Yellowstone Creator's A+ Casting Streak Continues As Friday Night Lights' Kyle Chandler Joins New Show

Thanks in part to his years as the inimitable Coach Eric Taylor on Friday Night Lights, Kyle Chandler brings a certain kind of amicable authority to just about every role he plays. His latest casting will no doubt bring that persona out in full, as Chandler is teaming with Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan for the new streaming series Mayor of Kingstown, which also stars MCU vet Jeremy Renner. Only, the actor's new character doesn't sound nearly as respectable as Coach T, even if I wouldn't want to tell him that to his face.

Mayor of Kingstown is a crime drama set in the titular Kingstown, Michigan, where good jobs and good people aren't necessarily easy to come by, and the prison systems are the main source of employment. (And possibly housing, depending on one's moral status.) With an intention to focus on themes such as corruption, racism and inequality, the series centers on the McLusky family, a clan always seeking more power within a town where justice is a rare commodity. As one might have guessed, Chandler will be a pillar within the family unit.

While Jeremy Renner will be taking on the role of Mike McLusky, Kyle Chandler was brought in to play the older brother Mitch McLusky, proving that their parents were fans of alliteration. According to Deadline, Mitch is a well-established "fixer" both within Kingstown's prison system and outside of it, so you know he's got connections for days. And who's gonna tell Kyle Chandler no to something?

With the full trailer yet to be released, Paramount+ did put out a first look video for Mayor of Kingstown, in which Kyle Chandler and Jeremy Renner get to share the screen together, so check it out below!

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Kyle Chandler is just one more in an already long line of A+ actors that Mayor of Kingstown co-creator Taylor Sheridan has locked down for his various TV and film projects in recent years. Along with co-creator Hugh Dillon, who's also part of the main cast, this new drama boasts 9-1-1: Lone Star's Derek Webster and the Oscar-winning legend Dianne Wiest. For more proof, just look at Kevin Costner and the rest of Yellowstone's ensemble, in which just about every character has earned their own mini-fandom. As well as the recent casting news for the prequel spinoff 1883, which landed Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill as its initial trio of stars. Sheridan is so good at crafting characters for stellar actors to bite into, and I'm thinking Mitch McLusky is going to be another standout role for Chandler.

It's somehow been ten years since Grey's Anatomy vet Kyle Chandler left the sidelines of Friday Night Lights, but the actor definitely hasn't been absent from our lives or our televisions. His meatiest role since then was definitely as John Rayburn in Netflix's nerve-grinding drama Bloodline, with Hulu's limited series Catch-22 as his other marquee role. He'll soon be heard in the Star Wars universe for Disney+'s Star Wars Visions, As well, he is set to star opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt within an episode of Showtime's upcoming ride-sharing anthology comedy Super Pumped. And that's on top of all the film work he's been busy with, including the Godzilla franchise, Netflix's space drama The Midnight Sky, and Jason Momoa's upcoming fantastical thriller Slumberland.

Thankfully, fans won't have TOO long to wait to see Kyle Chandler back in action on the small screen, as Mayor of Kingstown will make its simulcast debut on both Paramount Network and the streaming service Paramount+ on Sunday, November 14, after a brand new episode of Yellowstone. Check out all the other big shows coming to the 2021 Fall TV schedule!

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.