The debut of History's limited series FDR along with the premiere of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first scripted TV series lead the list of original content premiering on streaming services and cable networks during the week leading into the Memorial Day holiday weekend.  

History's three-episode series, FDR, debuts May 29 and provides a portrait of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he led the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II while dealing with his own personal fight with polio, according to the network. Co-produced  by Bradley Cooper, the series is based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin Leadership: In Turbulent Times.  

Netflix on May 25 will debut drama/comedy series Fubar, starring Schwarzenegger as a CIA operative who, on the verge of retirement, discovers that his daughter also works for the agency. The two are paired together for one last undercover mission, according to Netflix. Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter, Gabriel Luna and Fortune Feimster also star in the eight-episode series.

Also this week, FX will debut the fifth and final season of its Sons of Anarchy biker spinoff drama Mayans M.C. on May 24. The series stars JD Pardo as Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes who runs the Mayans M.C. charter on the California-Mexico border, according to the network. JR Bourne, Danny Pino and Michael Irby also star in the series.

Here are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting during the week of May 22-29 (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

May 23, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (animation), Max

May 23, How to Create a Sex Scandal (documentary), Max

May 24, American Born Chinese (drama), Disney Plus

May 24, Platonic (comedy), Apple TV Plus

May 25, The Kardashians (returning series), Hulu

May 26, Being Mary Tyler Moore (documentary), HBO

May 26, Run The World (returning series), Starz

FX will debut the fifth and final season of its biker drama series Mayans M.C. on May 24. 

The Sons of Anarchy spinoff stars JD Pardo as Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes, who runs the Mayans M.C. charter on the California-Mexico border. According to FX, EZ has now risen to lead his brother Angel and the Santo Padre M.C. in a bloody war against their rival Sons of Anarchy. Defending the California territory and patch begins to claim lives within the club and causes strain between EZ and Angel, said the network. 

Along with Pardo, JR Bourne, Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero, Vincent Vargas, Gino Vento, Emily Tosta and Vanessa Giselle also star in the series. 

Mayans M.C. is executive produced by Elgin James and Kurt Sutter. ■ 

FX’s biker drama series Mayans M.C. will return for a fifth season in 2023, according to network officials. 

The series, a spinoff of FX’s 2008-14 Sons of Anarchy series, follows Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (played by JD Pardo) and the Mayans M.C. charter on the California-Mexico border, according to the network. Also starring in the series is Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero and Vincent Vargas.

Also: FX Renews 'Atlanta' For Fourth and Final Season

Mayans is executive produced by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James. James broke the renewal news to fans at a panel session at San Diego Comic-Con. 20th Television President Karey Burke said there that James signed a new multiyear overall deal with the Disney-owned studio, which co-produces Mayans with FX Productions.

“The Mayans have battled for respect, territory and power through four intense seasons that have set the stage for an explosive fifth season that will test their very survival under ‘EZ’s’ newly claimed leadership,” Nick Grad, president of original programming for FX Entertainment, said in a statement. “Elgin James and the creative team, the brilliant cast, crew and our partners at 20th Television have kept fans coming back for more and we are ready to take that ride with them for another season.” ■

AMC launches the final season of a classic drama series while Showtime debuts a new version of a sci-fi classic as part of the lineup of new shows premiering this week. 

AMC's Emmy Award-winning series Better Call Saul will debut its sixth and final season April 18. Bob Odenkirk returns as criminal lawyer Saul Goodman for the 13-episode final season of the Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould-created series, which is a spinoff of AMC's Breaking Bad.

Other high-profile series returning to the small screen this week are FX's Mayans M.C. (April 19), HBO Max's The Flight Attendant (April 21) and HBO's Barry (April 24).

Show premieres this week include Showtime's April 24 debut of The Man Who Fell to Earth, a reimagining of the 1976 sci-fi movie starring David Bowie. The 10-episode series stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomi Harris.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for multiple shows debuting the week of April 18 to April 24 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

April 20 – Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain (documentary) – Showtime

April 20 – Russian Doll (returning series) – Netflix

April 20 – So Dumb Its Criminal Hosted by Snoop Dogg (reality) – Peacock

April 21 – Captive Audience (reality) – Hulu

April 22 – They Call Me Magic (documentary) – Apple TV Plus

April 22 – A Very British Scandal (drama) – Prime Video

April 24 – The Baby (drama) – HBO

April 24 – Billy The Kid (drama) – Epix

April 24 – Gaslit (drama) – Starz

“There’s a reckoning upon us,” is how FX describes the fourth season of Mayans M.C. as part of a new trailer for the drama series.

