TV Series:  Mayans M.C.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Creators: Elgin James, Kurt Sutter, 

Showrunner: Elgin James

CAST: JD Pardo, Clayton Cardenas, Sarah Bolger, Michael Irby, Carla Baretta, Raul Max Trujillo. Edward James Olmos

REVIEW

Get ready for the return of cool tunes, cooler bikes, and the coolest group of motorcycle dudes on TV, because FX has renewed Mayans M.C. for a 5th season.

Watching the Mayans M.C. roar down the highway on their Harleys sounding like approaching heavy metal thunder while gripping those butterfly handlebars, they look like a flock of bad-intentioned raptors searching for some prey to pounce on.

During the Dark Ages feudal lords had small armies of knights who protected the feudal lord from his rivals, helped collect taxes and tributes and controlled the peasants who lived on the lord’s land. Mayans M.C.is a modern hipper retelling of that medieval European reality. But now rather than European knights in shining armor on mighty steeds, we have leather-clad, tattooed Latinos on powerful chrome and steel “hogs”.

For four seasons, the Mayans M.C. have dealt with the usual drug cartel mayhem: battles with rival gangs over territory and distribution routes, protection and distribution of the Galindo heroin and cocaine, revenge killings, kidnapping, extortion and assassination, family secrets, and the audience can’t get enough of this.

Season 4 ended with EZ Reyes (JD Pardo) taking the reins of the club as the President of the Mayans after Marcus (Emilio Rivera) is ousted. All of this is cause for Angel’s (Clayton Cardenas) concern for his brother. Meanwhile, Galindo (Danny Pino) is revealed as “familia’ to the Reyes’ by the patriarch Felipe (Edward James Olmos).

Despite the fact that the Mayans are a motorcycle gang of arch criminals, you find yourself rooting for these “bad boys” because they do everything with kickass Latino gusto style and flair to a great soundtrack.  Bring on Season 5!

Producers: Elgin James, Kurt Sutter, Sean Trotta

Production Company: FX Productions

Distributor: FX Network

Available: FX, Hulu

Rating:

TV Series  Now and  Then

Genre: Crime, Drama. Mystery

Creators:  Ramón Campos, Gema R. Neira, Teresa Fernández+Valdés

Showrunners:  Ramón Campos, Teresa Fernández-V aldés

CAST: Mateo Guerrero, Naruba de Tavira, Maribel Verdú, Jose María Yazpik, Manolo Cardona, Soledad Villamil, Zeljko Ivanek, Rosie Perez

REVIEW

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive” —William Shakespeare. 

It’s an accepted historical fact that Richard Nixon didn’t have to resign his presidency because of the break-in at the Watergate hotel. He had to resign because of his subsequent cover-up and lies surrounding the third-rate burglary of the Democratic Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel by his “Plumbers.”

Now and Then is the multi-level story of five well-to-do individuals in Miami who have been covering up the mysterious death of one of their friends twenty years prior at a college graduation beach party. During the ensuing twenty years, these five people have formed a secretive cover-up bond that holds them together like connective tissue. The threads of their tangled web now weave through each other’s lives and affect them personally, politically, financially and emotionally.

Making matters more complicated now is Detective Sergeant Flora Neruda (Rosie Perez) who back twenty years ago was just a rookie cop on the initial investigation. But now she is back investigating the case and driven by a personal agenda  not to let “those rich kids get away with it again.”

Now and Then features a brilliant cast of actors from various Spanish-speaking countries. As a result, you will hear the distinctive accents from Mexico, Colombia, Spain, Argentina and Brooklyn. The creators and writers of this eight-part mini-TV series envision it will have global appeal. Now and then has all the ingredients for global appeal; an international cast, an intriguing mystery, complicated characters, and a plucky little latter-day Inspector Hercule Poirot-like detective sergeant in Perez bound and determined to figure out whodunit. 

Producers: Andres Barahona, Victor Fandiño, Luís Malet

Production Company: AppleTV+

Distributor: AppleTV+ 

Available:  AppleTV+

Rating:

The post Thumbnail Reviews: ‘Mayans M.C.’ Returns for Season 5; ‘Now & Then”, It’s Complicated first appeared on .

