Mayor of Kingstown: Season 1 Reviews
Alan French Sunshine State Cineplex
Sheridan and his series languish in the worst aspects of humanity. Gone are the moral quandaries and brilliance of Sicario or Wind River. Instead, Sheridan crafts one of his worst projects to date.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/10 | May 29, 2024
Tim Stevens The Spool
If you don’t care for [Taylor Sheridan's] previous efforts, though? Well, it’s probably not a bad idea to skip the Kingstown exit while driving I-75.
Full Review | Jan 13, 2023
Paula Vázquez Prieto La Nación (Argentina)
Taylor Sheridan has become the modern western storyteller. [Full review in Spanish]
Full Review | Dec 23, 2021
Brad Newsome Sydney Morning Herald
Sheridan is in his element when it comes to creating male characters with a tendency towards sudden, shocking violence. Subtlety is not his forte -- but, even so, his concerns about private prisons are likely to slide past most of the red-state viewers.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Dec 11, 2021
Marty Brown Common Sense Media
Without a compelling character at the heart of it, Mayor of Kingstown is simply a dreary march toward predictable violence.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 8, 2021
Jackie K. Cooper jackiekcooper.com
May get better on the long run but the "Big Sky" twist at the start does not bode well.
Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Dec 8, 2021
Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times
Renner's ferociously powerful performance is the best thing about The Mayor of Kingstown, a gritty, highly pedigreed, impressively photographed and well-acted series...
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 20, 2021
Joel Keller Decider
If we wanted to watch a show that's relentlessly grim, there are much better choices out there.
Full Review | Nov 18, 2021
Dustin Rowles Pajiba
The storylines are byzantine, but they are not complicated. There is also no shortage of weary, heavy-handed platitudes, like fortune cookies that exclusively quote Bob Segar songs.
Full Review | Nov 18, 2021
Brian Lowry CNN.com
Unless the story improves significantly, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which Mayor of Kingstown gets reelected.
Full Review | Nov 16, 2021
Jonathon Wilson Ready Steady Cut
Mayor of Kingstown has its problems, sure, but it also has plenty of potential to say and do meaningful things in and around a complex, relevant topic.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 15, 2021
Alex Maidy JoBlo's Movie Network
This series needs something to give it a distinct appeal and I have yet to really find that in these early episodes. Because of Sheridan's track record and Renner in the lead, I will stick with Mayor of Kingstown but maybe only for a single term.
Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 15, 2021
Danette Chavez AV Club
Sheridan and his writers deal so much in shades of gray and blurred lines that it becomes impossible to make out any of the larger themes.
Full Review | Original Score: C | Nov 13, 2021
Brian Tallerico The Playlist
For now, it seems too content to wallow in a world of awful people doing awful things. And these first two episodes erect walls of toxicity from which the rest of the season could have a tough time escaping.
Full Review | Original Score: C | Nov 13, 2021
Josh Bell CBR
A dour, flavorless combination of familiar crime-drama elements, led by Renner at his most glum.
Full Review | Nov 13, 2021
Daniel Fienberg Hollywood Reporter
The bluster and the questionable choices of where to focus too often overwhelm a unique context and well-intentioned discourse.
Full Review | Nov 12, 2021
Martin Carr We Got This Covered
This all too human drama, effectively sketches people hemmed in by family loyalties and limited choices. Proving once and for all that Taylor Sheridan remains a creative force to be reckoned with.
Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Nov 12, 2021
Roxana Hadadi RogerEbert.com
All these promising performances are set against a story that so far seems uninterested in complicating the alleged heroism of its protagonists, and that would rather dive deeper into doom and gloom.
Full Review | Nov 12, 2021
Leila Jordan Paste Magazine
Mayor of Kingstown wants to be brutal and dark, it wants to be educational, it wants to be character driven, but no element is handled with enough care or attention.
Full Review | Original Score: 4.9/10 | Nov 12, 2021
Rebecca Murray Showbiz Junkies
Mayor of Kingstown's edgy, brutal, and delivers a few shocking twists right out of the gate.
Full Review | Original Score: B | Nov 12, 2021