JD Pardo Set to Make Directorial Debut During ‘Mayans M.C.’ Final Season

JD Pardo will make his directorial debut on an episode of Mayans M.C. during the upcoming fifth and final season.

Pardo has starred as the main protagonist of the series, Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, since 2018. According to Variety, Pardo stepped behind the camera for the first time to helm the fourth episode, “I See the Black Light,” which will air on June 7.

The episode’s official synopsis reads that “after a fatal error, the Mayans navigate the dangers of their new trade, forcing an unlikely alliance.” The episode will also mark the first Mayans MC script written by Meredith Danluck (State Like Sleep).

“Directing has been a place, I feel, I was always destined to go,” Pardo told Variety. “[Executive producer] Elgin [James] and I would speak about it often. I absolutely loved getting behind the camera and understanding the relationship between the performance as an actor in the scene and the visual image needed to convey that life to the audience. In my last season of Mayans, it’s all about entertaining the audience by giving them an emotional experience. Directing [this episode] deepened my love for cinema.”

Last season, Danny Pino, who plays Michael Galindo on the series, made his directorial debut on the eighth episode, “The Righteous Wrath of an Honorable Man.” Pino will also direct at least one episode this season. Also last year, Richard Cabral co-wrote the seventh episode, “Dialogue with the Mirror.” After four seasons playing Johnny “El Coco” Cruz, his character was killed off in Episode 5, “Death of the Virgin.”

Season 5 of Mayans M.C. premieres on May 24, 2023 at 10 p.m. ET with its first two episodes. It will be available to stream the following day on Hulu.