FX's 'Sons of Anarchy' spin-off 'Mayans MC' is the most-watched new cable TV show so far in 2018
- "Mayans MC" is the most-watched cable premiere of 2018 so far.
- The "Sons of Anarchy" spin-off dominated the night it premiered, and 6.8 million people have already watched it.
- The premiere had more viewers than the "Sons of Anarchy" premiere in 2008.
- This shows that streaming services making original TV shows, like Netflix, haven't completely taken over television.
Despite buzz dwindling for its programs over the year, FX is still at the top of the cable TV game.
On Monday, FX announced that its "Sons of Anarchy" spin-off "Mayans MC" premiered with the best ratings of any new cable series this year. This comes as no surprise, considering "Sons of Anarchy," which began in 2008, was a huge hit for the cable network, and was instrumental for FX establishing itself as a home for prestige dramas, along with shows like "The Americans" and "Justified."
The "Mayans MC" premiere, which aired Tuesday, September 4, had an audience of 2.8 million adults 25-54, 2.5 million adults 18-49, and 1 million adults 18-34. Combined, these are higher than the "Sons of Anarchy" premiere numbers in 2008. "Mayans MC" was also the most-watched show the night it aired. 6.8 million total viewers have watched the premiere across linear and non-linear platforms.
The episode was the most-watched drama series premiere on FX since 2016's "The People vs. OJ Simpson." And 19% of the premiere's viewers were Hispanic (the average for English-language cable scripted series is 10%).
With its record-breaking premiere, "Mayans MC" showed that despite the binge-watching revolution and the rise of streaming services like Netflix (and the cord cutters that have come with them), cable dramas still have a place in television, since there are plenty (literally millions) of people who will watch them live on air.
Critics, however, were less enthusiastic about "Mayans MC," giving it a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes (it has an 81% audience score on the site.)
"Mayans MC" airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on FX.