Critical Condition: Mayans MC

Mayans MC | SoHo, 9.30 Wednesday/Neon

➢➢ “Kurt Sutter returns to the world of Sons of Anarchy with a similar motorcycle drama that initially fails to develop characters, especially female ones, in a sea of narrative chaos … The drama avoids macho posturing, familiar genre tropes and over-reliance on soundtrack choices for momentum, and it might end up confusing and alienating the devoted Sons of Anarchy fans who stuck around to the very end.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

➢➢ “Sons of Anarchy made regular allusions to the broader biker world beyond its setting of Charming, California … The new FX series Mayans MC shares some DNA with Sons: Emilio Rivera reprises his role as Oakland charter president Marcus Alvarez, a major SOA character pops up in a flashback, both shows bear creator Kurt Sutter’s penchant for graphic violence and gratuitously shirtless studs. But Mayans already feels like a new, albeit comfortably familiar, entity.” — Entertainment Weekly.

➢➢ “You’re looking pretty much at Sons of Anarchy 2.0, but with a slew of new bikers, low lives, and powerful crime lords intertwined in one of television’s stickiest webs. One thing I’m not embarrassed to admit is that middle and later seasons of Sons of Anarchy whooshed right over my head under the excess of convoluted plot and intricate character interactions, and after the first two episodes it already feels like Mayans M.C. is heading in that direction.” — TV Guide.

➢➢ “The show is a chance to revisit the kind of material that Sutter does best, but with a clean slate of characters and plot, rather than the people and scenarios he wrung dry on Sons. But the two episodes provided for review are a disappointment, featuring many of the original series’ weaknesses without its greatest strengths.” — Rolling Stone.

➢➢ “Mayans is an easy watch for anyone who misses Sons’ particular mix of broad humour, big emotions, and sudden bursts of gunplay. But the show doesn’t yet have much to offer beyond nostalgia and old charms …  It’s entirely possible that Mayans improves over time, though. It took a little while for Sons to find its cruising speed, and Mayans has earned the grace period necessary to find its own pace.” — Variety.