Clayton Cardenas has been cast to star opposite Taraji P. Henson in Time Alone, a feature based on Oscar Nominated writer Alessandro Camon’s play of the same name.  Camon is also set to direct with Henson as one of the producers.  Production is set to begin shooting July in Los Angeles.  

Deadline broke the news that Cardenas will play Gabriel, a man convicted of killing a rival gang member. Along the way, he meets Anna (Hensen) the grieving mother of a murdered police officer…both facing isolation in different forms.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Clayton on a film that means so much to both of us, and to everyone involved,” Camon is quoted in Deadline. “Clayton’s powerful work in Mayans MC brought his talent to a wide audience, but I’m a believer from the early days. He has the heart of a warrior, and the soul of a poet.”

Cardenas was originally slated to play Gabriel in 2017 in the Belle Rêve production of Time Alone when it premiered at Los Angeles Theater Center, however, a scheduling conflict prevented him from doing the role on stage. Time Alone did go on to win the Stage Raw Award and Critics Award for Best Play for that production.

Cardenas will also serve as executive producer for Time Alone along with Jason Tamasco and Zak Kristofek of Traction Pictures.  Cardenas’ manager with Marni Rosenzweig is also producing with Suzanne Warren and Todd Black. Motus Studios is providing the financing along with Oakhurst Entertainment.

Clayton, knew all along he would eventually get a chance to play the role of Gabriel.  “I had a gut instinct I would be portraying this character.” In fact, he had known the role was his for a while, as he stated in his recent Instagram post. “The few in my circle have known about this for a few years now. Excited to work with this team and ready to rock with @tarajiphenson.”

Cardenas made his mark in Hollywood as Angel Reyes in the drama Mayans M.C., among other TV credits. He leads the cast along with JD Pardo who plays his little brother on the FX drama now in its fourth season.  The multi-talented actor is also an artist and spoken word poet. 

Cardenas is repped by The Rosenzweig Group and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis

The post Clayton Cardenas In The Role He Was Meant to Play first appeared on .

FX premiered the fourth season of Mayans. M.C., the ten-episode limited season on April 19th and it is off to a rollicking start that has fans chewing it up. Currently airing on FX and streaming on Hulu.  

This edgy series co-created by Elgin James follows the life of two brothers Ezekiel ‘EZ’ Reyes (JD Pardo), and his brother Angel (Clayton Cadenas) both members of the all-Latino Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. “You might say, this season opens with a bang,” says James. “EZ and his brother Angel, with the rest of the Santo Padre M.C., are facing retaliation from other chapters of Mayans after a failed attempt to align under one King.” 

This season, EZ is taking on a bigger leadership role in the Mayans, he explains, “When it comes to EZ, in these dark places, there’s an awakening that happens.  It’s like you almost have to go through the fire and experience the lowest of the lows to understand who you are and to test it.” Adding, “I think that’s where you find these characters, and that’s where they’re really going to break out.”

“For Angel, I think there’s always been the sort of tear in his character. Which blood was thicker to him?  Was it the actual, literal blood of his brother or was it the blood of the club?” questions Cardenas about his character’s thought process, explaining how he got there. “I think towards the end of the early seasons we started to see the shift in him as he saw his brother fully immersing himself into the life of the club.  So, this season we see which way Angel will lean into.”

The family bond between EZ and Pardo is also tested by their relationship with their father, Felipe, played by Edward James Olmos. The two brothers have grown distant from Felipe, after what is perceived as a heart-wrenching betrayal, which needs to be resolved. The family dynamic becomes more complicated in the final season, involving lives more than just the family.    

This season Mayans bring up Frankie Loyal, Vincent Vargas, and  Joseph Lucero as series regulars while the four-season solid regulars Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, Emilio Rivera, and Sarah Bolger continue to be the factors that fuel the Mayans.  

“Most importantly, 95 percent of our cast is Latinx, and I think it’s the most important part of the show,” says Bolger. “ It represents people that I think don’t get as much screen time as they deserve.  I’m an Irish girl. I feel so lucky to get to play Emily Galindo and be part of this world and I have learned so much in the process.”

Olmos adds, “This season is arguably the best season I’ve ever read, and if it keeps going like this, it will be around a long time.  And the first three seasons don’t quite prepare you for the fourth. So take it from there, okay.  Because you’re in for one hell of a ride, man.” 

Mayans M.C, is executive produced by James, Sutter and Hilton Smith. The fourth season is produced by 20^th Television and FX Productions.

