'Mayans M.C.' Premiere Revs up Record Ratings

Mayans M.C. had the most-watched cable premiere of 2018 among adults under 50, Nielsen said Monday.

The series premiere for the new Sons of Anarchy spinoff attracted 2.5 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic, when three days of delayed viewing is included, FX said in a statement.

In total, the premiere averaged 6.8 million total viewers for its first broadcast, three repeated airings and digital streaming between Sept. 4 and Sept. 9. That overall number will definitely grow as more viewers check out the show in delayed viewing.

Mayans M.C. had FX's biggest series premiere audience since The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in February 2016. It was the highest-rated drama series debut in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic since January 2016.

Early ratings results for Mayans M.C. were positive. The first broadcast drew 2.53 million viewers and a 1.1 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. FX said the premiere beat Sons of Anarchy by 46 percent in the demo (2.5 million viewers vs. 1.7 million) and 64 percent in total viewers (4.6 million vs. 2.8 million).
Mayans M.C. also notched the best season debut for FX since last year's American Horror Story: Cult started with 3.93 million viewers and a 2.0 18-49 rating.

The network also pointed out that 19 percent of the show's premiere audience was Hispanic, 9 percent higher than the average for all cable scripted premieres in 2018.

After the series premiere aired, Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter thanked fans with a photo of his dog on Instagram.

"I'd like to take a pause in the daily chaos of my life, and thank you all for embracing this new adventure we call Mayans MC. This beautiful beast has been my spirit animal through it all. I love this f– dog. #muddy," Sutter wrote. "Find your unconditional source of love and hold onto it. It helps me hate things a little bit less everyday. #spiritanimal."

Mayans M.C. was created by Sutter with Elgin James and is set about three years after the death of Jax Teller. J.D. Pardo stars as Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes, who joins the titular motorcycle club after getting out of prison. The rest of the cast includes Edward James Olmos, Danny Pino, Richard Cabral, Clayton Cardenas, Sarah Bolger, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Raoul Trujillo and Antonio Jaramillo.

The next episode of the series is "Escorpion/Dzec," which airs on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

In the episodes, the Mayans try to get some answers from a local group while the Galindo cartel worlds along the U.S.-Mexico border collide. It was written by Sutter and directed by Norberto Barba.

Photo credit: FX