The gritty world of Mayor of Kingstown feels incredibly real, and for good reason. The fictional Kingstown, Michigan is a tough company town where the main business is incarceration, with seven prisons within a ten-mile radius. While this specific city doesn’t exist on a map, its inspiration comes from a very real place with a similar history.
The show is directly based on Kingston, Ontario in Canada. This connection comes from the series’ co-creator, Hugh Dillon, who grew up there. Dillon’s childhood experience in a town dominated by prisons shaped the entire concept of the show.
“Growing up in a place like that does something to you,” Hugh Dillon said about his hometown.
At its peak, the real Kingston had as many as nine or ten active prisons within the city, earning it a reputation as a prison town. The creators translated this reality into the show’s core premise, exploring life in a community where the economy and daily existence are tied to the correctional system.
From Canadian Inspiration to American Screen
Although the story is inspired by a Canadian city, the series is explicitly set in the United States. The choice to place the fictional Kingstown in Michigan allows the story to engage with specific American issues like systemic racism, corruption, and the for-profit prison industry. Jeremy Renner’s character, Mike McLusky, explains in the show that the town’s entire identity is built around the business of incarceration.
However, some viewers from Michigan have noted that certain details don’t match the state’s reality. For instance, Michigan does not have the death penalty, yet the show depicts a prison execution. These are creative choices made to serve the drama’s narrative within its chosen setting.
Where the Camera Rolls: Filming Locations
The filming of Mayor of Kingstown has taken place across several locations, creating the visual feel of the industrial Midwest.
Season 1 was filmed primarily in Ontario, Canada. Key locations included:
- Kingston Penitentiary: The imposing maximum-security prison, closed in 2013, was used for major prison scenes.
- Hamilton and Toronto: The post-industrial landscapes of Hamilton stood in for the general look of Kingstown. Scenes were also shot in Toronto, such as at the Lakeview Restaurant, which became the show’s Red Carriage diner.
Starting with Season 2, production moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show’s creators found the city’s Rust Belt aesthetic and available infrastructure to be a perfect match. Hugh Dillon confirmed the move was permanent, stating the show “will never leave Pittsburgh”.
“Pittsburgh had all of these decommissioned prisons… I just fell in love with it. That place is it. We got 10 seasons mapped out. So yeah, we’re not leaving. ‘Kingstown’ will never leave Pittsburgh,” said co-creator Hugh Dillon.
Seasons 2, 3, and the current Season 4 have extensively used Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. Recognizable spots include the Carrie Blast Furnaces (which became a temporary prison), CAVO Nightclub (Milo’s strip club), and the McKees Rocks Police Department (standing in for the King County Sheriff’s Office). Many outdoor scenes, including car chases, are filmed along River Road in McKeesport.
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A Story Rooted in Real Experience
The power of Mayor of Kingstown comes from its grounding in a recognizable reality. The fictional setting allows Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon to craft a concentrated drama about power and survival. By basing it on Dillon’s personal history in Kingston, Ontario, the show gains an authentic texture.
Jeremy Renner, speaking about his character Mike McLusky’s trapped existence, touched on this central theme.
“He doesn’t want to fucking be there… there’s the bleakness of the thing, and you don’t know what else to do. This is all you know, in your life, right?” Renner said.
The fourth season of Mayor of Kingstown is currently airing on Paramount+, continuing to explore this complex world from its production home in Pittsburgh.
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