Actor Jeremy Renner has two tv series streaming at the moment, and the only thing they have in common is how fantastic they are! HAWKEYE and MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN are both on my weekly schedule.
HAWKEYE ON DISNEY +.
Synopsis: Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” is an original new series set in post-blip New York City where former Avenger Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Renner) has a seemingly simple mission: get back to his family for Christmas. But when a threat from his past shows up, Hawkeye reluctantly teams up with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), a 22-year-old skilled archer and his biggest fan, to unravel a criminal conspiracy.
Disney Plus continues to roll out fantastic programming for the Star Wars and Marvel geeks. Renner reprises his role as the never miss archer in the new Hawkeye series.
I have often felt like Barton lived in the shadow of the bigger personalities like Stark, Rogers, and Thor. He says little, and often looks like he would rather be somewhere else. Much of that is explored in the new Hawkeye show as we see a tenacious 22-year old Kate try to get him to open up and and at least smile. Like most after the blip Barton has a huge weight on his shoulders. He doesn’t want to be in the hero light when many have been lost.
This series is full of action, humor, and ties in perfectly to the current and future MCU. Renner is a fantastic actor and, as we will talk about with his other series, does angry brooding like no other. But there is a very soft nuggety center to Clint as a father and husband and friend. As the episodes unfold we get more and more of that as the layers and walls fall down.
HAWKEYE is currently streaming on Disney Plus with new episodes releasing weekly. I highly recommend it for fans of any genre. Plus it is set at Christmas which makes it even more of a Holiday must see.
Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount +
Synopsis: 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.
Renner plays Mike McLusky dealing with “pimps, pushers, and thieves” in one of my favorite drama series of the year. I realize it can be confusing since another fantastic drama aired earlier this year called Mare Of Easttown. Horrible coincidence aside, this series is gritty, powerful, and contains amazing performances. We get the same dark brood from Renner that we see in Hawkeye, but here he is able to amp it up to extremes. It is a very adult series due to language, violence, and all manner of corruption. This stage gives Renner a chance to take Mike to highs and lows we would not see elsewhere.
Mike McLusky is not the bad guy here. And not the official mayor. It is a term that immediately lets you know who is running life on the streets. Although he has to do many horrific things to try and keep peace on both sides of the prison walls you get the feeling it is coming from a place of good. He wants out of the life but at the same time feels an obligation to the town and its people. People that would have no where to go for help other wise.
The script is top notch and each episode is perfectly directed with little or no filler. No one phones anything in as co-stars Tobi Bamtefa, Taylor Handley, and Dianne Wiest deliver scene after scene.
MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN is currently streaming on Paramount+ with new episodes releasing weekly.
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