Mayans M.C. returns with an action-packed premiere

By Baraka Kaseko, Danette Chavez | September 3, 2019 | 5:00am

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Mayans M.C. returns with an action-packed premiere

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Frankie Loyal (left), JD Pardo, Richard Cabral, Michael Irby Photo: Prashant Gupta

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Tuesday, September 3. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Mayans M.C. (FX, 10 p.m., second season premiere): Season one of Mayans M.C., the Sons Of Anarchy spin-off from Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, took us for a bumpy ride—the series inherited the ponderousness and pacing issues of its predecessor along with several of its characters, including Marcus “El Padrino” Alvarez (an impassive Emilio Rivera) and Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon). But the story of the Mexican biker gang and the two brothers (J.D. Pardo and Clayton Cardenas) who made the Mayans their found family offered fertile ground for an exploration of migration and identity. Mayans M.C.’s “border story” is unlike any other on TV, and the season-two premiere, “Xbalanque” (speaking of brothers), wastes no time engaging with the current roiling debate about immigration. The episode picks up eight months after the events of “Cuervo/Tz’ikb’uul,” with EZ (Pardo) now a much more willing participant in the Mayans’ illicit dealings, though he has a shining new ulterior motive. The jam-packed hour catches up with folks on either side of the ever-growing wall (which makes an appearance), including Adelita (Carla Baratta) and Miguel Galindo (Danny Pino), who reached a truce last year. [Danette Chavez]

Regular coverage

Wild card

The Shop: Uninterrupted (HBO, 11 p.m.): LeBron James’ unscripted HBO conversation series rarely reaches the levels of profundity for which it’s clearly aiming, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be an entertaining watch. Past episodes have featured discussions about the intersection between politics and sports, the trappings of fame, and the art of ignoring rap beefs. Tonight’s episode—the sixth in the series—is the first to not feature the four-time NBA MVP as part of the conversation, but makes up for his absence with an appealing lineup of guests: crossover singer-songwriter Lil Nas X, Kevin Hart, Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski, LeBron’s former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love, Portland Trailblazers guard CJ McCollum, and Charlamagne tha God. [Baraka Kaseko]