SOA Spinoff Mayans M.C. Cancellation, Explained

Oct 16, 2024

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The hit FX drama, Sons of Anarchy was critically praised for the storytelling and development of its characters that made it such a hit with TV viewers. After the show ended with Season 7, the spin-off series, Mayans M.C. was picked up almost two years later with high hopes of making a similar impact. Mayans revolves around a new set of protagonists from the titular Mayans Motorcycle Club and has very little to do with SAMCRO. Despite its new focus, however, the show initially still captured the same spirit as the original show and kept in touch with many of the same themes.

Even though it wasn't as highly regarded as Sons of Anarchy was, the show still did well for FX. So why exactly did the show come to an end with a shorter run of only five seasons? From a much-publicized falling out that occurred behind the scenes to a loss of viewership, Mayans M.C. suffered setbacks that may have kept it from reaching its true potential, causing the show to be canceled. Nevertheless, the show finished its planned story arc, which indicates that it may not have been canceled early.

This article was updated on September 11, 2024, by Christopher Raley: Kurt Sutter created a gritty world for his Sons of Anarchy show, which resulted in high critical praise and acclaim. It also resulted in the spin-off Mayans M.C., which did not receive the acclaim of its predecessor. But that may not have resulted in an early cancelation. More details about the show's setbacks have been included, and the article has been updated to conform to CBR's current publishing standards.

Every Season of Mayans M.C.

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Season 1

77%

Season 2

85%

Season 3

59%

Season 4

73%

Season 5

47%

Taking place around two and a half years after the events of Sons of Anarchy's series finale, Mayans M.C. follows the titular all-Hispanic motorcycle club (which had also appeared throughout the previous series). In this post-Jax Teller world, a new protagonist is introduced in the form of Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes. EZ's once-promising future was stripped away after accidentally killing a cop while in pursuit of the man who had murdered his mother. Receiving an early release from prison, he's recruited as an informant for the DEA and infiltrates the Mayans by becoming a prospect for the club. As he begins to carve out his new outlaw identity and grows closer to the club, however, his conscience becomes further and further corrupted.

Charlie Hunnam dedicated seven years to playing Jax Teller on Sons of Anarchy. How deeply involved he was with the role soon turned toxic off-screen.

Much like Jax, EZ's journey throughout the show is one of Shakespearean tragedy as he loses himself in his need for vengeance. While the show introduces several new characters, a few familiar faces from Sons of Anarchy also show up in multiple episodes as both recurring and guest-starring appearances. While Mayans got off to a strong start in its first two seasons, garnering high enough ratings and praise from both critics and longtime fans of the previous show, behind the scenes it was about to face a real-life plot twist.

Fans of Sons of Anarchy know that the show would not have been what it was without the direction and influence of its creator, Kurt Sutter. Even though he did not write or direct every episode, having a talented crew of other creatives to back him up, the show was still very much his baby and he had the final say on almost every creative decision. When it came to Mayans M.C., fans were ecstatic to learn that he would be returning as one of its showrunners, along with co-creator, Elgin James.

Best Episodes of Mayans M.C.

IMDb Rating

"Hunahpu", Season 2, Episode 10

8.9

"Kukulkan", Season 2, Episode 8

8.7

"Chapter the Last, Nothing More to Write" Season 3, Episode 10

8.6

Unfortunately, however, Season 2 would be the last time he would have any involvement in the expansion of the world he originally created. On October 17, 2019, it was reported that FX had fired Sutter from his position on the series and that the direction for the series was placed entirely in the hands of James. Sutter was fired during a time of transition after Disney had bought out 20th Century Fox, which seems to have resulted in an incompatible relationship between Sutter and the new management. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network had received "multiple complaints" over Sutter's "abrasive" and "unprofessional" behavior.

They also reported that Sutter sent a letter to the cast, apologizing if he "made people feel less than or unsupported." His dark humor still seemed intact as he wrote, "At least being fired for being an abrasive dick is on brand." But in another letter to his inner circle (which was obtained by Deadline), Sutter indicated that the decision had more to do with his interaction with the executives over the show than with the cast. Less than two weeks later, in a lengthy interview with Deadline, Sutter commented, "I want to be clear about this. I was dismissed for being an abrasive dick. But there was no improper behavior and no one picked up the phone and complained about me."

As one of SAMCRO's original founders, Clay Morrow played a significant role in FX's Sons of Anarchy, but he met a gruesome end everyone saw coming.

While Sutter was one of Mayans M.C.'s co-creators and co-showrunners, he was actually planning to step back from the show if a third season was approved (at the time he made the announcement, the third season had not been picked up). In the interview with Deadline cited above, Sutter described how he had already been intentionally stepping back from the day-to-day decisions of the show, leaving those to Elgin James. Since Season 2 is the Mayans' highest-rated season, it's unclear to what extent Sutter's absence really detracted from the show.

While it's not an ideal situation, changing showrunners or losing one isn't always a bad thing. After Season 3 of Better Call Saul, for example, Vince Gilligan handed off sole show running duties over to his co-writer and co-producer, Peter Gould, but the show still managed to maintain the same level of quality it had since Season 1. For many fans, however, this did not appear to be the case for Mayans M.C.

By the time Season 3 rolled around, James had tried to keep in touch with the vision that he and Sutter had mapped out together. In an interview with Variety, James discussed how the early seasons' more direct ties to Sons of Anarchy were "always Kurt's idea" and that "[Sutter] knew that he wanted to create this bridge" between the two shows. But James acknowledged that Season 3 marked a different show on the other side of that "bridge." Unfortunately, the significant drop in ratings for Season 3 seemed to indicate that fans didn't care for where the bridge had left them.

Sons of Anarchy has many crossovers with its spin-off show, Mayans M.C. even though the latter features a completely different motorcycle club.

In 2023, FX announced that Mayans M.C. would receive a fifth season while confirming that it would also be its last. No reason was offered regarding its cancelation. Despite the show's up and down ratings, Mayans came to a natural conclusion, one that had long been planned for even if it was unclear as to how many seasons it would take. Despite Sutter and James having already planned out how the story of Mayans M.C. would end, the number of seasons that would make up its run was out of their hands.

In the previously mentioned Variety interview, James said that while he already knew how the show would end, the number of seasons it would take to get there was entirely up to FX. He commented, "So, it's not in Season 4 so I'm just going to say, there at least has to be one more [season]." Given that comment, it seems that James got his wish and that Mayans M.C. ended in a more or less natural way (all things considered).

As of 2023, James has been working with Hulu to develop a new installment of the fan-favorite series Prison Break. Meanwhile, Sutter is in production on his new western series for Netflix. Fans of his work hope that it will be the comeback that he deserves. Should FX ever choose to revisit the motor club world of Sons of Anarchy in the future, hopefully, it'll be understood that it just wouldn't be the same without him.

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Are you simple? Don’t know how to read? Sutter was fired after season 2. The show getting canceled wasn’t because of him. It had nothing to do with him lol.

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