TwoCents 2008 Fall Preview - Wednesdays (FX)

FX has another new show on Wednesdays...

Show: Sons of Anarchy (NEW)
Premiere Date: Sept 3
Time: 10:00PM EST
TwoCents Staff Writer: Tom R
Starring: Ron Perlman as Clay Morrow, Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow, Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles, Mark Boone Junior as Bobby Munson, and Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller.
Tom R's Overview: The Sons of Anarchy are a motorcycle gang (also known as SAMCRO) in Charming, CA, a small town in the Stockton/Sacramento area. SAMCRO makes a living running guns, but their activities, however, pale in comparison to the drug runners and developers who threaten their town. Executive producer Kurt Sutter brings his experience as a writer for The Shield. Acting roots look strong, with Ron Perlman (Hellboy) replacing Scott Glenn in the lead. Also starring are Katey Sagal (Futurama), plus Maggie Siff, who gave FX fans some of the best moments on Nip/Tuck last season. The website (but not IMDB) also references Drea DeMatteo (The Sopranos), Dayton Callie (Deadwood) and Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files).
In the past, biker gangs have been relegated to one-shot bad guy archetypes. Usually, they would appear on undercover cop shows, for example, as an excuse to squeeze Charlie’s Angels onto tight black leather. (Hey…no problems here!) But to make them the main characters on a weekly series and bring biker culture to the forefront, it had to take FX. The official site offers more than just show info. Biker terms, bike gallery, best rides across the US…all of which lends a little optimism as well. The decision to add Perlman to the cast came after the producers shifted to add some dark comedy to the mix.
Here’s hoping that they’re not just going to do “Sopranos on Wheels”. Taking a brief glance, it sure looks like they’re playing to the biker crowd, with their production blog detailing each Harley featured on the show and the customizations that reflect each rider. There has always been a parallel between cowboys and bikers. In a small town out west, where outlaws band together against developers, let’s hope that theme continues for SOA. They already beat HBO’s biker drama “1%” to the tube.
Sorry, by the way…The website doesn’t give the mileage from Charming to Sturges.