‘Sons of Anarchy’ spin-off ‘Mayans M.C.’ premiere date set

Fans of “Sons of Anarchy”, one of television’s most gruesome shows, have a reason to smile. The creator of the show has announced the premiere of its spin-off “Mayans M.C.”.

It's been a few years since the men of “Sons of Anarchy” said their gruesome goodbyes, and in September the spin-off of the popular drama series, centred around SAMCRO's “frenemies”, the Mayans Motorcycle Club, will premiere.

Set approximately three years after Jax Teller's (Charlie Hunnam) death, “Mayans M.C.” flips the outlaw script to tell its story from the perspective of a “prospect”. EZ Reyes (J.D. Pardo), whose seemingly charmed life was derailed by cartel violence, has recently been released from prison. He has already joined the local chapter of the Mayans, which his brother is also a member of, when the show kicks off. Now, EZ must carve out his new identity in a town where he once was the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp.

Set on the California/Mexico border, there will certainly be political issues that come into play. According to Sutter, he promised the show won't be bogged down in said politics.

“It's not a political show; I do not write political shows,” he said. “[But the show] takes place on the border, and it's a politically and emotionally charged part of the world. That stuff will have to bleed into the storytelling or it won't be authentic,” he told fans at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas last week.

The first 13 minutes, screened for the audience, found EZ joining the Mayans on a ride that eventually goes south. It's clear from the start that the series will feature the same sort of explosive, high-octane drama that helped make “Sons of Anarchy” FX's highest-rated series.

However, because the Mayans are a Latino club, and because the action is set on the border, it's obviously depicting a different world than that of Charming. The issues causing trouble for EZ and his family, which also includes his father (Edward James Olmos), are different from the issues that the white, working-class men of “Sons of Anarchy” faced.

But as executive producer Norberto Barba pointed out during the Q&A session that followed the screening, the show is really dealing in universal themes.

Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Sarah Bolger, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Antonio Jaramillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, and Danny Pino also star in the 10-episode first season, along with recurrings Emilio Rivera, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero, Vincent Rocco Vargas, Maurice Compte, Gino Vento, Tony Plana and Ada Maris.

The show will make its Comic-Con debut July 22 in San Diego, with a Hall H panel with Kurt Sutter, co-creator Elgin James, Pardo and others.