'Sons of Anarchy' creator revs up Latino biker drama 'Mayans M.C.'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – "Mayans M.C." exists in the biker world of its FX precursor, "Sons of Anarchy," but the similarities end there.

The new drama from "Sons" creator Kurt Sutter focuses on Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes (JD Pardo), a brilliant young man headed to college who through circumstance instead becomes a prospective member of a Latino biker club along the California-Mexico border, a few hundred miles south of the SAMCRO crew on "Sons."

"We wanted our antihero to not be of the world. Unlike ("Sons'") Jax, EZ is not the prince. He's not supposed to be there. … EZ (was) this golden boy, off-the-charts smart, an athlete," Sutter told the Television Critics Association press tour Friday. "He was an anomaly because of his intelligence and his talent, and he was destined for a different life before it got snatched away,"

The series opens about three years after the conclusion of "Sons," which featured the demise of Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam). It includes a Mayans leader from that show, Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera), along with cameos of "Sons" stars in the present day (Robert Patrick's Les Packer) and flashbacks (Katey Sagal's Gemma).

EZ joins his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) in the club, which operates in fictional Santo Padre in California's Imperial Valley, and relies on advice and emotional support from his father, Felipe (Edward James Olmos).

Sutter, "aware a white guy from New Jersey should not solely write a story in the Latino culture," is partnering with writer Elgin James, a "melting pot of many different cultures (who) has an amazing background."

James knows the world in which "Mayans" is based. "I grew up in a world of gangs and violence. … A lot of people in 'Mayans' grew up in a cycle of poverty, violence and incarceration and this is the first time we get to tell our stories from the inside out."

Sutter introduced a Northern California Mayans club in "Sons" and has been playing with the idea of a series about that group for a few years. He also hopes to make a "Sons" prequel that would be a limited series.

As for graphic violence, a trait "Mayans" shares with "Sons," Rivera said it's "a watered-down version of what's out there."

Olmos, a TV and film veteran whose credits run from "Miami Vice" to "Battlestar Galactica," said "Mayans" marks a turning point in the depiction of traditionally underrepresented Latinos on TV.

"I think this show is going to move the needle," he said. "This thing is going to shoot us right through the roof."

He also warned viewers to put their seat belts on. "If you think 'Dexter' was tough, Kurt and Elgin? What a duo!"

WFTV