The post Fourth Time Around: Mayans Against Mayans first appeared on .

The Bear features Shameless alum Jeremy Allen White in the leading role starring along with Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Girls), Ayo Edebiri (Dickinson), Lionel Boyce (The Jellies!), Abby Elliott (No Strings Attached), Edwin Lee Gibson (Fargo) and Matty Matheson (It’s Suppertime) and Colón-Zayas. 

Originally and mainly a theatre actor, New York City-born and raised Colón-Zayas has also developed a film and television career. She was most recently prominently featured in the fourth season of the HBO Max series In Treatment, where she played the recurring role of therapist Rita Ortiz, the Alcoholic Anonymous sponsor of the lead character, Dr. Brooke Taylor. Colón-Zayas is also known for her roles in the OWN series David Makes Man, HBO Max series Titans and the Netflix film The Woman in the Window. 

Colón-Zayas began her career starring in off-Broadway productions, including Sistah Supreme, a semi-autobiographical play chronicling her upbringing as a Latina in the Big Apple during the 1970s and 1980s. Other stage credits include Our Lady of 121st Street and In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings.

While working in theatre, the New Yorker also started building a career in television and movies, primarily in small roles. She’s been featured in series like New York Undercover, Deadline, Third Watch, Sex in the City, Law and Order and Dexter and films like The Keeper and Freedomland.

Today, she remains a member of New York’s LAByrinth Theatre Company, originally known as the Latino Actors Base Theatre Company, in which she’s a member of the Leadership Committee. Last year, she won the Audience Development Committee’s Viv Award from for lead actress in a play for Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven, presented by LAByrinth and Atlantic Theater Company. The same role earned her the Obie Award from the American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice, which honors excellence in off-Broadway and off-off Broadway theatre.

“We are so grateful to FX and overjoyed we get to tell more stories from this world,” says co-exec producer Calo. “And while this cast is talented enough to make standing silently in an empty space riveting, we can’t wait to get to work in the writer’s room.”

Calo, who is reportedly half-Mexican, is known for her work on Netflix’s animated series BoJack Horseman, in which she wore several producing hats from 2016 through 2020, as well on HBO Max’s 2021 series Hacks. These two series earned her three Primetime Emmy nominations. Other credits include series like Amazon Prime’s 2019 Undone and Netflix’s The Babysitters Club. Also a screenwriter, she has contributed in that capacity to several episodes of those four shows. Calo is featured in the recently published book Notes From the Bathroom Line: Humor, Art, and Low-grade Panic from 150 of the Funniest Women in Comedy by Amy Solomon, a producer of the hit HBO shows Silicon Valley and Barry.

In addition to Calo, The Bear is executive produced by Hiro Murai (Atlanta, Station Eleven) and Nate Matteson (Station Eleven), Christopher Storer (Ramy) and Josh Senior. Matty Matheson is a consulting producer.

“The Bear delivers thanks to the ferocious performances of Jeremy Allen White and fellow cast members Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott, Liza Colón-Zayas, Edwin Gibson and Matty Matheson,” says Nick Grad, FX president of Original Programming. “The series gets off to a fantastic start in the pilot and we know this creative team including Hiro, Nate and Joanna has the comedy chops and producing experience to deliver the latest in a storied line of FX comedies.”

Featured Photo: Liza Colón-Zayas (Credit: David Zayas Jr.)

The post Liza Colón-Zayas to Co-Star in FX’s ‘The Bear’ first appeared on .

The half-hour series is created and written by Darcy Fowler (Nightmare Time), Seth Kirschner (30 Rock) and Kieran Valla (Stop the Bleeding!), and features Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Lucy DeVito (Deadbeat) and Plaza (Safety Not Guaranteed) among the voice talents. 

Plaza plays a mother who was impregnated by the Devil (Danny DeVito) who attempts to live a normal life with her teen Antichrist daughter (Lucy DeVito) in Delaware. The mother and daughter’s efforts for normalcy are foiled by monstrous forces, including Satan himself, who yearns for custody of his daughter’s soul.  

“Little Demon is a hilarious new animated horror-comedy featuring Danny DeVito, Aubrey Plaza, Lucy DeVito and a host of other great talent,” says Nick Grad, president of original programming for FX Entertainment, who describes the animated project as “unique.” FXX is a cable channel of the Disney-owned FX Networks that caters to a young adult audience.