The 10-episode season continues to follow the life and exploits of EZ Reyes, his brother Angel and the rest of the Santo Padre MC as they face retaliation from other charters after a failed attempt to consolidate under one leader, according to the network.

JD Pardo stars in the series along with Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero and Vincent Vargas.

Mayans M.C., a spinoff of FX’s Sons of Anarchy, is executive produced by Kurt Sutter, Elgin James and Hilton Smith.

Fx will debut the fourth season of its biker drama series Mayans M.C. on April 19, the network said.

The series, a spinoff of FX’s Sons of Anarchy series, follows the life of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, played by JD Pardo, who is a member of the Mayans M.C. charter on the California/Mexican border. 

The series also stars Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Danny Pino, Carla Baratta, Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger, Frankie Loyal, Joseph Lucero and Vincent Vargas.

Created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, Mayans M.C. is executive produced by James, Sutter and Hilton Smith. ■  

Disney Branded Television has named veteran programming executive Gloria Fan as its head of Current Series, overseeing current and new projects for Disney Channel and Disney Plus.

In the newly created role, Fan will oversee original series development over such upcoming Disney Channel shows as Ultraviolet & Black Scorpion, as well as upcoming Disney Plus shows Sneakerella, National Treasure and the Beauty & The Beast prequel, said the company.

Previously Fan worked at 20th Television Studios where she served as vice president of Current Programming. Most recently, Fan's work has spanned across networks and streaming services including National Geographic's scripted powerhouses Genius and The Hot Zone, FX's Mayans M.C., NBC’s Ordinary Joe and Showtime's Homeland.

Fan will report to Disney SVP, Development and Current Series Reena Singh, said Disney. 

Read Also: Ayo Davis Named Disney Branded Television President 

FX has ordered a fourth season of drama Mayans M.C. That season of the biker drama will air in 2022. 

Mayans M.C. was co-created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James. It follows the life of Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo), a new 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 (Clayton Cardenas) are closer than ever after uncovering the truth behind their mother’s murder while their father Felipe (Edward James Olmos) struggles to reconcile the choices he and his sons have made.

“Elgin James, his creative collaborators, this incredible cast and crew delivered on another epic season of Mayans M.C.,” said Nick Grad, president, original programming, FX Entertainment. “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.”

Michael Irby, Raoul Max Trujillo, Richard Cabral, Emilio Rivera, Sarah Bolger and Sulem Calderon are also in the cast. 

“I am deeply indebted to everyone at FX and 20th for allowing us to continue to tell the stories of the characters that Kurt and I created and whom our cast and crew took to new heights in season three,” said James. “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.”

A spinoff of Sons of Anarchy, Mayans M.C. is executive produced by James, Michael Dinner and Sutter. The 10-episode third season is produced by 20th Television and FX Productions.

FX has shared late winter and spring premieres, including the start of biker drama Mayans M.C. March 16. 

Comedy Cake starts season four March 11 on FXX, with two episodes on premiere day. There are nine episodes total. “Featuring a diverse array of narratives from storytellers both new and established, this half-hour weekly showcase features both live-action and animated comedy programs of varied length that are equal parts thought-provoking, laugh-inducing, artistic, authentic and raw,” said FX. 

Mayans M.C. starts March 16 with the first two episodes of season three. There are 10 episodes total. 

Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo) is a member of the Mayans M.C. charter on the California/Mexico border. He and brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) dig for the truth behind their mother’s murder while their father Felipe (Edward James Olmos) struggles to reconcile the choices he and his sons have made.

Kurt Sutter and Elgin James created the series. 

Breeders starts season two with two episodes March 22. The season has 10 episodes. Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard star in the comedy about the perils of parenthood. 

Documentary Hysterical premieres April 2. The project “gives audiences an honest and hilarious backstage pass into the lives of some of stand-up comedy’s most boundary-breaking women, exploring the hard-fought journey to become the voices of their generation and their gender,” said FX. 

Andrea Nevins directs. Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Kathy Griffin and Sherri Shepherd are among the comics featured. 

Streaming networks Hulu and Netflix lead what is a limited rollout of new, scripted shows premiering from Sept. 3 to Sept. 8.

Hulu’s Sept. 4 premiere of Wu-Tang: An American Saga (pictured) follows the origins of the legendary rap group Wu-Tang Clan, according to the service.

Netflix on Sept. 6 will debut The Spy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen as former Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who successfully goes undercover in Syria in the early 1960s, said Netflix.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services:

Sept. 3: Mayans M.C. (returning series), FX

Sept. 3: Greenleaf (returning series), OWN

Sept. 6: Couples Therapy (reality series), Showtime

Sept. 6: Good Talk With Anthony Jeselnik (talk show), Comedy Central

Sept. 6: Into The Dark: Pure (horror movie), Hulu

Sept. 6: Titans (returning series), DC Universe

Sept. 7: Keeping Up with The Kardashians (returning series), E! 

