Mayor of Kingstown

The BBFC content advice notes 'strong violence' including people being 'shot and heavily beaten' with 'blood spurts, blood in the aftermath of violence and strong injury detail.' Season 1's finale features an 'Attica-style riot' with 'all out violent war' in the prison, leaving the town 'bruised.' Mike McLusky is depicted shooting Duke and everyone else in his house 'without a second thought'. Kyle is 'tormented by Merle' while in prison in Season 4, which includes brutal and gruesome events.

Plugged In states that 'Strip clubs are featured throughout the show, including women who walk around completely topless. Full nudity is present in multiple episodes (though the most private of body parts are typically obscured). Sexual activity is present at least once explicitly.' The BBFC details 'sexualised female breast nudity in scenes set in a strip club, as well as a scene in which a stripper give a man a lap dance.' A central storyline revolves around Iris's 'serial sexual abuse' and her 'descent into sex work'. Mike McLusky is also shown 'having sex with a woman in a bathroom' in 'The Price' episode.

The BBFC classifies the show with 'frequent strong language ('f**k', 'motherf**ker'), as well as milder terms (for example, 'bitch', 'prick').' Reviews also mention that dialogue can be mumbled, implying that the profanity, while prevalent, might sometimes be less distinctly heard but is nonetheless present in high frequency.

The BBFC notes that 'A man briefly smokes crack, and there is also brief sight of drugs in other scenes.' Plugged In states that 'The selling and consumption of drugs are discussed at length, alcohol is consumed.' In the episode 'Santa Jesus,' Mike McLusky is shown 'drinking alone at a bar long before midday' and dedicating 'one whole day to a hefty binge before starting afresh the next,' implying heavy alcohol abuse.

The show is widely described as 'bleak,' 'dark,' 'gruesome,' and 'miserable,' reflecting its intense atmosphere. Season 2 'digs its heels even deeper into a terrifying depiction of policing and gang violence.' A particularly disturbing scene in an earlier season depicted 'a little boy playing, then the explosion he was in, and then the charred body'. The constant threat of violence and death, such as drive-by shootings and indiscriminate murders in prison, contributes to the high intensity.

The McLusky family's role as 'power brokers' who operate outside the law to manage the corrupt Kingstown system inherently demonstrates significant disrespect for established authority and legal processes. Miriam McLusky chastises Mike, telling him he 'works incredibly hard to accomplish absolutely nothing' and 'prolongs the inevitable,' highlighting a cynical view of his rebellious interventions. Mike sets fire to his own office as a defiant act to 'clean it,' rather than using conventional methods.