On April 4, Deadline shared a first look at Prime Video‘s new YA street racing series Motorheads, which will premiere on May 20. The streamer ordered the "coming of age" series in November 2023 and announced the main cast.
Audiences will follow a group of outsider teens who bond over their love for adrenaline and speed from automobiles as they try to overcome the aches and pains of growing up. The series sounds similar to a mix between The Outsiders, Outer Banks, and Grease in the best possible ways: budding teen romance, a found family friend group, and adventures that will last a lifetime.
Deadline shared the series' synopsis, from writer-showrunner John A. Norris:
"Motorheads is about first love, first heartbreak, and turning the key in your very first car. Set in a once-thriving rust-belt town that’s now searching for a glimmer of hope, the series is the adrenaline-filled story of a group of outsiders who form an unlikely friendship over a mutual love of automobiles. And while some characters will be navigating the hierarchy and rules of high school, others will be racing from a dark past."
The 10-episode series stars Ryan Phillippe (Logan), Nathalie Kelley (Samantha), Michael Cimino (Zac), Melissa Collazo (Caitlyn), Uriah Shelton (Curtis), Drake Rodger (Ray Young), Johnna Dias-Watson (Kiara), Audrey Gerthoffer, Josh Macqueen (Harris Bowers), and Mia Healey (Alicia) in leading roles; Matt Lanter (Darren), Sophia Esperanza (Ryan), and Nicolas Cantu (Marcel) appear in recurring roles.
Prime Video's Motorheads premieres May 20
Since 2023, Deadline has shared the actors and actresses who would be starring in Prime Video's upcoming show, Motorheads. From what we know due to the show and character descriptions, this series will pull at our heartstrings from every angle. The unlikely friendships are from 17-year-old high school kids with a deep connection to street racing, which I assume stems from their parents' street racing days.
The audience will settle in the characters’ hometown of Ironwood, Pennsylvania, where they’ll meet parents and teens who bond over their local street racing community. Logan (Ryan Phillippe, I Know What You Did Last Summer actor) returns to his hometown to open an auto body shop after being a NASCAR mechanic. But life isn’t so peachy for Logan as his shop struggles, and he battles his hatred for living in his brother’s shadow. Christian Maddox hasn’t been cast yet. I wonder who could level up to play Logan’s brother, that makes him feel so unseen. Hopefully, we’ll find out soon.
Nathalie Kelley (The Vampire Diaries) has been cast as Samantha Torres, an ER nurse who used to call Ironwoods home until she moved to New York City. We meet her moving back to her “rust-belt” hometown with her two teenagers. Girl Haunts Boy actor Michael Cimino (Zac) and One of Us is Lying actress Melissa Collazo (Caityn) star as Samantha Torres’ kids. Zac has a deep passion for living up to his father’s street racing legend in Ironwood, because, according to Zac, his father was “the best there ever was” on the street racing scene. Meanwhile, his sister, Caitlyn, works her mechanical magic on cars. But secretly, she’s hoping her parents’ hometown leads her to just one clue about her father’s disappearance. Caitlyn’s description gives more away than the rest of her family. From Zac and their mom’s, we could assume the father has passed, but maybe he’s only missing.
Matt Lanter (Timeless) plays a recent widower and wealthy father to a teenage, Harris Bowers (Surviving Summer actor Josh Macqueen). These characters are the top alphas in the town, but they carry a heavy load of grief for Harris’ mother’s passing. I can only imagine the conflict between the two in the first episode. Not only does the Bowers own most of the Ironwood businesses, but Harris is the most popular guy at his high school and holds the street racing champion title.
Sophia Esperanza (Me, Myself, & the Void) plays the “fun and dangerous” Ryan, who is also an outsider. She’s the leader of the street racing crew just outside of Ironwood, but holds a mysterious connection to the town. I’m guessing she’s a rival who plays dirty to win races. If that’s true, we have an interesting character on our hands to shake up the situation at times.
Drake Rodger (The Winchesters) and Uriah Shelton (Girl Meets World) come together to form an unlikely pairing of brothers, Ray and Curtis. Not much is known about Shelton’s Curtis, but hopefully we’ll find at more when the show releases in May. We know that Ray seems like a well-rounded, chill guy until his temper comes out to play. I’m eager to see the dynamic between these brothers on a good and bad day.
Johnna Dias-Watson (Wednesday) portrays Kiara. Not only is she the mayor’s daughter, but she’s also struggling to join the popular crowd at school or choose her new friends. Her new friends are probably unlikely friendships she makes, but we can’t know for sure until we see their connections on screen.
Mia Healey (The Wilds) joins the show as Alicia, the daughter of a tech company founder. While her parents are founding a company, Alicia struggles to find her footing as she is “entangled in the shifting dynamics of the old town and the allure” of a shining new place. By the looks of her photo with Michael Cimino (Zac), maybe there’s a romance between their characters. That’s only speculation from the way they’re looking at each other. Even so, I’m hoping we see a little romance and a lot of happiness. By the sounds of these characters’ backgrounds, they need some love and joy in their lives.
This new YA series is sure to be a great watch. All 10 episodes of Motorheads will premiere on May 20 on Prime Video.