FX Friday unveiled a new video for its sophomore drama series Mayans M.C., which returns on Sept. 3.

The series, a spinoff of FX's successful Sons Of Anarchy series, stars JD Pardo as Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter who in the series' second season is trying to reconcile with his brother “Angel” (Clayton Cardenas) while searching for the truth behind their mother’s death. Meanwhile, their father “Felipe” (Edward James Olmos) is struggling to lead his sons down a righteous path, according to FX.

The 10-episode second season of Mayans M.C. is executive produced by Kurt Sutter, Elgin James and Kevin Dowling, and produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions.

The 2018-19 broadcast TV season officially launches next week as ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and the CW begin rolling out shiny, new scripted shows as well as new episodes of returning hit series.

In years past, cable networks looking to launch new original programming avoided the months of September and October like the plague for fear that their shows would drown amid the high level of marketing and promotional noise generated by the broadcast networks.

This year however, shows like FX’s Mayans M.C., a sequel to the network's popular Sons Of Anarchy series; USA Network’s The Purge, a takeoff on the popular movie franchise of the same name; and Lifetime’s social media/romance thriller You have all debuted after Labor Day, weeks before the broadcasters could get high-profile new shows like The Conners, The Cool Kids, F. B. I., Magnum P.I., Manifest, A Million Little Things and Murphy Brown in front of viewers.

“Back in the day cable used to make a name for itself in the summer when the broadcast networks weren’t doing much (original programming), and they gained alot of traction,” said Marc Berman, editor of TV industry website Programming Insider. “The way the industry works now its a 12-month business … you can no longer sit and hold [new content] back because the broadcast networks traditionally put most of their new shows out in September.”

So far, viewers haven’t waited for the new broadcast shows to get a taste of new fall programming:

--Mayans M.C. drew 4.6 million viewers on a Nielsen live +3 basis for its Sept. 4 premiere, a 64% increase over the 2008 premiere of its predecessor Sons Of Anarchy. The series also drew the most viewers in key Adult 25-54, Adult 18-49 and adult 18-34 demos than any other new cable series premiere this year, according to FX.

--BET’s The Bobby Brown Story miniseries drew a combined 4.6 million viewers across its Sept. 4-5 premiere telecasts, the most viewers the network has drawn for a scripted program since the January 2017 The New Edition Story mini-series.

--The Purge scared up more than 1.3 million viewers for its Sept. 4 premiere, making it one of the network’s highest show premieres of the year.

Lifetime executive vice president of movies, limited series and acquisitions Tanya Lopez says the September launch of You offered an opportunity to grab and hopefully lock in viewers before the new broadcast series shows premiered. 

You's’ Sept. 9 premiere drew 4.4 million viewers on a Nielsen Live +3 ratings basis, and has reached more than 9.2 million total viewers across all telecasts, according to the network.

“This gives Lifetime several weeks to establish a loyal audience for You as the series only continues to get better and more addictive as the season progresses,” Lopez said. “We’re in a sweet spot of catching audiences who are returning from their summer vacations, settling back into their lives and watching TV. It’s a fantastic opportunity to catch these viewers before the fall promotion hits full steam.”

With several cable and streaming services set to launch high-profile scripted series over the next few weeks -- including FX's Mr. Inbetween, Crackle's Us & Them, Hulu's Into The Dark, and Amazon's The Romanoffs, its abundantly clear that the fall months are no longer the exclusive purview of the broadcast networks to launch new scripted content.   

Elgin James, co-creator of Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans M.C., has a colorful background to say the least. James was homeless as a teenager in Boston, fronted local hardcore punk bands and spent much of his life in gangs.

After leaving that life for Los Angeles, James was about to start shooting his feature film, Little Birds, when he said he found a dozen FBI agents, guns drawn, outside his home. “My past had come calling,” said James.

He spent time in maximum-security prison, and stuck with screenwriting.

Mayans M.C. is the next chapter in Kurt Sutter’s biker drama that started with Sons. EZ Reyes (played by JD Pardo) is just out of prison, and a prospect in a roughneck motorcycle club along the California-Mexico border. It begins on FX Sept. 4. At the Summer TCA Press Tour earlier this month, Sutter spoke of his first meeting with James. “I was aware that I was no longer the smartest guy at the table,” he said.

Studying in the Sundance Institute Feature Film program, James credits Robert Redford and program director Michelle Satter for teaching him to channel his energies into something positive. “They taught me to express myself through art instead of violence,” said James.

