TV Ratings: 'Mayans M.C.' Becomes Most Watched New Cable Series of 2018

The Sons of Anarchy universe returned in a massive way last Tuesday, as the premiere of spinoff series Mayans M.C. aired on FX, marking the popular franchise's first new episode in four years. Fortunately, it looks like this spinoff is here to stay, as it has continued to deliver stellar ratings in the week since it aired.

According to Variety, the Mayans M.C. premiere has become the most-watched new cable series of 2018, amassing 6.8 million viewers in its first seven days.

The series premiere saw 2.53 million viewers tune in live, but that number nearly doubled in the three days that followed. Once the Live+3 numbers had been delivered, Mayans viewership had grown by 82 percent, totalling 4.6 million.

Over the course of those three days, Mayans became the top new cable series of the year in every major demographic. In that time frame, the episode was viewed by 2.8 million adults 25-54, 2.5 million adults 18-49, and 1 million adults 18-34. Not only was this the biggest new series premiere of the year, but it's also the best premiere for a drama series in the 18-49 demographic since January 2016.

Perhaps the biggest ratings victory for Mayans M.C. is how it performed against its predecessor. In Live+3 numbers, the premiere episode's 2.5 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic was 46 percent higher than the Sons of Anarchy premiere in 2008, which earned 1.7. Mayans also topped Sons in overall viewers in the Live+3. The 4.6 million that tuned in for Mayans was 64 percent higher than Sons of Anarchy's 2.8 million.

While Mayans M.C. may have had the help of Sons of Anarchy getting off the ground, it looks as though the new series already has a serious following, with a seemingly much higher ceiling in the ratings.

Did you check out the premiere of Mayans M.C.? What did you think of the new series? Let us know in the comments!

New episodes of Mayans M.C. air on Tuesday nights at 10 pm ET on FX.