Part of the large viewership is likely tied to the show’s predominantly Hispanic cast, as well as co-creator Kurt Sutter and Elgin James’ focus on wanting to tell a story that touches on Hispanic culture as well as biker culture.
In short, this show was never going to be a series where Jax Teller was suddenly back from the dead, for reasons even beyond the fact that Sutter wants to protect the original show’s legacy.
Part of this boost in viewership is also due to a largely Hispanic demographic tuning into Mayans M.C. Deadline reports 19% of the audience for the premiere was Hispanic, and that the statistic was the highest for Hispanic representation for an FX series premiere.