Sons of Anarchy

Reviewed by:
Robbie Throckmorton

The Skinny: A bunch of hyper-macho (almost too much, at times), gun-running bikers cuss, steal, and kill as they rule a small California town called Charming (geddit?). It's basically the Hell's Angels with Ron Perlman and a young gun named Jax (Charlie Hunnam), who appears to be next in line to lead the club, despite questioning its dirty ways.

The Good: The show is manly. Even the female characters are tough guys—especially Katey Sagal as Jax's mother, who will do anything (wait for her next-to-last scene in the pilot) for the benefit of her family. If it catches on, it's a great gritty series that should fill the void left when The Shield signs off this season.

The Bad: There's not much original ground being covered here. We like to see people bust heads as much as anyone, but putting The Sopranos in leather jackets and boots doesn't necessarily make a hit TV show. Plus, some of that family fluff we mentioned earlier might take a turn toward annoying melodrama if they're not careful.

Show Us Your Tats: We didn't see enough of Maggie Siff in the pilot for our tastes, but we think that's going to change. The hottie (most recently seen on Season 1 of Mad Men as Rachel Menken) has a lower-back tattoo that proves she didn't grow up dreaming of spending her days in scrubs. We're looking forward to them revealing more of her history (and of her).

Watch, Ignore, or Read a Book Instead? It's a good show, if a bit heavy-handed at times. Problem is, it should have been on in the summer when there were fewer distractions.

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