Mayans MC S3-4

The spin-off of Sons of Anarchy, Mayans MC is set two years after the SOA story ended. It helps to have an understanding of the organised crime business that biker gangs have become, although it’s not essential to have watched the original series.

You’ll need a strong stomach because there’s blood spilt in every episode as biker EZ (JD Pardo) infiltrates the Mayans MC in his quest for revenge. His affluent family in Mexico were decimated by criminal bikers and EZ wants his dues.

Living this lie – because he’d lose his head if anyone knew who he really is – is taking its toll. There’s family pressure and work pressure, and trying to make it through each day without being shot or arrested is increasingly difficult.

While it doesn’t directly follow on from Sons of Anarchy, just like the original series it’s essentially about a son trying to understand his family and the world he lives in.

“Mayans MC is a roaring good time that retains much of what made Sons of Anarchy so powerful, but with a mostly new cast and a refreshing new narrative,” writes Cinemablend.com. “For now, Mayans MC rides alongside the gold standard that is Sons of Anarchy with its fast-paced chaos.”

Returning to the Mexico/USA border, the fourth season brings the threat of all-out war after the failed attempt to join the charters under a single king, as EZ finds himself a walking dead man, with enemies on all sides. 

Executive produced by Elgin James and Emmy-nominated Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter, the series holds an 86% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for an IGN Summer Movie Award for Best TV Action Series. For his starring role as Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, JD Pardo won Best Actor in a TV Drama at the 2021 Imagen Awards, where Oscar nominee Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica, Stand and Deliver) was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and the show was up for Best Primetime Drama.

Among the returning cast are Clayton Cardenas (American Crime) as EZ’s brother Angel; Emmy nominee Richard Cabral (American Crime, Lethal Weapon) in a Critics Choice-nominated performance as Johnny ‘Coco’ Cruz; and Carla Baratta, in an Imagen Award-nominated performance as Luisa ‘Adelita’ Espina. Critics Choice nominees Sarah Bolger (Counterpart, Into the Badlands, The Tudors) and Raoul Max Trujillo (Sicario, Jamestown, Riddick) also return, as does Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Michael Irby (Barry, The Expanse, True Detective).