Jeremy Renner is back in business as Mike McLusky, returning as the "mayor" of the prison town known as Kingstown.

After his terrible accident, there were fears that he'd ever fill Mike's shoes again. Those fears were unfounded.

The explosive trailer for the upcoming third season proves he's nimble on his feet but even more potent with his words.

Mayor of Kingstown is a high-adrenaline series about a small town in the business of America’s prison system.

Kingstown is pushed to its limits again and again as rampant crime inside prison walls, and outside has a stranglehold on its population.

Things reached a boiling point in the first season, as a horrifying riot put many at risk.

Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 saw tensions rise even further as everyone weathered the impact of the riot and how to survive in its aftermath.

In the third season, a series of explosions rock Kingstown and its citizens as a new face of the Russian mob sets up shop in the city, and a drug war rages inside and outside prison walls.

The pressure is on Mike McLusky (Renner) to end the war, but things get complicated when a familiar face from his incarcerated past threatens to undermine the Mayor’s attempts to keep the peace among all factions.

Today, paramount+ debuted the official trailer and key art for the highly anticipated third season.

“My job, my primary function, is to create a balance and avoid a war,” Mike says as the trailer begins.

If you’ve been watching, you know how perilous that talk really is, as Mike has built precarious relationships with people at all levels of the city.

When he can’t hold up his end of any bargain he strikes between opposing parties, he’s under the gun.

It’s Mike (and his family) who gets chased down in the streets and must pay the price for any deviance from the bargain.

Mike’s little brother, Kyle, tried to escape, but when he realized that brutality exists everywhere, the need to protect his family pulled him back to Kingstown.

The trailer shows him suited up and ready for war, admitting he’s terrified at the prospect of what lies ahead.

Mike’s latest enemy asks him to do the impossible: strike Deverin 'Bunny' Washington, with whom Mike has built a relationship that is key to accomplishing his job in Kingstown.

To strike Bunny would set off a course of events too heinous to fathom, yet it seems like it’s always been building to this, as the higher you are in Kingstown, the harder you fall.

The trailer reveals Iris and Mike are back together in some sort, although how remains a mystery.

She’s a fiery part of the story and never out of Mike’s mind, and her ties to the seedier side of Kingstown have been beneficial to Mike even as he bemoans her involvement.

The Mike McClusky we know is back, and he’s trading barbs and promising misery to anyone who comes his way.

There’s no doubt this will be a season to watch.

Starring Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner, Mayor of Kingstown is co-created by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon and is produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, 101 Studios, and Bosque Ranch Productions exclusively for Paramount+.

In addition to Renner, Mayor of Kingstown stars an impressive ensemble cast, including series regulars Hugh Dillon, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Tobi Bamtefa, Derek Webster, Nishi Munshi, Hamish Allan-Headley and Michael Beach.

The series is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, Hugh Dillon, Jeremy Renner, Antoine Fuqua, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, Michael Friedman, Dave Erickson, Regina Corrado, Christoph Schrewe, and Keith Cox. 

The first and second seasons of Mayor of Kingstown are available to binge exclusively on Paramount+.

Mayor of Kingstown is part of Sheridan’s growing slate on Paramount+, which includes 1923, 1883, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and Special Ops: Lioness. Additionally, the second season of Tulsa King and the upcoming series Landman are both currently in production. 

Are you ready to return to Kingstown?

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.