Sons of Anarchy

:

Season 4
  • Network: FX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 3, 2008
Season #: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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Critic Reviews

  1. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Sep 6, 2011
    100
    This remains one of the best shows on TV, and (as usual) not for all tastes.
  2. Salon
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Sep 7, 2011
    90
    It believes in the story it's telling and expects everyone watching the series not just to have a good time, but to commit. If every drama series had a tenth as much passion, TV would be a far more interesting place.
  3. RedEye
    Reviewed by: Curt Wagner
    Sep 6, 2011
    88
    In order to fully appreciate SOA, viewers have to buy into Sutter's premise that murderers can be sympathetic and heroic, but that's not hard to do with such intelligent writing and so many mesmerizing performances.
  5. Uncle Barky
    Reviewed by: Ed Bark
    Sep 6, 2011
    83
    Kurt Sutter, SOA's creative mastermind, has kept the scripts tight and the action invigorating.
  6. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Sep 6, 2011
    83
    If the start of the season feels formulaic, it's a formula that's worked in the past, and one that gives very good material to key members of the ensemble.
  7. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Sep 2, 2011
    83
    There's all the slamming violence you might want in your gas-fumed escapism, mingled with real-world difficulties.
  8. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Sep 7, 2011
    80
    The good news for Sons Of Anarchy fans is that series creator Kurt Sutter leaves no doubt that he's put the series back on solid ground in Season 4 and, in turn, delivers all of the larger-than-life storytelling that viewers mop up.
  9. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    Sep 6, 2011
    80
    FX's Sons of Anarchy returns to form in its fourth season premiere this week with the action set squarely back in the motorcycle club's hometown of Charming, Calif. Even better, the show's wannabe hero, Jax (Charlie Hunnam), is fighting again, putting forth a plan to get out of his current situation.
  10. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Sep 6, 2011
    80
    Sons has hit the ground roaring.
  11. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Sep 2, 2011
    75
    With a cast this big, though, and plots this complicated, it can be a challenge to keep up. Then again, if you're willing to do the work, it more than pays off.
  12. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Sep 6, 2011
    70
    This is all a long way of saying I'm glad to see that, in SoA's fourth-season debut, the show hasn't just returned to its setting of Charming, California. It also returns, slowly, to Jax's realization that he doesn't want his life to be Abel's, and that he wants a way out.
  13. The Huffington Post
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    Sep 6, 2011
    70
    SOA is at its most compelling when it delves into the emotional bonds between these men and their women, and there's a rich dramatic potential in the double-dealing that begins in these first hours.
  14. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Chris Conaton
    Sep 6, 2011
    70
    So far, there's no indication that there's enough brewing here to measure up to Season Two, but the show seems to be solidly back on track after the problems of Season Three.

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best TV Season of 2011
50
#50 Most Discussed TV Season of 2011
39
#39 Most Shared TV Season of 2011

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 216 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 178 out of 216
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 216
  3. Negative: 26 out of 216
  1. Kaptain
    Sep 16, 2011
    10
    Just the way you want to start off a new season. Everything looks like it's ready to implode and than *BAM*, the real ride begins. This isJust the way you want to start off a new season. Everything looks like it's ready to implode and than *BAM*, the real ride begins. This is already set up to be a roller coaster of a year. SOA Rocks!… Full Review »
  2. jsous
    Sep 13, 2011
    10
    amazing first episode! It's just like Sons to start off with a bang. I won't reveal any spoilers, but let's just say we are off to a goodamazing first episode! It's just like Sons to start off with a bang. I won't reveal any spoilers, but let's just say we are off to a good start folks and this season is set up to be an amazing clash between all forces, the Russians, the Myans, the new police chief, the Feds, Hale, etc etc etc. And let's not forget the gang's (eh emm. I mean motorcycle club!) inner demons.… Full Review »
  3. JennetP
    Sep 29, 2011
    10
    After a very disappointing third season, SOA appears to be back with a roar of V-Twin engines! The boys are walking closer to the edge thanAfter a very disappointing third season, SOA appears to be back with a roar of V-Twin engines! The boys are walking closer to the edge than ever, with a majority now willing to cross ethical and legal lines that they would have honored in the past. The club is riven with subterranean faults, some new, some ancient, many capable of destroying it utterly. Law enforcement is no longer friendly or psychotically inept but smart, organized and persistent, a real threat. New friends are as warm and fuzzy as scorpions, old friends nearly as treacherous. History that has been festering for three seasons seems on the verge of erupting, and it's obvious that we're going to learn some hard truths about characters we have come to like. This is damned exciting television, and, if that weren't enough, the soundtrack has gone from great to mind-blowing. Thank you, Kurt Sutter.… Full Review »
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