Mayans MC Showrunner Kurt Sutter Fired by FX

There were always stories about confrontations on the set of FX’s hit motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy, many of them connected to creator and showrunner Kurt Sutter. Sadly, it looks like those issues have spilled into the current spinoff series, Mayans MC. Those issues have apparently been handled by FX, however, as Sutter informed his team this week that he had been removed from his position as showrunner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sutter was dismissed by FX CEO John Landgraf and Disney TV Studios and ABC Entertainment chairman Dana Walden. Sutter wrote an email to the cast and crew of the series and said his firing had to do with his behavoir, referring to himself as an “abrasive dick.”

This dismissal is abrupt but reportedly has no affect on Sutter’s overall deal with 20th Century Fox/Disney. Sutter was the first TV producer to re-sign with Fox last January, following the news that the studio was likely being sold to Disney.

Sutter began his relationship with FX writing and producing The Shield, which was one of the network’s first true hits. Following his success there, he was given the greenlight to create and produce Sons of Anarchy. The biker drama broke records during its seven-year tenure and earned Sutter even more trust with the network. His next series, The Bastard Executioner, largely flopped and only lasted one season.

Enter Mayans MC, the first Sons of Anarchy spinoff to actually air, though Sutter has always talked about doing multiple different projects connected to that world.

Elgin James has been the co-creator and co-showrunner on Mayans MC since it’s debut last year, and Sutter had said on multiple occasions that his goal was to shift the responsibilities over to his counterpart and step away from the series following Season 2. Deadline‘s report of the incident suggests that Sutter had no problems with James, as they’ve always worked well together, but instead with some other creatives that were brought in to help “steer the show” into Season 3.

Mayans MC is more than halfway through its second season on FX, with new episodes airing on Tuesday nights.