Mayor of Kingstown season 4 review: Best season yet

Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 is a soft reset for the Paramount+ show — and its best season yet. The jaw-dropping events of the Season 3 finale mean that Season 4 has a lot of rebuilding to do, and the creative team uses that to their advantage, adding some incredible actors to an already strong ensemble. The result is a show that feels both new and familiar at the same time.

Season 3 said farewell to several of the main characters in Mike McLusky’s life, including his nemesis Milo Sunter, the enigmatic Iris and Anchor Bay warden Kareem Moore. Those are massive voids to fill, not only in terms of character but in the talent level of the actors. Season 4 adds performers who are equally good, but who attack the material in different ways — and they are inspired choices. Four-time Emmy winner Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie, The Sopranos) becomes Mike’s new rival as Hobbs, the new warden who makes very clear that she is not Kareem. Her blunt criticism of him is actually painful for fans who watched Seasons 1–3 and know the struggle that Michael Beach brought to that character. But it’s a distinct sign as to who Hobbs is, and Falco is an expert at that kind of no-nonsense authority figure. The more audiences learn about her, the more reason there is to fear her.