TV is the New Reading

New FX drama ‘Sons of Anarchy’ has edgy spirit

I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope for the new FX motorcycle drama “Sons of Anarchy.” I thought in an environment of high gas prices and carbon footprints, all that vrooming around would seem irresponsible somehow. I’m not really a motorcycle guy to begin with, and I wasn’t too excited about a new high profile, dark and twisty cable drama with high-octane testosterone poisoning and a high body count.

At least, I didn’t think I was.

“Sons of Anarchy” is set in the small, out-of-the-way town of Charming, Calif., which is close enough to the Mexican border to keep things interesting. The biker gang, Sons of Anarchy, is led by Ron Perlman as Clay Morrow, who skates a path along the edge of lawlessness but basically gets a piece of whatever’s trafficking through Charming and keeps the wheels of commerce turning.

Charlie Hunnam plays biker Jax Teller, a young buck who doesn’t mind a little lawlessness with the ladies but is still trying to hold it together for his infant son, Abel, born with a heart defect to his drug-addict ex-wife. Already conflicted about that – and the effects of the drug trade on his child – he discovers some intriguing information compiled by his late father, who was killed when his bike collided with a semi. He was dragged 178 feet and died two days later in the hospital, so there’s some potentially twisted circumstances there.

Morality is a spin of the wheel in this show. A biker beats up a rival Elvis impersonator – how, honestly, would I make that up? – to make some money he’s counting on, and turns in a beautiful performance. A Mexican gang makes a grab for a stash of guns the Sons of Anarchy have hidden away, and in the process kill a couple of illegal immigrants hiding in the bunker. The Sons of Anarchy retaliate with deadly force, destroying a warehouse belonging to the Mexicans and killing the guards.

And in the middle of all of this, Jax’s son Abel is born. And his grandmother, Teller’s mother, played by Katey Sagal, confronts Jax’s junkie ex-wife about what she’s done to her child, choking her and telling her she will never see him again.

So ... that sets up a couple of other potentially interesting storylines.

The show is, yes, about scruffy guys driving around and looking cool on motorcycles. But there’s plenty of story to carry that and show creator – Kurt Sutter, a writer and producer on the dark FX cop drama “The Shield” – knows how to tell it. In the end, these characters have enough depth and sympathy to be worth our attention from week to week.

“Sons of Anarchy” carries an MA rating for excellent reasons, and airs 9 p.m. Wednesdays on FX.

Back Back to Shows Back to Main Page Next