Mayans M.C.'s Richard Cabral Landed His First Big TV Role After Coco's Tragic Exit

Coco in braids on Mayans M.C.
(Image credit: FX)

Mayans M.C. is in the midst of a pummeling fourth season on FX, with Alvarez and the rest of the club caught up in a war against their rivals in the Sons of Anarchy. Regardless of what happens in the rest of the episodes, the biker drama dropped a heartbreaking mega-shock on viewers by killing off Richard Cabral's troubled fan-favorite Coco. While we'll never be able to fully get over that turnout, which fans felt rivaled Sons of Anarchy's most depressing death, everyone can take comfort in knowing Cabral has already landed a sweet (tooth) of a follow-up project, as he'll be a recurring star in the upcoming small screen adaptation of the Twisted Metal video game series.

In the same way that Mayans M.C. was packed with acting talent, Richard Cabral isn't exactly missing out on that front by joining Twisted Metal, which will be an exclusive for anyone with a Peacock subscription. The action-packed dark comedy will be fronted by the likes of the MCU's current Captain America, Anthony Mackie, along with Brooklyn Nine-Nine vet Stephanie Beatriz and recent Spider-Man: No Way Home guest star Thomas Haden Church. And it'll be Beatriz's character that Cabral is most connected to, as he'll play her brother. 

Within Twisted Metal's over-the-top world of vehicle-driven chaos and destruction, Stephanie Beatriz is playing a car thief named Quiet who isn't the kind of person whose instincts can be thwarted easily, with a problematic past that caused her to fall into silence. Now on a journey of revenge alongside Anthony Mackie's John Doe, Quiet will likely also be able to depend on the help of Richard Cabral as her sibling Loud. And this apparently isn’t an ironic kind of name like Robin Hood’s Little John.

As Loud, Cabral will be…well, a loud guy. Shouldn’t be hard for the actor, whose work on Mayans M.C. often involved dialogue scenes over loud music, revving motorcycles and beer-swilling bikers. It’s not clear from the character’s brief description whether he’ll have his own vehicle within the show, or if he’ll possibly be a key passenger during Quiet’s crimes. Any way it goes, it’ll probably rock. 

Because really, as awesome as Coco was on Mayans M.C. across 3+ seasons, the character’s quality of life dipped more and more with each year. Coco was plagued with addictions, a traumatic family history, and other issues that understandably didn’t allow Richard Cabral to lean as heavily into charisma and good vibes. While I fully expect Loud to also go through some violent motions within Twisted Metal, I do hope the actor gets to have a lot of cathartic fun in his new role. 

Richard Cabral joining the show isn’t the only big Twisted Metal news, as the show added several other actors to close out its initial casting process. Soon after Arrested Development vet Will Arnett was revealed to be the voice of the game’s most iconic character, the flame-headed Sweet Tooth, Peacock announced that former WWE superstar and current AEW wrestler Samoa Joe (Joe Seanoa) will be responsible for the character’s physical performance. 

Filling out the Twisted Metal cast will be The Tomorrow War vet and Doughboys podcast co-host Mike Mitchell and P-Valley’s Tahj Vaughans as Stu and Mike (respectively), who are dubbed the “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern” of this universe, as they tend to be on the outskirts of the action rather than in the middle of it. Finally, A Million Little Things vet Lou Beatty Jr. will play the grizzled and world-weary  cartographer Tommy.

Fans can get ready to see Richard Cabral back in a fast-moving series, just one without as many motorcycles, when Twisted Metal hits Peacock likely in 2023. While waiting for more updates, head to our 2022 TV premiere schedule to see what’s on the way soon. 

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.