‘Mayans M.C.’: Kurt Sutter Accuses FX of Dumbing Down Season 2 Finale to Make It ‘Safe’

Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter accused FX of making a major change to the Mayans M.C. Season 2 finale in a now-deleted tweet Friday night. Sutter said the “new regime,” referring to FX’s new parent company, Disney, “dumped it down and made it safe.” Sutter also accused the network of a Writers’ Guild violation. By the time the finale aired on Nov. 6, Sutter was no longer involved in the project since FX and Disney fired him last month.

“I feel obliged to tell fans that after I was let go, days before it aired, without my knowledge, the S/N changed the ending of the S2 finale. Beyond the disrespect and WGA violation, the change is dishearteningly indicative of the new regime — they dumbed it down and made it safe,” Sutter wrote.

The tweet later disappeared from Sutter’s Twitter page, but the text was preserved by CinemaBlend.

Although Sutter claimed the Mayans M.C. finale was made “safe” by network tinkering, what viewers saw in the episode “Hunahpu” could not possibly be considered “family friendly.” There was a bloody finale, following a surprising character death at the end of episode nine, “Itzam-Ye.”

Disney and FX fired Sutter back on Oct. 18 after the network received “multiple complaints” about his behavior. In a memo to his cast and crew, Sutter said this was not the way he wanted to end an 18-year relationship with FX, but admitted, “at least being fired for being an abrasive d– is on brand.”

Sutter took a less hands-on approach during Mayans M.C. Season 2, as he wanted co-creator Elgin James to take the lead on the show solo. He still hoped to stay on as an executive producer, but his firing completely severed his ongoing ties with the series.

Mayans M.C. stars J.D. Pardo as a new member of the titular motorcycle club, which first appeared in Sons of Anarchy. The new series takes place several years after the events of that series and has included several references to SOA throughout.

“We’re happy to continue telling the story of Mayans M.C. with our partners at Fox 21 and excited that Elgin James has earned the opportunity to become the series’ showrunner,” Nick Grad, President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment, said earlier this month when the show was picked up for a third season. “Kurt Sutter identified and chose Elgin as his partner on the show from the outset and Elgin has been instrumental to the success of the series, leveraging his experience and creative vision to make Mayans M.C. with this incredible cast, crew and creative team.”

“Keeping this vibrant series strong is a huge priority to everyone at Fox 21 Television Studios, FX Productions and of course FX, which has been a spectacular home and platform for both Mayans M.C. and Sons before it,” Fox 21 TVS President Bert Salke added.

In an interview with Deadline after being fired, Sutter theorized that taking a less hands-on approach to Season 2 was not working as he envisioned.

“It was becoming more and more difficult for me to run this show. I was burned out, uninspired, I feared every idea was derivative. I was spending way too much time second-guessing story and reworking scripts. In the process, I put a greater burden on Elgin and my line producer, Jon Pare,” Sutter said. “Consciously or unconsciously, it allowed me to stick my head in the sand.”

Mayans M.C. will be back in fall 2020.

Photo credit: FX