Sons of Anarchy

:

Season 1
  • Network: FX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 3, 2008
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
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Critic Reviews

  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    100
    Few series have exploded onto the scene with such a rich array of potential stories and inherently interesting characters.
  2. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    88
    Every character is unique - but almost none compares in strangeness to Bobby Munson (Mark Boone, Jr.), a Jewish killer/gang member/Elvis impersonator. Yes, I love this show.
  3. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    83
    Trade press has labeled this "'Easy Rider' Meets 'The Sopranos,'" which seems apt. Show comes from Kurt Sutter, longtime co-executive producer of "The Shield" (and married to Sagal) so that should give you a sense of tone and texture - violent, taut, well written.
  5. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Sep 12, 2012
    80
    It's grindhouse and art house, and it carries itself as if it doesn't give a damn what you think of it. And its infuriating push-pull quality is still fascinating.
  6. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    80
    Sons of Anarchy is bloody, disturbing and maniacally addictive.
  7. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    80
    Gritty and occasionally violent, Sons was created by Kurt Sutter, an executive producer on "The Shield." As "The Shield" prepares to bow out, Sons should capably fill the smart, testosterone-fueled void.
  8. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    80
    I do think it has real potential to become a solid dramatic addition to the FX slate, as The Shield enters its final season.
  9. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: David Hiltbrand
    80
    A shockingly good series about a motorcycle gang in the apocryphal California valley town of Charming.
  10. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    80
    Sons of Anarchy, an unfailingly coarse yet brashly effective series that burrows into the workings of the titular outlaw motorcycle club.
  11. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    70
    Set as far as possible from the canyons of New York, the series has a cool, original look--despite its C-movie moments when burly guys in black jackets zoom down the highway to the accompaniment of country metal rock.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Ginia Bellafante
    70
    The show, which begins on Wednesday, is all tattoos and creased leather vests and shock-value chatter, and it isn't half-bad.
  13. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    70
    There are moments that require you not to think too hard, and some of the black humor doesn't overcome its fundamental nastiness. But on the whole, it's a superior package, intelligently constructed and handsomely executed.
  14. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    70
    Sutter has some interesting characters and ideas here, but the intensity isn't there yet.

Awards & Rankings

40
#40 Best TV Season of 2008
4
#4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2008
2
#2 Most Shared TV Season of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 577 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 512 out of 577
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 577
  3. Negative: 41 out of 577
  1. JennetP.
    Nov 5, 2008
    10
    One of the few shows that pose moral questions, instead of illustrating moral certainties. (Note to USA Today: those of us who aren't One of the few shows that pose moral questions, instead of illustrating moral certainties. (Note to USA Today: those of us who aren't lost don't need a compass.) And though it may not replicate every last detail of the MC lifestyle, SOA absolutely nails the outlaw spirit that animates many American subcultures. Individual characters are beautifully drawn, each distinctive yet archetypal, the product of writers, actors, and directors at the top of their game. But, as good as they are individually (Katey, dust off that award shelf, your Golden Globe is finally on its way!), collectively they are even better. There is genius in the casting of this show, so much that, when characters claim that separation from SAMCRO would be worse than death, the sentiment seems perfectly reasonable, even self-evident. My favorite new show, hands down.… Full Review »
  2. wizard5353
    May 15, 2014
    3
    The cast is great but the plot lines are terrible. Each episode sees characters doing stupid unrealistic things that make no sense at all.The cast is great but the plot lines are terrible. Each episode sees characters doing stupid unrealistic things that make no sense at all. They get in to a new mess at every turn and you just find yourself shouting at the screen: "Why would you do that!?!?!" They are meant to be a hard core biker gang, yet they keep letting enemies live when they have them at gun point only to get shot in the back by the same enemies in the next scene. No one seems to learn! It's enraging and aimed at brainless soap opera fans who just have to have something to watch regardless of if it makes any sense!

    I’m giving it 3 stars just because I think the cast is great. Nothing else about this program is.    … Full Review »
  3. ADV87
    Jul 11, 2013
    0
    After struggling through season 1, we really wanted to like this show but time and time again watching it became more of a chore than anythingAfter struggling through season 1, we really wanted to like this show but time and time again watching it became more of a chore than anything else.
    Unlike many current shows I enjoy watching, Sons of Anarchy assumes the viewer does not have a brain. Nothing actually happens in this show and when it does, it is so brief that if you blink you might miss it. Even if you don’t miss it, I wonder what the point of it was anyways because it adds no real value to the story.
    All we see is a bunch of guys hanging out, drinking, cheating on their wives and shooting guns. From time to time they go on these “missions” which are forgotten about in the next episode and have very little significance.

    I tried very hard to care about the characters but I cannot. They are so two dimensional that I just could not care less. Maybe I do not understand the way of life of being in a biker gang, but I thought that a show like this was supposed to educate you on a way of life different than your own. It tries to I guess but it struggles and miserably fails.

    If you enjoy brainless TV then this show might be for you because to enjoy it, you literally have to shut off your brain and prepare yourself for the garbage. But if you actually enjoy shows that make you think, that have character development and that ties together a cohesive story outside of sitting around the living room drinking beer then I suggest you do not waste your time.    … Full Review »
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