Serving along with Plaza as executive producers are Fowler, Kirschner, Valla, Dan Harmon, as well as Monica Mitchell, Corey Campodonico and Alex Bulkley of ShadowMachine. Also executive producing will be three members of the DeVito family, father Danny and his two children Lucy and Jake DeVito, who lead the Los Angeles-based company Jersey Films 2nd Avenue.

Plaza is best known for her role in the TV series Parks and Recreation which won a Peabody Award in 2011. The actress of Puerto Rican descent has earned accolades for her work in mainly independent movies doing both dramatic and comedic roles to critical acclaim. Earlier this year she received the the Hollywood Critics Association’s Acting Achievement Award for her performance in the experimental dramedy Black Bear. 

Three years ago, Plaza won the Film Independent Spirit Award for best feature for Ingrid Goes West, a film she starred in and co-produced. In 2012, the comedienne landed her first starring role in the comedy Safety Not Guaranteed, for which she received the Young Hollywood Award for breakthrough performance by an actress and the American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for favorite movie actress in a comedy.

Little Demon is produced by FX Productions. Steve Levy serves as a producer on the project.

Plaza is represented by CAA.

Fowler is represented by Manage-ment, Feig Law, Dani Super Management and UTA.

Kirschner is represented by Manage-ment and Feig Law.

Valla is represented by Anonymous Content and The Nord Group.

Jersey Films 2nd Avenue, Danny DeVito and Jake DeVito are represented by CAA and Behr Abramson Levy LLP.

Lucy DeVito is represented by Talentworks and Gallant Management.

Harmon is represented by CAA. 

ShadowMachine is represented by CAA.

Featured Photo: Aubrey Plaza. Credit: NBC/Justin Lubin

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Mayans M.C. is one of few dramas currently on American TV featuring a mainly Latino cast that includes Clayton Cardenas, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral and Danny Pino. Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger and Sulem Calderon also star in the series.

A spin-off of the Golden Globe-winning Sons of Anarchy, the Latino series was created and is executive produced by Elgin James and Kurt Sutter. It follows Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (Pardo), a newly patched member of the Mayans M.C. charter on the California/Mexico border. Once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp, EZ and his brother Angel (Cardenas) are closer than ever after uncovering the truth behind their mother’s murder while their father Felipe (Olmos) struggles to reconcile the choices he and his sons have made.

The renewal announcement is good news for the show, arriving just days before the end of its third season. Produced by 20th Television and FX Productions, the current season wraps up May 11.

“Elgin James, his creative collaborators, this incredible cast and crew delivered on another epic season of Mayans M.C.,” says Nick Grad, FX president of original programming. “Through three seasons, Mayans has told stories that resonate well beyond the border where the club thrives and survives, inviting fans inside their world and giving them a seat at the table.”

The show’s creator promises to dig deeper into the Mayans‘ characters in the season set to premiere in 2022. “I am deeply indebted to everyone at FX and 20th for allowing us to continue to tell the stories of the characters that Kurt (Sutter) and I created and whom our cast and crew took to new heights in season three,” says James, the executive producer. “In season four we look forward to diving deeper into each character’s truths, exploring the danger of the combustible world they inhabit, and for each writer, cast member and crew to stake out our place as storytellers.”

Among the show’s writers stands out Bryan Gracia (Chicago P.D.) and Debra Moore Muñoz (Westworld).

Mayans M.C. has received nominations for the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Award, California on Location Awards, Golden Trailer Awards and Imagen Foundation Awards.

Featured Photo: ‘Mayans M.C.’ (Credit: FX)

The post ‘Mayans M.C.’ Gets Fourth Season Pickup first appeared on .

The series, about New York City’s African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming drag ball culture of the 1980’s, was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals, who is a proud, openly queer Puerto Rican, and brings all that authenticity to the table.

In Pose, Rodriguez stars as Blanca Rodriguez, is an active member of the Black and Latinx LGBT+ drag ballroom culture of New York City. The series follows Rodriguez, her family, friends, and community from the 1980s to the early 1990s. Season 3 takes place in 1994 New York City, at the height of the Aids epidemic. During this hectic time of turmoil, we follow the cast as each deals with the impact of their personal achievements, struggles and the profound repercussions of AIDs.

