His near death brought new life to his TV show

Jeremy Renner's comeback from a near fatal accident made Mayor of Kingstown' more meaningful for co-creator Hugh Dillon

- DEBRA YEO

Jeremy Renner says he had “a very emotional first month” returning to the role of Mike McLuskey in “Mayor of Kingstown.”

“This has been the most meaningful year of television in my life,” said Hugh Dillon over the phone.

The 60-year-old Canadian actor and musician, who’s appeared in everything from homegrown dramas “Flashpoint” and “Durham County” to U.S. hits “The Killing” and “Yellowstone,” was talking about making the third season of “Mayor of Kingstown,” which debuts Sunday.

The Paramount Plus drama that Dillon co-created with Taylor Sheridan is set in a fictional Michigan town where penitentiaries are the main industry. It stars Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner as the titular “mayor,” a fixer who leverages his relationships with police and criminals, prison guards and inmates, to try to maintain peace. (Think of it as a little bit of “Ray Donovan” mixed with “Oz,” “The Wire” and “We Own This City,” except the clients aren’t spoiled rich people.)

But relationships in “Kingstown” are just as important off the set as on, which is why Dillon found making Season 3, in particular shooting with Renner, such a profound experience.