Sons of Anarchy Creator Brings Gritty 1950s Crime Saga to MGM+
Fresh off the Netflix debut of The Abandons, Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter is gearing up an original hourlong noir crime drama at MGM+, transporting viewers to 1950s Los Angeles on both its linear channel and streaming service.
Looks like Kurt Sutter is trading biker cuts and frontier dust for fedoras and neon. The Sons of Anarchy creator is developing a new period noir crime drama for MGM+ right on the heels of his Netflix Western The Abandons.
What we know right now
- It is an hourlong original series in active development at MGM+ (the linear channel and the streaming service).
- Setting: 1950s Los Angeles.
- Premise: a private investigator wades into a city of crime and corrupt cops, with Hollywood glam throwing a long, deceptive shadow.
- Sutter is writing the series, executive producing via his SutterInk banner, and serving as showrunner.
- Deadline first reported the project.
Sutter doing noir? That tracks
It is technically his first full dive into noir, but it feels like a homecoming. Sutter cut his teeth on The Shield, FX's Los Angeles crime drama, starting as a staff writer and eventually becoming an executive producer under creator Shawn Ryan. After that came Sons of Anarchy and the spinoff Mayans M.C. for FX. Bottom line: morally messy L.A. crime stories are very much in his wheelhouse.
Where this sits on MGM+'s slate
MGM+ has been stacking up gritty fare. Sutter's noir would slot alongside The Westies, an 80s crime drama from Chris Brancato, and American Hostage, a thriller anthology from Shawn Ryan and Eileen Myers. Nerdy industry note: that Ryan connection loops back to Sutter's early Shield days. TV is a small town.
Meanwhile, Sutter has other irons in the fire
Over at Apple TV+, Jason Momoa is attached to star in Nomad, set in the violent world of New Zealand's outlaw bikers. Sutter co-wrote that one with Chris Collins, and Collins is running the show.
And on Netflix, Sutter's period Western The Abandons premiered on December 4 and reportedly exploded out of the gate. He actually left the series shortly before production wrapped, but it still posted a big opening weekend. The show digs into family, land, and conflict in 1854 Oregon.
Status check
This MGM+ noir is still in the development lane. No official confirmation from Sutter or MGM+ yet, so expect more concrete details (title, cast, timing) once the ink dries. For now, 1950s L.A., a bent badge or two, and Sutter behind the wheel is a pretty easy sell.