Spoilers for Mayor of Kingstown, Season 4, Episode 5, are ahead! Read with caution, and stream new episodes every Sunday with a Paramount+ subscription.
Since Kyle (Taylor Handley) was arrested at the end of Mayor of Kingstown’s third season and sent to prison, he’s been in his own cell. That has it’s own painful challenges. However, at the end of Episode 5, he got sent into general population. That is bound to be hard for him, especially since he’ll likely be a target to other prisoners. So, I asked Handley about filming big prison scenes like this, and he told me why they can be “scary.”
For the majority of Season 4’s run on the 2025 TV schedule so far, Kyle has been in his own cell that is next to Merle (Richard Brake). Considering Merle’s ties to Mike (Jeremy Renner) and his nefarious motivations, this pairing is very, very dangerous for both Kyle and his brother. However, Taylor Handley’s character is in more immediate danger in general population.
I thought a lot about that too, as Handley told me during an interview for CinemaBlend what it feels like to film a scene with a lot of prisoners in it. He explained:
If you'll remember Episode 1 of this season, when Kyle is doing the perp walk to his cell, there's about 300 background artists. And all those guys did not hold back whatsoever. The cat calling, the stuff that they were saying. I mean, they really loaded it on, and it made me – I almost didn't have to act.
That honestly sounds terrifying. I don’t think I’d have to act either if I were in Handley’s shoes. The prison scenes in this great Paramount+ show are incredibly intense, and the fact that they use so many background artists and film on location makes it even more realistic, and likely, scary.
Mayor of Kingstown shoots a lot in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it uses the former Western Penitentiary site to film some of its prison scenes, per Pittsburgh Magazine. Handley told me that as they filmed in the decomissioned prison, he really felt the emotions Kyle would have felt as the other actors playing prisoners yelled at him. He said it all helps bring the “authenticity” though:
It was so uncomfortable having to walk by all those guys because, I mean, it felt scary. It felt like I was really there. I mean, we're filming in the decommissioned prison. And, you know, there's even rumors that some of those guys that were our background artists had served some time there in years past, before it got [turned into a set]. So, you know, talk about bringing the authenticity. We do that at Kingstown.
Again, this sounds really scary. Obviously, Handley was not personally being yelled at, the extras were performing and trying to intimidate Kyle. However, the intensity of the situation had to have felt real, and unsettling.
Meanwhile, on-screen nothing is fine. Following the death of Carney and the ongoing struggle between Mike and the new warden, Kyle’s siutation in prison is not great. Plus, Merle is another issue, and he’s clearly trying to manipulate and use Mike’s little brother. So, this development of Handley’s character being sent to general population adds fuel to a dangerous fire.
Now, to see what happens next and to go back and watch the scene Taylor Handley was talking about, you can stream Mayor of Kingstown on Paramount+.
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