James spoke with Multichannel News about his troubled past, how he ended up on Mayans and what he learned from Sutter. An edited transcript follows.

MCN: When did you guys think there’s another series after Sons of Anarchy?

Elgin James: [FX Networks CEO] John Landgraf and Kurt Sutter talked about it, I think halfway through [Sons]. Kurt wanted to do something else, clean his palate. He did The Bastard Executioner, then he figured it was time for this. Luckily he found me.

MCN: You didn’t work on Sons?

EJ: No, but I grew up in a world similar to that. Growing up in gangs, the majority of my brothers, people that I loved, joined biker clubs, one-percenter clubs. It was a story I had no interest in telling — it was too close. But that I was so reluctant to tell the story means there’s something I need to dive into. I have some issues with violence that I can’t just push away. I needed to look at those directly and address them.

MCN: Is working on Mayans therapeutic for you?

EJ: It definitely has been. The character EZ Reyes just got out of prison. When I started working with Kurt, I was only a few years out of maximum-security prison. You go into the gang world, you have rules and a system set up. You realize when you’re young that the real society, the real world, is set against you just because you’re poor. You create a world in a gang to set your own rules, set your own form of justice and you get to the top of that. You come out of prison and get back into this world of telling stories and art. There’s so much bullshit that’s thrown at you — you have to eat so much shit. You have to keep your eyes on the prize, the big picture. Being able to tell stories about your people — getting that out to the world is worth eating shit.

MCN: How is Mayans different from Sons of Anarchy?

EJ: It’s the same universe but a different world in it. The first thing Kurt said to me was, the mythology of Sons, we can’t ever mess with that. But we need to plant a flag and tell a different story. A different culture, different actors, a different world.

MCN: Tell me more about the EZ character.

EJ: We didn’t want to start off with [Sons protagonist] Jax — he was already royalty. We realized pretty early on in our conversations, this a story of the American dream, the loss of the American dream. America is starting at the bottom. You create a character that you love, that you pour all of your own self into, then you make terrible things happen to them.

MCN: It’s premiere night for Mayans. Are you nervous?

EJ: I’m nervous every day. I’m way more nervous doing this than with anything else I’ve done in my life. I want to make something so personal and just bleed it out. When you do something that could affect so many people, that people feel so passionately about, I’m afraid of letting them down.

Premiere night, I’m sure it will be nerve-wracking. I’ll just try to not look at anybody so no one sees I got tears in my eyes.

FX Thursday (July 19) dropped the official trailer for its upcoming drama series Mayans MC.

Mayans M.C. is the next chapter in Kurt Sutter’s Sons of Anarchy saga, FX said. Set in a post-Jax Teller world, Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo) is fresh out of prison and a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the California-Mexico border. 

Now, EZ must carve out his new identity in a town where he was once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp. 

Sons of Anarchy ran on FX from 2008-2014.

FX has picked up Mayans MC to series, ordering a 10-episode first season of the drama from Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, said Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, presidents of original programming for FX Networks and FX Productions, at the TCA Winter Press Tour.

The show, which is the next chapter in the Sons of Anarchy saga, will premiere in 2018.

Read More: Complete Coverage of #TCA18

Sons of Anarchy was the highest-rated drama in FX history for seven seasons. The Mayans were recurring players throughout the show’s seven-year run.

“Kurt Sutter is a master storyteller, and Mayans MC has the raw energy and intensity that are hallmarks of his signature style,” said Grad. “Thanks to Kurt, co-creator Elgin James and this amazing cast, Mayans MC builds on the legacy of Sons of Anarchy, taking it in a thrilling new direction that we can’t wait for the world to see.”

Related | broadcastingcable.com: FX Orders New Series From Producer Ryan Murphy

Mayans MC is set in a post-Jax Teller world, where EZ Reyes, fresh out of prison, is a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the California/Mexico border. Now EZ must carve out his new outlaw identity in a town where he once was the golden boy who had the American Dream within his grasp.

Mayans MC is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions. The show stars Edward James Olmos, JD Pardo, Sarah Bolger, Clayton Cardenas, Richard Cabral, Michael Irby, Raoul Trujillo, Antonio Jaramillo and Carla Baratta.

Noberto Barba directed the pilot and will be an executive producer, with Sutter an executive producer and James a co-executive producer.

FX also set premiere dates for current series. Season two of Atlanta, called "Atlanta Robbin’ Season," debuts March 1. Starring Donald Glover, who is also an executive producer, it shows a couple of cousins working in the Atlanta music scene.

Trust, about John Paul Getty III, arrives March 25. And The Americans starts up March 28, the spy show’s sixth and final season.