Prime Video is taking its pedal to the metal with its new original series, Motorheads, an emotionally charged young-adult drama with high-octane stakes. On Monday, the streaming platform unveiled the official trailer and key art for the series, which launches on May 20, 2025. The 10-episode run will stream worldwide in over 240 countries and territories on Prime Video.
Under the Hood: A High-Octane Coming-of-Age Story Rooted in Family, Friendship, and Fast Cars
At its core, Motorheads isn’t simply about revving engines and checkered flags. It’s a gritty, earthy search for teen identity, loss, and finding direction when life falters. The tale is set in Ironwood, Pennsylvania, a former thriving factory town now burdened by economic downturn and unspoken secrets. Out of the decline, a new hope arises in the guise of community, connection, and combustion-fueled street racing.
The series centers on a community of teenage misfits who come together over their love of cars as they navigate the ruthless world of high school social life, screwy families, and the specter of legacy. As the trailer implies, one question brings them all together: Are you the kind of person who slams the brakes… or slams the gas?
An Ensemble Worth Racing For: A Cast That Brings Star Power and New Faces Together
Motorheads feature a fascinating mix of familiar faces and newcomers who deliver real, lived-in, and emotionally authentic performances.
- Ryan Phillippe (Shooter) plays Logan, the boys’ uncle and seasoned NASCAR mechanic, who tries to steer them toward starting over and discovering who they are after the loss of their father.
- Melissa Collazo (One of Us Is Lying) stars as Caitlyn Maddox, a headstrong teen who refuses to believe the mystery surrounding her father’s disappearance.
- Michael Cimino (Love, Victor) stars as Zac Maddox, a reluctant newcomer to town who unexpectedly gets caught up in the racing circuit and the legacy of his father’s shadow.
- Mia Healey (The Wilds) stars as Alicia Whitacker, a neighborhood girl with charm, attitude, and things to hide.
- Josh Macqueen (Significant Others) as Harris Bowers, home racing champ and Zac’s arch-rival.
- It also features Nathalie Kelley, Uriah Shelton, Nicolas Cantu, Drake Rodger, Matt Lanter, Audrey Gerthoffer, and Johnna Dias-Watson (Wednesday), all of whom add to the depth of Ironwood’s tangled web of teen angst and competition.
Engines, Emotions, and the Maddox Mystery: What the Trailer Reveals About the Plot
The trailer does not waste time establishing stakes in and out of the arena. Since the abrupt disappearance of their father, Christian Maddox, Zac, and Caitlyn relocate to Ironwood from New York City and are forced to restart their lives. The town knows its surname and what it once stood for. However, the Maddox kids are not chasing ghosts but trying to reclaim their identity.
Zac soon finds that the racing community here still remembers his father, as do the people who either loved or despised him. In a moment, Zac’s past is revealed to Marcel (Nicolas Cantu). “My dad used to race here,” he says. When he says the name Christian Maddox, Marcel interrupts immediately: “Are you kidding? He’s a legend.”
But legends come with a price. Harris Bowers, the reigning king of Ironwood’s street racing scene, isn’t going to let Zac ride into his territory unopposed. “You’re nobody here. You don’t count,” he taunts him. Zac doesn’t flinch: “Maybe not yet, but I will.”
Meanwhile, Caitlyn is learning more about the truth of their father’s disappearance, discovering secrets that could change everything they thought they knew.
From Track to Screen: Motorheads’ Winning Team
Motorheads’ creative minds have expertise in crafting textured, emotional storytelling with the refinement of feature films. Motorheads is:
- Created and scripted by showrunner and executive producer John A. Norris (Outer Banks), who imbues emotional stories with richness
- Directed and executive produced by Neil Burger (Limitless, Divergent), who imparts the unique visual flavor he’s renowned for to the pilot
- Executive produced by Jason Seagraves, Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, Venom), Keegan Rosenberger, and Dana Brunetti (The Social Network, House of Cards)
- Co-executive produced and directed by Ryan Zaragoza, who keeps visual and emotional continuity throughout the season
- Produced by Amazon MGM Studios
These individuals have worked decades in film and television, marrying story-telling skills with high-energy visuals and action sequences that pump up the teen drama genre.
Revving Up for Prime Time: Why Motorheads Might be Prime Video’s Next YA Hot Ticket
After the success of emotionally intelligent teen dramas Outer Banks, The Wilds, and The Summer I Turned Pretty, Motorheads arrives at precisely the right time. Its unslick combination of grit and soul sets it apart, where frizzy tears and adolescent longing intersect with racing gloves, grease-caked engines, and secret-of-the-night speed races.
The gritty setting of a declining blue-collar city is an uncommon premise for YA television. Here, cars are not merely appliances; they’re an escape route, an introduction, and a marker of the individual you wish to become. Mix in biting prose, unforgettable vivid characters, white-knuckle race scenes, and Motorheads may well be Prime Video’s next huge hit.
Mark Your Calendar: Premiere Date and Streaming Details
Motorheads premieres globally on May 20, 2025, and the whole 10-episode series will be available exclusively on Prime Video. It’s not relevant if you’re an American, Aussie, Korean, Brazilian, or somewhere in between. The program will be watched in over 240 countries and territories.
Whether you love weepy stuff, teen soap opera-type stuff, and/or speed, this movie has a little something for everyone, so be sure to put it on your list to watch.
Buckle up. It’s going to be a wild ride.
