Even though most of the big fall TV premieres have yet to make their way to the small screen, FX's sophomore drama Mayans M.C. roared back to life in the first week of September. Thankfully for the network and for fans, that roar was loud enough to echo across all of cable, and Mayans M.C. has already cemented itself as one of the biggest cable premieres of 2019 so far.
The Season 2 premiere, titled "Xbalanque," was initially watched by 1.39 million viewers, which was already a good sign for Mayans M.C. (Granted, the series premiered to 2.53 million viewers in 2018, but every year of TV ratings sings a different tune.) After another couple of days passed, Mayans M.C.'s total viewership had doubled, with its Live + 3 Day audience topping off around 2.8 million.
In fact, when both linear TV viewings are combined with non-linear views – such as people watching on FX's apps – Mayans M.C.'s Season 2 opener pulled in around 4.3 million pairs of presumably eager eyeballs. That's definitely enough to keep the motorcycle drama in the upper echelon of FX's original programming, and if Season 2 gets as hectic as it appears, there could be a definite uptick in those numbers on the long highway to the finale.
When it comes to the show's key demographic numbers, Mayans M.C. kept up appearances with the Season 2 premiere. With the Live + 3 Day numbers accounted for, the FX drama brought in 1.4 million viewers between the ages of 18-34, which slots Mayans M.C. as the third highest-rated scripted cable TV premiere in 2019. That's in both the 18-49 demo and the 18-34 demo, which is a good sign that the show's traffic is fairly balanced across several age groups.
The only two TV premieres that have topped Mayans M.C. to this point in 2019 are very likely the first two shows that anyone would guess if asked: Game of Thrones' Season 7 debut, which was beyond massive in the ratings, and The Walking Dead's Season 9 midseason premiere. So technically, Mayans holds the second spot for actual season premieres for 2019, although The Walking Dead's Season 10 debut will likely earn that spot in October.
With a lot of plotlines to touch upon following that hectic-as-hell Season 1 finale, Mayans M.C. kicked off Season 2 with the place-setting "Xbalanque," which essentially revived EZ's hunt to track down the person that killed his and Angel's mother. Fans were definitely interested to see what happened, though obviously not everyone was as quick to tune in as others were.
Mayans M.C. Star On Charlie Hunnam Appearing As Sons Of Anarchy's Jax: 'I Don't See Why' Not
No matter, though. At a time when network execs are becoming more and more aware of how valuable DVR numbers are, Mayans M.C.'s strong delayed viewer stats are as sure a sign of the Sons of Anarchy spinoff's staying power as anything else. If the series continues to showcase surprise cameos from SAMCRO members and other S.O.A. vets, then FX could possibly look forward to an S.O.A.-friendly burst of viewer surges in Season 2 and beyond.
Check out the trailer for the next episode of Mayans M.C.
Stay tuned for more Mayans M.C. victories, with the vengeance-stricken drama airing (Teller) Tuesday nights on FX at 10:00 p.m. ET.
