The Paramount+ drama Mayor of Kingstown has been officially renewed for a final season, but with significant changes that signal the end of an era. Jeremy Renner will return for one last term as Mike McLusky, with the show’s fifth and concluding season set to be its shortest at just eight episodes, down from the usual ten. The announcement comes only a week after the intense December 28 season four finale, confirming the gritty crime series created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon is preparing to leave office for good. While the news confirms the story will get a proper conclusion, it also follows major shifts behind the scenes at Paramount and within Sheridan’s expansive universe of shows.
Why Is the Show Ending with a Shorter Season?
The decision to end Mayor of Kingstown with an eight-episode season is a notable shift and seems to be the result of several factors. Historically, the show has run for ten episodes per season. While it is common for a final season to have a shorter run to wrap up the story, discussions reportedly involved an order as low as six episodes before settling on eight. This reduction likely relates to a combination of budget considerations and the changing landscape for Taylor Sheridan’s projects at Paramount+.
Mayor of Kingstown is expensive to produce, and while it has been a solid performer for the streamer, its audience numbers have not reached the same levels as other Sheridan hits like Landman and Tulsa King. Those shows have charted on Nielsen’s weekly Top 10 streaming lists, while Mayor of Kingstown has not broken into that ranking with its most recent season. The show’s critical acclaim has grown—Season 4 holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes—but its audience size may not have justified its high production cost under the streamer’s new leadership.
The timing also coincides with major business moves. Co-creator Taylor Sheridan has signed a massive new deal to move his film and television operations to NBCUniversal, with his film deal starting in March 2026 and his TV deal following in 2028. As Sheridan begins to wind down his work at Paramount, it appears the decision was made to give this series a final, condensed chapter rather than continue it without his full involvement.
“He has an ending for it in Season 7. Whether it goes that far or that’s where we get [who knows], but he has an ending, and everyone knows about it,” Dillon said in an interview last year, revealing that the original plan mapped out a story reaching seven seasons.
Despite this earlier vision, the creative team will now use the final eight episodes to bring the story of Kingstown to its intended conclusion.
What to Expect in the Final Season Storyline
The final season will deal directly with the explosive fallout from the Season 4 finale, which left several characters’ futures hanging in the balance. The storyline will continue to follow Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) as he tries to manage the chaos in a town where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry.
A major cliffhanger involves Kyle (Taylor Handley), Mike’s younger brother. In a brutal act of revenge for his wife Tracy’s murder, Kyle killed Aryan Brotherhood leader Merle Callahan (Richard Brake). This violent act marks a dark turning point for Kyle, pushing him closer to the morally compromised world his brother inhabits.
“With all the damage that he’s doing, it may feel good in the moment, but I think that he’s going to have a hard time dealing with himself if this story goes on,” actor Taylor Handley said about his character’s actions.
This sets up a key question for Season 5: Will the Aryan Brotherhood seek vengeance against Kyle, and how will Mike protect his brother from the consequences?
Meanwhile, inside the prison walls, the gang war between the Colombians and the Crips erupted into full combat after Warden Nina Hobbs (Edie Falco) lifted a lockdown. With Falco confirmed to return for the final season, her tense relationship with Mike will continue to be a focal point. The power struggle on the streets also intensified, with Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) successfully taking over the depot empire from the now-incarcerated crime boss Frank Moses (Lennie James). The final season will explore whether Moses is more dangerous behind bars than he was on the outside.
Fans should note that several characters from Season 4 will not return due to the story’s events. This includes Carney (Lane Garrison), Robert (Hamish Allan-Headley), Tracy (Nishi Munshi), and Frank Moses (Lennie James).
Production Details and Cast Returning for Season 5
Production for the final season is set to return to the Pittsburgh area, where the show has filmed for several seasons. The Pittsburgh Film Office confirmed the production’s return in a social media post, noting that Season 4 brought over $95 million to the local economy. The show uses locations around western Pennsylvania, including the 16th Street Bridge and the Western Penitentiary, to stand in for the fictional Kingstown, Michigan. The film office typically puts out calls for local extras when filming begins.
Jeremy Renner and Edie Falco will lead the returning cast. They will be joined by series co-creator Hugh Dillon as Ian, Taylor Handley as Kyle, Tobi Bamtefa as Bunny, Derek Webster as Stevie, Necar Zadegan as Evelyn Foley, and Laura Benanti as Cindy Stephens. The season is produced by Paramount Television Studios, 101 Studios, and Bosque Ranch Productions.
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How Mayor of Kingstown Fits into the Changing Sheridan-Verse
The end of Mayor of Kingstown marks a significant moment in what fans call the “Sheridan-Verse.” It is the first ongoing Taylor Sheridan series at Paramount+ to set a definite end date following the acquisition of Paramount Global by Skydance in August 2025. This decision comes as Paramount’s new streaming leadership has renewed other Sheridan shows like Landman for a third season and has multiple Yellowstone offshoots in development for 2026.
Despite Sheridan’s planned move to NBCUniversal, his existing shows will remain with Paramount. The end of Mayor of Kingstown is not expected to cause a domino effect for his other series, as the plan is for shows like Tulsa King and Lioness to continue. The streamer has referred to Sheridan’s universe of shows as “a really great foundation” for Paramount+.
A premiere date for Mayor of Kingstown Season 5 has not been announced. Past seasons have premiered inconsistently: Season 1 in November 2021, Season 2 in January 2023, Season 3 in June 2024, and Season 4 in October 2025. Given the production timeline and the shorter episode order, the final season could potentially arrive in late 2026 or 2027. All previous seasons are available to stream on Paramount+.
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