TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh 'Mayor of Kingstown' gets premiere date, trailer; WQED-TV schedules vaccine documentary

The second season of “Mayor of Kingstown,” filmed-in-Pittsburgh and starring Jeremey Renner and Dianne Wiest, will premiere on streaming service Paramount+ on Jan. 15, 2023.

The drama series from executive producers Taylor Sheridan (“Yellowstone”), Hugh Dillon (“Flashpoint”) and Homewood native Antoine Fuqua (“Southpaw”) is scheduled to wrap filming later this week. “Mayor of Kingstown” also stars Dillon, Taylor Handley, Emma Laird, Tobi Bamtefa, Derek Webster, Nishi Munshi, Hamish Allan-Headley and Aidan Gillen.

In September, Wiest said she was enjoying her first time filming in Pittsburgh.

“It’s a great town, really,” she said. “And I get some time off while I’m there in the next couple of weeks and I can’t wait to go to the Andy Warhol Museum that I’ve heard so much about, and the Carnegie Museum.”

Wiest plays Mariam McClusky, matriarch of the McClusky family in Kingstown, Mich. Her sons, Mike (Jeremy Renner) and Kyle (Taylor Handley) are Kingstown power brokers who bend the law to, in their minds, maintain peace.

The show’s first season, filmed in Ontario, Canada, ended with a prison riot, which gave Mariam more reasons to worry about her boys. Will that fear be something she continues to deal with in season two?

“No, she’s sort of been broken and that brings about other things,” Wiest said. “But without giving anything away at all, I think Mariam realizes that she’s very, very fortunate to have two sons and stops bemoaning the death of the ones who are lost to her and looks at the wonderful men she has.”

Talk on the “Mayor of Kingstown” set was that season two might premiere in December, but last week that original series slot went to “Yellowstone” prequel “1923,” debuting Dec. 18 and starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren.

WQED-TV to debut new doc

WQED-TV will debut a 90-minute independent documentary, “Virulent: The Vaccine War” (7:30 pm Nov. 17), about the consequences of vaccine hesitancy and denial and the effect covid-19 as had on anti-vaccination activists .

The film is produced by Laura Davis and Tjardus Greidanus, whose previous film was “Burden of Genius: Dr. Thomas Starzl’s Journey Into Organ Transplantation.”

Emmy names for FRP

Series from Pittsburgh-based Fred Rogers Productions received six nominations in the first Children’s Family Emmy Awards, an offshoot of the Daytime Emmys.

“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” received nominations for outstanding writing for a preschool animated program and outstanding directing for a preschool animated program.

“Odd Squad” received nominations for outstanding costume design/styling and special effects costumes, air and makeup.

“Donkey Hodie” was recognized with a nomination for lighting design for a live-action program.

“Alma’s Way” was nominated outstanding writing for a preschool animated program.

Winners will be announced Dec. 10 and 11 at ceremonies in Los Angeles. A full list of nominees can be found here.

Kept/cancelled/spun-off

Delightful Peacock series “Girls5eva” was renewed for a third season, but the show will relocate to Netflix, which also renewed “The Upshaws” for a third season.

Starz renewed excellent period drama “The Serpent Queen” for a second season.

Comedy “Chad,” canceled at TBS after its second season was produced but not aired, will see that second season stream on Roku Channel. No premiere date has been announced.

Showtime canceled “City of a Hill” after three seasons.

Netflix canceled “Fate: The Winx Saga” after two seasons.

The CW’s “Stargirl” will end with its current third season and “Nancy Drew” will end with its upcoming fourth season.

Amazon’s Prime Video ordered “Sausage Party: Foodtopia,” a 2024 adult animated series spin-off of the 2016 animated feature film.

Peacock ordered “Crystal Lake,” a “Friday the 13th” prequel series, from writer Bryan Fuller (“Hannibal,” “Pushing Daisies”).