Perro/Oc

"Perro/Oc" shows great promise for this sequel to "Sons of Anarchy".

The production is glossy and different enough from its predecessor to immediately stamp out its own identity. This has the potential to be an even better show.

There are a few familiar faces to ensure a sense of continuity with the earlier series, too.

Violent, funny and gripping, this instalment bodes well for the future.

9 out of 10.

I always enjoyed Sons of Anarchy, but this "spin off" series actually improves on the winning formula in a number of ways. The Mayans' story actually has a better mix of the jarring elements that made SOA great. There's plenty of gunfire, fist fights, chase scenes, and the sacred brother hood of proven warriors.

But this time around, the romantic intrigue is woven much better into the plot. The main character, EZ Reyes, has the tough, clean-cut looks of a typical motorcycle gang prospect. But it becomes clear in the riveting pilot episode that he's much more than a young warrior looking to prove himself to his brothers. EZ was once a standout Stanford student -- and he's also done time in prison. EZ was framed and lost everything -- including the love of golden girl Emily, a deeply thoughtful and caring young woman who is now married to a suave, handsome drug lord named Miguel Galindo.

Can EZ earn his patch, bring down Galindo, and win back his golden girl, or all of the above? And can he do it without losing his freedom, his life or his family honor?

All that would be enough, but there's so much more. It would be so easy for drug lord Galindo to be an abusive creep, and for his stunning Anglo wife Emily to be nothing but a weak-willed punching bag. But Danny Pino and Sarah Bolger have an almost magnetic chemistry from the moment they're first introduced. EZ is going to have his hands full breaking up this marriage -- assuming that's really what he wants.

But what does he want? Where do the mysterious meetings fit in? What about those tunnels under the boarder? Who are all those little kids in mouse masks?

MAYANS succeeds at blending so many different classics, everything from THE GODFATHER to BREAKING BAD. And the mood can shift from crime drama to mystery to soap opera to comedy at any time. The cast is brilliant, the scenery is beautiful, and the camerawork never stops catching your eye.

MAYANS is off to a roaring start!

For me, it's not too good because I can see a predictable season after this pilot. But anyway, my expectations are not to high and I'll enjoy good action scenes and good music, Kurt Sutter being very good at this

A strong first episode lays out its stall. It even includes a guest biker appearance from the Sons of Anarchy.

Set in a Southern Californian border town. The Mayans are a close knit gang working with the Galindo cartel to run drugs for them. They have to contend with a young head of the cartel who treats them like lackeys. This lack of respect irks them.

Ezekiel 'EZ' Reyes is the new recruit, helped to be admitted to the Mayans Motorcycle Club by his brother. EZ is clever, he has a photographic memory. He looks like someone who should not belong in this kind of life but he wound up in prison. He lost his promising college prospects and his beautiful girlfriend in the process.

In the first episode the Mayans need to discover the people who stole from the gang in a carefully rehearsed heist. If they do not get the perpetrators, the cartel will go after one of them instead. The clock is ticking.

By the end of the first episode, we learn that everything is more opaque. Characters have hidden motives, nothing happens by random chance.

The only moral centre seems to be Ez's father, the local butcher played by Edward James Olmos.

There is grimy feel to this series and of course there is no cowboy wearing a white hat, it is all shades of greys.

Great series premiere for Mayans MC. Lots of unexpected twists and one surprise from guest character from an older series....