. Season 4 of Mayor of Kingstown is released on Sundays at midnight on Paramount+. Click here for release dates, times, and more. And stay tuned to Show Snob for more Mayor of Kingstown news, opinions, interviews, and rumors as they come out.