If you had told me nearly fifteen years ago that one of my favorite TV shows of all time would be a modern motorcycle adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” — I would have laughed in your face.
Try as I might, I was eventually won over by the unique story and captivating cast. Let’s get retrospective and check out these 5+ casting decisions that saved Sons of Anarchy (and 5+ that hurt the show).
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SAVED: Kim Coates as Alex ‘Tig’ Trager
When we first meet Tig, he comes across as a total psychopath. He has a penchant for violence and a predilection for the salacious.
As his character evolves, we begin to see the softer, more sensitive side to Alex Trager’s psyche.
HURT: Chuck Zito as Frankie Diamonds
Chuck Zito at one point in time was a sitting President in the New York City chapter of the Hell’s Angels MC.
His casting was an obvious authenticity play but offered little if anything to the overall story.
SAVED: Mark Boone Jr. as Bobby Munson
If Sons of Anarchy really is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, then Bobby Munson would undoubtedly be Horatio .
Bobby was always the angel on Jax’s shoulder; he also does one heck of an Elvis impersonation.
HURT: Billy Brown as August Marks
No disrespect intended toward Billy Brown, but August Marks was a flop of a character if ever there was one.
He was a poor man’s replacement for Damon Pope, totally lacking any semblance of menace or conviction.
SAVED: Tommy Flanagan as Filip ‘Chibs’ Telford
Chibs was always one of the greatest aspects of SAMCRO and it’s all thanks to Tommy Flanagan.
The lone MC Scotsman stole every scene he was ever in over the course of the show.
HURT: Ray McKinnon as Lincoln Potter
I liked the addition of Ray McKinnon, at first. But in almost no time at all, it became abundantly clear that the writers (and Ray) had no idea what to do or where to take their quirky character.
SAVED: Ryan Hurst as Harry ‘Opie’ Winston
When Opie Winston was killed, the last remaining shred of Jax’s decency died with him.
Ryan Hurst was a fan favorite from day one. I still can’t watch his prison scene without bursting into tears.
HURT: McNally Sagal as Margaret Murphy
Margaret Murphy commits one of the biggest character betrayals in the entire series of SOA .
Also, the fact that she has an identical tattoo and gives the exact same reason (verbatim) as Tara as to why she never got it removed, is cringeworthy.
SAVED: Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles
SAMCRO might be a boys club but any real fan of the show understands that it’s the women who are the ones calling the shots.
Watching Maggie Siff turn from a good-girl-doctor into a hardened Old Lady is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable aspects of SOA .
HURT: Donal Logue as Lee Toric
Donal Logue didn’t have much to work with. His character only had one mode of response to all things around him: anger and violence.
It just seemed completely unrealistic and totally unbelievable that Lee Toric would be able to get away with all he was able to do.
SAVED: Ron Perlman as Clay Morrow
Clay Morrow was originally supposed to be played by Scott Glenn . Can you imagine how much differently he might have been?!
Suffice it to say that without Ron Perlman, there would be no Sons of Anarchy .
HURT: Chris Reed as Philip ‘Filthy Phil’ Russell
When Half-Sack was still around, being a Prospect meant something. By the time Filthy Phil came into the picture, he was glorified comic relief.
He didn’t even utter a single line of dialogue for the entire first season that we saw him.
SAVED: Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller
Playing Gemma Teller is the Crown Jewel of Katey Sagal’s career. The way she was able to so effortlessly channel the emotion and rage of Gemma Teller was electrifying.
Absolutely no one could have done it better.
HURT: Theo Rossi as Juice Ortiz
It always boggled my mind how Juan-Carlos ‘Juice’ Ortiz managed to stick around for as long as he did.
Juice featured far too prominently in the latter half of the series, and quite frankly Theo Rossi had a hard time keeping his head above water.
SAVED: Charlie Hunnam as Jackson Teller
What would SAMCRO be without Prince Charming? Watching Jax slowly become everything he once claimed to hate is spellbinding.
He’s complex, conflicted, and possesses an incredible amount of emotional depth and range.
Who’s your favorite SOA character? Leave a comment and let us know!