Pose is a groundbreaking television program, as the first television program to feature the largest cast of transgender actors in recurring roles.

Rodriguez is an award-winning Afro-Puerto Rican transgender actress and singer, who emerged from live theatre.

By Justina Bonilla

— Featured Photo:  Pari Dukovic/FX

The post Trailer: ‘Pose’ S3 Begins May 2 first appeared on .

Season two left off with a newly patched Mayans M.C. member Ezekiel “EZ Reyes played by JD Pardo, his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) who disapproved of EZ joining. However, the brothers got closer, and they worked together to uncover the truth behind their mother’s murder, while their dad Felipe played by Edward James Olmos struggles to reconcile the choices he and his sons have made.

Also, there are the twist and turns of the stories we follow from the rest of the cast, including Richard Cabral, Danny Pino, and newcomer Emilia Tosta.

Also returning to the gritty motorcycle drama are Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger, and Sulem Calderon.

At the end of season two, we had U.S. Assistant District Attorney Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon), who threatened to deport Felipe, prompting EZ and Angel to step in; rebel leader Adelita (Carla Baratta gave birth to Angel’s son while federal custody. Meanwhile, Miguel Galindo (Pino) was left reeling after his mother’s apparent suicide, while others quietly suspect foul play. Additionally, the Mayans seek vengeance on their rivals, the Tijuana M.C. Vatos Malditos, after a surprise attack on their club. When the smoke clears, they discover the body of a Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original.

Mayans M.C. was co-created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James and is executive produced by James, Michael Dinner and Sutter. The third season is produced by 20^th Television and FX Productions.

— Latin Heat News Service

Featured Photo & Video: FX

The post ‘Mayans M.C.’ Back on FX for 3rd Season first appeared on .

With Kurt Sutter’s recent firing off FX’s Mayan’s MC, fans were getting worried that this was a sign of Mayans M.C. demise. However, when the news released yesterday that their beloved series would live to see another ride as it had been renewed for a third season, social media was a-buzz with the good news.

“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,” said Nick Grad, President of Original Programming at FX Entertainment. “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.”

Although Sutter had announced earlier this year that he had plans to exit and hand over the reins to Elgin, who he partnered with initially to bring the Latino perspective he did not have, it was a shock that he did not leave on his own terms, rather was fired.

Meanwhile, fans are happy to know there will be a third season because there were many storylines that demanded to be played out. One in particular that got a lot of reaction on social media was about the new “love interest” for EZ, Marisol played by Zulelm Calderon (Nova). Then there is Dita, who seems to be the most hated character so far this season. The one that hardcore Mayan MC fans are rabid about, the treasonous turn of events where Riz (Antonio Jaramillo) gets shot and does not make it.

With so many stories left to finish, a third season renewal send a sigh of relief throughout the country. Mayans MC continues — minus Riz, first of the Mayans to get killed off.

The post Mayans Returns For 3rd Season – Minus One first appeared on .

Mayans M. C., the epic crime drama tragedy starring J.D. Pardo, Clayton Cardenas, and Edward James Olmos returns for its second season on Tuesday, September 3, 10/9 p.m. central on Fx. 

This season most of the action takes place in Mexico and there is a crossover conflict between the members of the Mayans and The Sons of Anarchy. “If you liked Season 1, Season 2 is a lot darker,” said Olmos, who portrays Felipe Reyes, father of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (Pardo) and Angel (Clayton Cardenas) at a 2019 Comic-Con panel discussion.

The season 2 premiere episode picks up six months after the events depicted in the season one finale. The second season will also have a different visual aesthetic from the Latino Biker Gangs’ Southern California Border town of Santo Padre. It also promises to be very violent and bloody as EZ is in pursuit of his mother’s killer. Olmos remarked “Retribution will be coming down hard, and people have to be ready for it.”

Also, there will be the ongoing sibling rivalry between EZ and his brother Angel, the biker gang, along with EZ’s relationship with his high school sweetheart Emily.

Mayans. M.C. also stars Sarah Bolger, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Antonio Jaramillo, Richard Cabral, Danny Pino and Emilio Rivera. The show is produced and co- created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James.

The post “Mayans M.C.” Season 2 Premieres on FX Sept. 3 first appeared on .