| Motorheads | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | John A. Norris |
| Showrunner | John A. Norris |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Waz and Jamie Jackson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 48–57 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | May 20, 2025 |
Motorheads is an American coming-of-age drama television series created by John A. Norris. It premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 20, 2025.[1] In August 2025, the series was canceled after one season.[2]
Cast
[edit]Main
[edit]- Ryan Phillippe as Logan Maddox,[3] a former NASCAR driver and an auto body shop owner in Ironwood, Pennsylvania
- Nathalie Kelley as Samantha,[3] an ER nurse who moves back to her hometown Ironwood with her teenage son and daughter
- Michael Cimino as Zac,[3] Samantha's son who reluctantly moves to Ironwood from Brooklyn, New York with his mother and twin sister
- Melissa Collazo as Caitlyn,[3] Samantha's daughter and Zac's twin sister who loves fixing up cars
- Uriah Shelton as Curtis,[4] a young mechanic and Caitlyn's love interest
- Nicolas Cantu as Marcel, a nerdy neighbor who befriends the twins
Recurring
[edit]- Josh Macqueen as Harris,[1][5] an entitled popular teenager whose family own majority of the businesses in Ironwood and the local champion of street racing
- Drake Rodger as Ray,[1][5] Curtis' older brother
- Mia Healey as Alicia,[1][5] Harris' on and off girlfriend
- Johnna Dias-Watson as Kiara,[1][5] Alicia's best friend and the closeted daughter of Ironwood's mayor
- Deacon Phillippe as Christian Maddox, Logan's brother in flashbacks from 17 years ago, a legendary, unbeaten champion of street racing
- Dylan Taylor as Vic
- Paul Braunstein as Mr. Ruby, Curtis and Caitlyn's auto shop teacher
- Matt Lanter as Darren,[1][6] Harris' father
- Paul Popowich as Sheriff Hugo, Curtis and Ray's father and the sheriff of Ironwood
- Alex Paxton-Beesley as Kelly, Kiara's mother and Ironwood's mayor
- Jordan Dawson as Young Hugo, in flashbacks from 17 years ago
- Romeo Carere as Young Ezra, in flashbacks from 17 years ago
- Audrey Gerthoffer as Brooke, Harris' side piece whose parents are the current owners of Wade's Diner
- Joseph Chiu as Mateo, a local street racer who dissed Harris online and part of Ryan's crew
- Sophia Esperanza as Ryan,[6] a local street racer
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Neil Burger | John A. Norris | May 20, 2025 | |||
|
In a late-night street race, Darren Bowders loses to Christian Maddox, who drives away after collecting on an undisclosed bet. Seventeen years later, teenage twins Caitlyn (“Cate”) and Zac Torres move from Brooklyn to Ironwood, Pennsylvania, their mother Samantha’s hometown. Staying with their uncle Logan, a former NASCAR driver now struggling to keep his auto shop afloat, the twins quickly encounter their father’s legacy. Once Ironwood’s most famous street racer, Christian vanished years earlier following a heist and high-speed police chase. At school, Zac befriends Marcel, a socially isolated student, but clashes with Harris Bowders, Darren’s son and the reigning street-race champion, particularly over Harris’s girlfriend Alicia Whitaker. Cate befriends Curtis, a loner navigating tensions between his father, Sheriff Hugo Maddox, and his brother Ray, a petty criminal. At a party, Harris sabotages Curtis by throwing his motorbike into a lake; in retaliation, Curtis steals Harris’s Corvette and delivers it to Ray’s chop shop. Later, Cate, Zac, Curtis, and Marcel uncover their father’s long-abandoned Dodge Charger, the “UNB10,” which Logan has been keeping in storage, and decide to restore it. | |||||||
| 2 | "Glow" | Neil Burger | John A. Norris | May 20, 2025 | |||
| |||||||
| 3 | "Assessment" | Ryan Zaragoza | John A. Norris | May 20, 2025 | |||
|
Present. Sam shows Cate and Zac her childhood neighbourhood, only to find it transformed. Hoping to repair his friendship with Marcel, Zac takes him to a dangerous racetrack once used by their father and uncle. Marcel injures his arm during a run, and Zac takes him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Cate attends a tense family barbecue with Curtis. That night, Zac covers Marcel’s diner job during a town movie screening, but a street takeover interrupts the event, with Harris participating in the chaos. Later, Zac and Alicia continue the movie at a diner, while Zac asks Logan to repair Marcel’s car, promising to cover the cost with his new job. Meanwhile, Logan and Samantha revisit their old neighbourhood and reminisce with Samantha riding her bike down the streets. Past. Kelly, Sam’s friend, knows that Samantha is pregnant with Christian’s child. The girls are called inside by Sam’s mother, where they watch a televised police chase. Sam realises that it's Christian driving and phones Logan, searching for Christian. We learn that during the police chase, Christian deliberately drove his car off Ironwood’s bridge. The three passengers — including Hugo — survive and emerge from the river, but Christian is nowhere to be found. | |||||||
| 4 | "Disassemble" | Ryan Zaragoza | Adrian Dukes | May 20, 2025 | |||
| |||||||
| 5 | "Value" | Rebecca Rodriguez | Kenny Neibart | May 20, 2025 | |||
| |||||||
| 6 | "Reassemble" | Rebecca Rodriguez | Carrie Gutenberg & Obiageli Odimegwu | May 20, 2025 | |||
| |||||||
| 7 | "Red, Green, Blue" | Tara Nicole Weyr | Wendy Straker Hauser | May 20, 2025 | |||
|
Present. The crew work on trying to get the car ready for the race with Harris, though Logan puts his foot down. Zac sneaks out to race, and finally wins. Harris deals with his grief for his mother on the first birthday since her death as his dad throws a party and the Bowers name is erased from their former real estate. He hangs out with Ryan, Mateo, and their crew, and challenges Mateo, winning the Midknight Rider off him. Zac tells Logan that he's been racing, and that Ray Young has been training him. Cate receives a postcard from Spider Lake, Michigan that she thinks might be from her dad, until Logan reveals that he's received dozens and they never lead to Christian. Logan agrees to train Zac rather than having him train with Ray. Curtis takes Brooke on a date. Past. Christian and Logan fix up the Charger. Logan watches Christian's first race. Logan asks Christian what he'll do after he's won every race and broken every record, and he talks about a house on a lake and raising a family. They reminisce about spending time with their parents at Spider Lake. | |||||||
