Mayor of Kingstown is losing a pivotal player.
Deadline reports that Dianne Wiest is bowing out of the Paramount+ drama and will not appear on Mayor of Kingstown Season 3.
The outlet reports that Wiest’s future with the series had been in flux for some time.
It doesn’t sound like the actress was ready to leave the show.
Deadline says that the decision was driven by the story.
It happens frequently on TV shows because they constantly want to switch things up to keep viewers tuning in.
Wiest has played Miriam McClusky since Mayor of Kingstown Season 1, and there was no indication at the close of March’s season finale that Miriam’s time on-screen was coming to an end.
As a result, we don’t know how this will be handled when the next episodes of the Taylor Sheridan drama hit the air.
Losing characters, especially good and well-written ones, is tough, so we’re hopeful the creatives have a good reason for making this call because Wiest brought a lot to the show.
Mayor of Kingstown scored a renewal for Season 3 earlier this month, sometime after series star Jeremy Renner hinted at a comeback in May.
Paramount+ has not commented on the renewal, and it could be because there would have been no comment from the creatives due to the strikes.
With the WGA strike over, writing has resumed on Mayor of Kingstown Season 3, so episodes will be ready to film whenever the AMPTP offers SAG-AFTRA actors the deals they deserve.
There was a long wait between the first two seasons, and there’s a good chance there’ll be a considerable wait for the third season.
Renner suffered 30 broken bones in a near-fatal snowplow accident just days ahead of the Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 premiere.
The actor is confirmed to return, but obviously, it will all come down to when he’s fit and well enough to get back in front of the camera and, of course, the actors’ strike.
From co-creator and Academy Award nominee Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, Mayor of Kingstown follows the McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Mich., where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry.
Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither.
The series also stars Hugh Dillon, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Tobi Bamtefa, Derek Webster, Nishi Munshi, Hamish Allan-Headley, and Aidan Gillen.
There was never a question about whether the series would be renewed.
Taylor Sheridan has an excellent relationship with Paramount Global thanks to the success of Yellowstone, 1923, and 1883.
Everything he touches tends to turn to gold.
Look at how Special Ops: Lioness broke out earlier this year.
Granted, it had Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña, so it was always going to have an audience.
Alright, Mayor of Kingstown Fanatics.
What are your thoughts on Dianne Wiest’s departure?
How do you hope Miriam’s story ends?
Hit the comments.
Catch the first two seasons of Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.