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Lovers of The Wire, Sopranos and Mad Men should join the millions of other Sons of Anarchy (SOA) viewers because FX's latest hit does a great job of doing what those other shows do: present a portrait of men truly being men. The Sons of Anarchy motorcycle gang runs the fictional Northern California town of Charming through back-alley politics and intimidation. Charlie Hunnam plays Jax, a young guy who was born into the gang and is poised to some day become its leader, but he’s not sure he wants the job. Jax’s weariness puts him at odds with his stepfather Clay, expertly played by Ron Perlman, who currently runs the gang. The first season was a barn burner for FX and this year promises to be even better with bigger budgets and the addition of Henry Rollins. Here to get your Harley revving are five things you didn’t know about Sons Of Anarchy.
1- It’s the most popular FX show since Rescue Me
Sons of Anarchy came along right when FX needed it most, to fill the void left by veteran behemoth The Shield. Actually, during its premiere season, it kicked the asses of Michael Chiklis and crew. SOA averaged higher ratings than The Shield’s departing season with 5.4 million viewers weekly and 3.5 million adults 18-49. That helped FX became a top five network for adults 18-49 for the third year in a row. The show got renewed for a second season after only five episodes. Despite airing the same night as Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s speech, the premiere of SOA drew 1.5 million viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research. Its numbers were the highest for a new series on FX since 2004, when Rescue Me began airing.
2- It is loosely based on Hamlet
That’s right: SOA’s writers trick viewers into learning Shakespeare. SOA's creator, Kurt Sutter, has said, “I don't want to overplay that but it's there. It's not a version of Hamlet but it's definitely influenced by it.” Clay (Ron Perlman) is based on the role of King Claudius, who murdered his own brother (Hamlet’s father) to win the throne and marry Queen Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother). Clay marries Gemma (Katey Sagal), the Gertrude figure, and gains control of The Sons of Anarchy, which her dead husband used to run. Jax is Hamlet. His confusion over the SOA lifestyle is like Hamlet's melancholy about the kingdom. While Jax communicates with his father by reading his journal, Hamlet literally speaks with the ghost of his father. Ron Perlman said in an interview, “I'm sure they’re going to stick to the structure of Hamlet all the way to the end” of the series.
3- Show-creator Kurt Sutter will direct Awaken the Dragon
“A lone FBI agent pursues a rogue Shaolin monk into the bloody world of underground martial arts fight clubs” -- if this film synopsis sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s a noir-style remake of the 1973 film Enter the Dragon, which starred Bruce Lee. After seven seasons of writing and producing The Shield, Sutter is ready to sit in the director’s chair for the first time. Set to be released next year, Awaken the Dragon will be headlined by Korean pop star Rain.
4- The show’s original title was Forever Sam Crow
In 2007, FX greenlit SOA as Forever Sam Crow. To clarify, the motorcycle gang’s full name is The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original. It’s shortened with the rough acronym SAMCRO, or Sam Crow. This nickname inspired the original title. Sons of Anarchy sounds way more badass, though, and probably has a lot to do with its instant success. When guys hear “Sons of Anarchy” combined with “motorcycles,” they’re sucked in like a tractor beam -- even if the show ended up being about skinny punkers on Vespas (thank God it’s not).
5- Ron Perlman was scared of his Harley at first
Ron Perlman stated in an interview that he knew absolutely zero about motorcycle culture before the series and had never even been on one. For a guy who has made a career off of playing cigar-chomping tough guys, that doesn’t quite fit his image. Speaking to OK! Magazine, he said, “It's terrifying. I'm not going to lie. It's a 1,000-pound bike. I'm an old dog at 58. It's hard to learn new tricks. Luckily, all my mishaps have been little mishaps.” Sutter said those “little mishaps” were actually “near-death experiences” and Perlman was spooked even more than when he began. For this new season, though, Perlman has taken more riding lessons and promises to be more comfortable on his hog.