| 8 | "Wiring" | Tara Nicole Weyr | John A. Norris | May 20, 2025 | |||
| |||||||
| 9 | "Ignition" | Glen Winter | John A. Norris | May 20, 2025 | |||
| |||||||
| 10 | "Redbird" | Glen Winter | John A. Norris | May 20, 2025 | |||
| |||||||
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]The series was commissioned by Amazon Prime Video in November 2023. It is written by John A. Norris who is also the series showrunner and executive producer. Jason Seagraves also executive produces. It is produced by Jax Media and Amazon MGM Studios.[3] Dana Brunetti and Keegan Rosenberger are executive producers and Jake Fuller is executive producer on behalf of Jax Media. Ruben Fleischer is director for the pilot and Ryan Zaragoza is co-executive producer.[7] In March 2024, Neil Burger joined as director, replacing Fleischer, and executive producer.[8] Waz and Jamie Jackson are composing the series' score.[9] On August 29, 2025, Amazon Prime Video canceled the series after one season, but is being shopped to other networks.[2]
Casting
[edit]The cast includes Ryan Phillippe, Nathalie Kelley, Michael Cimino and Melissa Collazo. In December 2023, Uriah Shelton joined the cast,[4] with Drake Rodger, Johnna Dias-Watson, Josh Macqueen and Mia Healey joining in recurring roles.[5] In May 2024, Matt Lanter and Sophia Esperanza were cast in recurring roles.[6] In April 2025 in a press release from Amazon MGM Studios, Nicolas Cantu was confirmed to be promoted to a main role.[1]
Filming
[edit]Filming was scheduled to commence from July to November 2023 but was delayed by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[10] Production officially began on March 25, 2024, in Toronto, Canada.[11][12] In April 2024, parts of filming took place in Hamilton, Ontario, in the Carlisle and Flamborough neighborhoods,[13] and began filming in downtown Paris, Ontario, locally on April 16, being first of five visits until July. Next filing took place in Chatsworth, Ontario, at a Motopark. Filming also took place at Penman's Dam Park and Bean Park in Brant, Ontario,[14] and at the historic Blackfriars Street Bridge in London, Ontario.[15] Filming concluded on July 22, 2024.[12][16][17]
Release
[edit]The series premiered on May 20, 2025, with all ten episodes.[1]
Reception
[edit]The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 78% approval rating based on 9 critic reviews.[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 58 out of 100 based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average".[19]
Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter described the series as "Life-changing stuff, this isn't, even if the characters do like to throw around knowingly cheesy metaphors about hitting the gas in romance as well as on the road. It's just sturdy, reliable entertainment — well worth putting down your phone for and taking for a proper spin."[20]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h "Hit The Gas! Prime Video Releases Premiere Date and First-Look Images for Electrifying New YA Drama Motorheads". Amazon MGM Studios (Press release). April 4, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (August 29, 2025). "'Motorheads' Canceled By Prime Video After One Season, Looking For A New Home". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Cordero, Rosy (November 21, 2023). "John A. Norris' 'Motorheads' Starring Ryan Phillippe, Nathalie Kelley, Michael Cimino & Melissa Collazo Ordered To Series At Prime Video". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (December 6, 2023). "'Motorheads': Uriah Shelton Boards Prime Video Series From John A. Norris". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Cordero, Rosy (December 7, 2023). "'Motorheads' Adds Drake Rodger, Johnna Dias-Watson, Josh Macqueen & Mia Healey". Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c Cordero, Rosy (May 1, 2024). "'Motorheads' Adds Matt Lanter & Sophia Esperanza In Recurring Roles". Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ Manfredi, Lucas (November 22, 2023). "'Motorheads' Starring Ryan Phillippe Ordered to Series at Prime Video". The Wrap. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Kit, Borys (March 28, 2024). "Neil Burger Tapped to Direct Episodes of Prime Video Drama 'Motorheads' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Waz & Jamie Jackson Scoring Prime Video's 'Motorheads'". Film Music Reporter. May 5, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Dewan, Gerry (April 18, 2024). "The bright lights are shining on a familiar London landmark this week". ctvnews.ca. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "DGC". Directors Guild of Canada.
- ^ a b Gittins, Susan (March 25, 2024). "Prime's MOTORHEADS With Ryan Phillippe Starts Shooting in Toronto". Hollywood North Buzz. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ "'Motorheads' TV show filming in Carlisle April 15-16". FlamboroughToday. April 9, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ Percy-Beauregard, Celeste (April 14, 2024). "Amazon show 'Motorheads' gears up to shoot in downtown Paris". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ Blackfriars Bridge gets the Hollywood treatment in filming of Amazon Prime series
- ^ Lucas, Taylor (February 29, 2024). "These are the TV shows & movies filming in Toronto this spring". Curiocity. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
- ^ "In Production". Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "Motorheads: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ^ "Motorheads: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ Han, Angie (May 19, 2025). "'Motorheads' Review: Ryan Phillippe in Amazon's Surprisingly Sweet Teen Grease Monkey Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 29, 2025.