‘Mayans M.C.’ Season 3 ‘Darker’ Than All of ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ Emilio Rivera Says

Season 3 of Mayans M.C. will premiere on March 16 and continue the story of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes after he avenged his mother’s murder. There are several questions about where the show will go in the upcoming slate of episodes, and actor Emilio Rivera is creating major expectations. He has proclaimed that Season 3 is darker than the entirety of Sons of Anarchy.

Rivera made the comments during an appearance on the Domenick Nati Show. He explained that Coco is his favorite character and that he would want to play him if he wasn’t cast as Marcus Alvarez. Rivera also discussed how Season 3 raises the bar and created questions about where the show will go if it lands a fourth. The reason is that there is an incredible amount of pain.

“As much as I like Season 1 and Season 2, we went to a different level,” Rivera said during the interview. “The hurt, the pain is a whole different level. From the gate, you’re going to say ‘what the f— just happened?’ We’re going to catch you quick.”

Rivera continued and explained that Season 3 will be the best one yet. He said that showrunner Elgin James put everyone to the test and challenged all of the actors with what he created. There were also moments that tested Rivera due to having to constantly put his mask on between takes, but he said that he adapted to the process.

One interesting aspect of the conversation revolved around the amount of pain in Season 3. Nati asked if there would be more violence in the upcoming slate of episodes than in the first two seasons, but Rivera slightly avoided the question. Instead, he explained that there would be a lot of pain in Season 3 and said that it could be either physical or emotional.

“I think it’s going to be darker, I’ll be honest with you,” Rivera said. “It’s going to be darker than the past two years plus the seven years of Sons of Anarchy. It’s f—ed up. What gets me is: if we get picked up for a Season 4, where are we going?”

Rivera is not the only Mayans M.C. actor to make bold statements about Season 3. J.D. Pardo did something similar with a post on social media praising the cast and crew for safely completing filming during a pandemic. He then talked about the emotions on tap for Season 3.

“This season is cinematic, raw, unfiltered, touching your soul and breaking your heart at the same time,” Pardo said in part. “There’s nothing pretty or glamorous about the Mayans. We are wolves trying to survive and fighting for our lives. This is our story. I hope you tune in with me!”

Season 3 of Mayans M.C. premieres on FX on March 16. Episodes will then head to Hulu the day after they air. The first two seasons are currently available on the streaming service for viewers needing to catch up.