Lovers of The Wire, Sopranos and Mad Men should join the millions of other Sons of Anarchy (SOA) viewers because FX's latest hit does a great job of doing what those other shows do: present a portrait of men truly being men. The Sons of Anarchy motorcycle gang runs the fictional Northern California town of Charming through back-alley politics and intimidation. Charlie Hunnam plays Jax, a young guy who was born into the gang and is poised to some day become its leader, but he’s not sure he wants the job. Jax’s weariness puts him at odds with his stepfather Clay, expertly played by Ron Perlman, who currently runs the gang. The first season was a barn burner for FX and this year promises to be even better with bigger budgets and the addition of Henry Rollins. Here to get your Harley revving are five things you didn’t know about Sons Of Anarchy.
1- It’s the most popular FX show since Rescue Me
Sons of Anarchy came along right when FX needed it most, to fill the void left by veteran behemoth The Shield. Actually, during its premiere season, it kicked the asses of Michael Chiklis and crew. SOA averaged higher ratings than The Shield’s departing season with 5.4 million viewers weekly and 3.5 million adults 18-49. That helped FX became a top five network for adults 18-49 for the third year in a row. The show got renewed for a second season after only five episodes. Despite airing the same night as Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s speech, the premiere of SOA drew 1.5 million viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research. Its numbers were the highest for a new series on FX since 2004, when Rescue Me began airing.
2- It is loosely based on Hamlet
That’s right: SOA’s writers trick viewers into learning Shakespeare. SOA's creator, Kurt Sutter, has said, “I don't want to overplay that but it's there. It's not a version of Hamlet but it's definitely influenced by it.” Clay (Ron Perlman) is based on the role of King Claudius, who murdered his own brother (Hamlet’s father) to win the throne and marry Queen Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother). Clay marries Gemma (Katey Sagal), the Gertrude figure, and gains control of The Sons of Anarchy, which her dead husband used to run. Jax is Hamlet. His confusion over the SOA lifestyle is like Hamlet's melancholy about the kingdom. While Jax communicates with his father by reading his journal, Hamlet literally speaks with the ghost of his father. Ron Perlman said in an interview, “I'm sure they’re going to stick to the structure of Hamlet all the way to the end” of the series.
3- Show-creator Kurt Sutter will direct Awaken the Dragon
“A lone FBI agent pursues a rogue Shaolin monk into the bloody world of underground martial arts fight clubs” -- if this film synopsis sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s a noir-style remake of the 1973 film Enter the Dragon, which starred Bruce Lee. After seven seasons of writing and producing The Shield, Sutter is ready to sit in the director’s chair for the first time. Set to be released next year, Awaken the Dragon will be headlined by Korean pop star Rain.
4- The show’s original title was Forever Sam Crow
In 2007, FX greenlit SOA as Forever Sam Crow. To clarify, the motorcycle gang’s full name is The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original. It’s shortened with the rough acronym SAMCRO, or Sam Crow. This nickname inspired the original title. Sons of Anarchy sounds way more badass, though, and probably has a lot to do with its instant success. When guys hear “Sons of Anarchy” combined with “motorcycles,” they’re sucked in like a tractor beam -- even if the show ended up being about skinny punkers on Vespas (thank God it’s not).
5- Ron Perlman was scared of his Harley at first
Ron Perlman stated in an interview that he knew absolutely zero about motorcycle culture before the series and had never even been on one. For a guy who has made a career off of playing cigar-chomping tough guys, that doesn’t quite fit his image. Speaking to OK! Magazine, he said, “It's terrifying. I'm not going to lie. It's a 1,000-pound bike. I'm an old dog at 58. It's hard to learn new tricks. Luckily, all my mishaps have been little mishaps.” Sutter said those “little mishaps” were actually “near-death experiences” and Perlman was spooked even more than when he began. For this new season, though, Perlman has taken more riding lessons and promises to be more comfortable on his hog.
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