Entertainment
‘Sopranos’ Meets ‘Yellowstone’ in Hulu’s 7-Part Crime Drama Now Climbing the Streaming Charts
If there’s one thing television has taught audiences time and time again, it’s to never mix family with business — especially when it involves crime. Back in the ’90s, The Sopranos showed the psychological toll being in the mob had on Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and how it nearly cost him his family. More recently, Yellowstone showed how past family demons can rise from the grave while the Duttons protect the legacy of their land.
In between the two hits, there’s the biker crime drama Sons of Anarchy. Following SAMCRO (Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club) Vice President Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the leading man has always envisioned the organization as a symbol of freedom and brotherhood, which is what his late father would have wanted. But with SAMCRO now operating as a money-making enterprise — illegal, of course — Jax begins to question his purpose within the club, leading certain family members to become concerned about where he’s taking SAMCRO moving forward.
What Is ‘Sons of Anarchy’ About?
Sons of Anarchy follows the day-to-day operations of SAMCRO in Charming, California, as told through the eyes of Jax. Since the passing of its original leader, a.k.a. Jax’s father, John Teller (Nicholas Guest), SAMCRO has been led by President Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman), who is also Jax’s stepfather. The motorcycle club has its own hierarchy, with level-headed Bobby Munson (Mark Boone Junior), violent Sergeant-at-Arms Tig Trager (Kim Coates), and fellow founding member Piney Winston (William Lucking), to name a few. Despite the strict hierarchy within the club, split loyalties and betrayals eventually sees SAMCRO fall apart as, one by one, the most long-standing members of the club are taken out.
On the outside, SAMCRO operates a repair shop under Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair. However, the legitimate business is merely a front for its criminal activities, serving as a base to orchestrate illegal gunrunning, supply firearms to other groups, and make deals with rival gangs. As the son of the founder, Jax is naturally SAMCRO’s protégé. But when he discovers a hidden manuscript from his late father detailing the motorcycle club’s early years, before it became the criminal enterprise it is today, Jax begins having second thoughts about the direction his fellow members have taken. His growing doubts eventually put him at odds with certain members and force him to reconsider the future of SAMCRO.
‘Sons of Anarchy’ Is a Modern-Day Take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Shakespeare fans might be quick to notice just how similar Sons of Anarchy is to Hamlet. There’s the relationship between Jax and his late father, John, as well as his current stepfather, Clay. Unsurprisingly, Clay doesn’t agree with John’s vision for SAMCRO. Although the two are founding members of the club, Clay rejects John’s pacifist approach, instead believing in ruling with an iron fist and embracing the criminal underworld. Jax’s mother, Gemma (Katey Sagal), shares the same vision as Clay. But like Hamlet, Jax is guided by the spirit of his father and begins to see SAMCRO through John’s eyes.
By the time Jax finally gets the opportunity to run the club the way he wants to, however, he realizes that the biker dynasty he has inherited is a rotten apple. No matter how hard Jax tries to eradicate the evil within the club, he ironically can only do so through violence, trapping him in a vicious cycle of toxicity. The more he tries to reclaim his father’s original vision, the more he destroys himself in an attempt to make it whole again. This cycle escalates throughout the series, which becomes increasingly apparent in Jax’s transformation. Audiences first see him as a bright and hopeful member of SAMCRO, but over the seasons, he grows into a darker and more ruthless figure whom they can barely recognize anymore.
‘Sons of Anarchy’ Pushes Each Season to Even Greater Extremes
Sons of Anarchy starts humbly with Jax’s existential crisis within the club, but the problems facing SAMCRO quickly grow beyond its own walls. As the seasons progress, the club faces increasingly dangerous enemies, including a white supremacist group, a corrupt IRA leader, and a possible RICO investigation threatening the club’s livelihood. As threats increase, SAMCRO slowly starts to unravel as members are forced to choose between the club and their own lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Jax also struggles with his own family, both with Wendy (Drea de Matteo), his ex-wife and the mother of his son, Abel, and with Tara (Maggie Siff). While Wendy struggles with addiction in the early seasons of the show, its Tara’s influence on Jax that makes him reconsider his role in the club, resulting in Gemma turning on her son and Tara in brutal retaliation. As these personal and criminal conflicts clash, the series delivers disturbingly upsetting scenes and shocking deaths that will keep fans of The Sopranos on the edge of their seat. With seven seasons and plenty of drama, it’s no surprise that Sons of Anarchy continues to climb the charts on the Apple TV store.
Sons of Anarchy
- Release Date
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2008 – 2014
- Directors
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Paris Barclay, Guy Ferland, Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Peter Weller, Billy Gierhart, Kurt Sutter, Stephen Kay, Adam Arkin, Paul Maibaum, Phil Abraham, Terrence O’Hara, Allen Coulter, Charles Haid, Charles Murray, Karen Gaviola, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Dinner, Seith Mann, Tim Hunter
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