Why Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter was fired from Mayans MC

Below Sons of AnarchyAfter the success of FX, FX moved forward with a spin-off show, Mayans MC The show follows the Mayans Biker Club in California and features some crossovers between the Mayans and SAMCRO. For Kurt Sutter, it seemed like an obvious choice to steer the ship. Although the first season went smoothly, problems arose in the second season.

Kurt Sutter was fired in 2019 while working on the second season of Mayans MC His co-showrunner Elgin James then took full creative control in Season 3. Sutter’s departure led to a noticeable change in tone and narrative, for better and for worse. After five seasons, Disney canceled the series.

Disney fired Kurt Sutter due to complaints

After Sutter was fired as executive producer Mayans MChe sent a letter to his inner circle. The letter detailed the backstory behind his exit from the series, told from Sutter’s perspective in 2019. Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and Mayans MC was under the management of Disney. The official reason for Sutter’s exit from the series was cast and crew complaints collected by Disney’s human resources department. However, Sutter didn’t believe that was the reason they fired him.

In the letter, Sutter questioned Disney’s claims that he created a hostile work environment. The executive producer admitted that tensions arose at some point on set. However, due to the studio’s request to hire a new EP, he resigned to let the new EP “run through the end of production”. He wondered how he was able to “do so much damage” when he was only on set “maybe three times the whole season.”

Reflecting on his firing and what happened, Sutter admitted that he regretted not being around as much as before: “What I really maintain and what I see now in hindsight is, that it was a mistake to distance myself so much this season,” he said. Sutter suspected it might have been misunderstood because he “hid his head in the sand.” However, he insisted that it was a creative decision to strengthen the new EP.

The showrunner suggested that Disney’s official reasons might not actually reflect what was happening. He revealed that he pushed the story back a lot. “What I’m having a hard time with this season is the studio and the network,” he said. He admitted that he “felt Disney’s creative control from day one.” According to Sutter, the studio wanted a “dumping down story” with “insane PC limitations” that he had “never experienced before.” He pushed back hard, but not as hard as he did Sons of Anarchy. However, because he was dealing with people who didn’t really know him on a creative level, his resistance may have been perceived differently. Sutter wrote:

I was dealing with staff who didn’t know me or my level of…passion. Apparently I raised a few eyebrows.

I know my roles in Mayans MC were planned [be] greatly reduced. I’m handing the show over to Elgin. So it’s not the job that’s the problem. What makes me angry and hurts the most is that John Landgraf and Dana Walden sat across from me and quoted a summary of a twisted truth formulated by lawyers and clerks. They blamed the cast and crew for my firing.

The Sons of Anarchy The show’s creator prides himself on having “a supportive and empowering set.” Knowing that the show was a “collaborative effort,” he tried to “recognize everyone’s hard work” and “pass that philosophy on to the writers and producers.” However, there was one thing he could neither tolerate nor compromise on: the “vision”. “If you fuck with this vision, I will fight back,” he wrote. “When I’m right, I let the work speak for itself. If I’m wrong, I own it, make amends, and fix it.”

The MC family fell apart on set

After that, Sutter initially didn’t want to come back for another biker show Sons of Anarchy. He had put everything into the creation of the mothership, and at the time of the second season of Mayans MC, he was burned out creatively. The showrunner had difficulty adjusting to the Disney takeover and had major problems with the story and script. He revealed that he couldn’t stop questioning himself and telling the story over and over again. Consciously and unconsciously, he may have put a lot of pressure on his team. Sutter also admitted to Deadline that he didn’t think he was the right person to tell the story. He said:

It was simply time for him to leave the franchise. With everything that was going on, the family bond he once forged on set was broken. The showrunner admitted he had no idea how bad it was. Due to his reduced time on set, many cast members felt like he had jumped ship. Although he made it clear that no official complaints were filed with human resources, it had a major impact on the set.

How did Sutter’s exit affect Mayan MC?

Many fans initially had concerns about Disney’s influence on the hardcore biker series. Comes from Sons of AnarchyThe spin-off series explores a different corner of the same world, meaning the fanbase expected a similar level of violence and vulgarity. Disney, on the other hand, is known for offering family-friendly shows. Given the takeover and Sutter’s firing, many were concerned about this Mayans MC would lose its spark. However, this was not the case. It may have been Sutter’s letter that acted as the final pushback to give the show what it needed, or perhaps it was planned that way all along. Either way, Sutter’s departure did not result in “watered down” scripts, as he had feared, nor did it negatively impact the show.

Season 3 came out a year after Sutter’s firing, and the cast gave some insight into how the new season worked under Disney’s umbrella. In an interview with Gamespot, JD Pardo, who plays EZ on the show, said that the studio supported them “the entire time” by giving them full creative freedom to do what the show needed. He said:

The actor acknowledged this Mayans MC had gone through a phase in which it found its own identity. While it’s true that the series wouldn’t exist without the original, it also needed to find its own groove. “When you discover a show, you go through the initial phase – some shows take longer than others… We all know that Mayans had to find its own identity and the fans wanted that – we as actors wanted that,” he said.

Sutter’s firing had a direct impact on the cast and script. Looking back, his departure was the best choice for the show. In the same interview Angels actor Clayton Cardenas revealed that the atmosphere on set has changed drastically since Sutter’s departure. The actor called it “the best thing that could ever happen” and believed that the new showrunner created “that family bond on set” where “everyone feels like their voice is heard.” He also believed that the new scripts served his character better. Compared to Sutter’s scripts, where he felt he had to “force the dialogue,” Cardenas said, “I feel like the writing is meant for me.”

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However, audience reception for Season 3 was mixed. The season is significantly different from the previous two. Many even thought that season 2 was the best, with a script that was as good as punch Sons of Anarchydespite Sutter’s creative block and what happened on set. Some enjoyed season 3, but it was met with some hate from the fan base. Many believe it was the worst season ever, with the best and worst episodes in one season. Some fans viewed Season 4 as the point where the show began to fall apart. However, not all fans agree. Many see season 3 as a point of improvement Mayans Finding your groove instead of trying Sons of Anarchy 2.0.

Release date

September 8, 2008

Pour

Kim Coates, Charlie Hunnam, Theo Rossi, Mark Boone Junior, Maggie Siff, Katey Sagal, Tommy Flanagan, Ron Perlman

Seasons

7

story of

Kurt Sutter

writer

Kurt Sutter, Chris Collins

Number of episodes

network

FX

Streaming service(s)

Hulu

Franchise(s)

Sons of Anarchy

Directors

Kurt Sutter

Showrunner

Kurt Sutter

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