- Release Date: August 18th, 2009
- Publisher: Twentieth Century Fox
- Price: $39.99 on Amazon
- Run Time: 594 Minutes
- Special Features: Commentaries, The Making of Sons of Anarchy Season One, Casting Sons of Anarchy, The Ink, The Bikes, Deleted Scenes, Anarchy on the Set
- Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, Mark Boone Junior
- Genre: Drama
Back in 2007 The Sopranos ended on HBO. Ever since the networks and cable channels have tried pretty hard to make the next Sopranos. That brings us to the FX’s Sons of Anarchy. While I have never seen a Sopranos episode (yes I know, shame on me), I have a feeling that Sons of Anarchy is as close as television has gotten to replicating the Sopranos. While I am not saying that it is as good as The Sopranos, Sons of Anarchy is not a bad series.
The Sons of Anarchy follows a biker gang. The Sons of Anarchy reside in the peaceful town of Charming and try to protect the town from rival gangs and thugs. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t ruthless themselves and aren’t afraid to break the law. This unlawfulness starts bothering one of the members, Jackson Teller, when he learns that his own father envisioned something different for the gang. His mother and step-father don’t share the same feelings as they try to make the Sons of Anarchy even stronger.
Overall I found the Sons of Anarchy to be a little above average series. I didn’t think it was great or terrible. It has its moments but it is also kind of slow at other points. I personally put shows into three categories: watch live, watch on DVD, and don’t watch at all. I watch a lot of television during the fall and spring so there are always some shows that have to wait until DVD for me to catch up. Sons of Anarchy falls into that category. Its worth watching but there are better shows on television.
Being on the FX network, Sons of Anarchy is not a child friendly show obviously. While Sons of Anarchy is not as bad as The Sopranos as far adult content, it still is a pretty adult program. This show is not for the children and really should only be watched by adults since it has quite a bit of language, violence, and sexuality.
As far as the Blu-Ray video quality, I would say that it is pretty good. There are a couple hiccups but for the most part the show looks very good in HD. There are shows that look better in HD but there are also shows that look worse.
The special features are pretty average. For a thirteen episode season, you really can’t be disappointed by the quantity of special features. The quality, on the other hand, might disappoint some people. I personally didn’t find any of the special features to be must watches and a couple were actually pretty boring. A more in depth look:
- The Making of Sons of Anarchy Season One-Your typical making of feature which while not bad is pretty short for this type of feature. I think there could have been more added to this feature. Length: 9 Minutes
- Ink-A feature about how the tattoos were created on the show. I personally don’t care for tattoos so I really didn’t get much out of this feature. Length: 5 Minutes
- Bikes-A look at the motorcycles used during the first season of Sons of Anarchy. Motorcycle fans should love this feature but everyone else probably won’t get much out of it. Length: 7 Minutes
- Casting-A look at the regular and recurring characters of the first season of Sons of Anarchy. Pretty much your typical casting special feature. Length: 15 Minutes
- Deleted Scenes: While I didn’t find most of the scenes to be that entertaining, I do think some of them should have actually made it into the show. Length: 35 Minutes
- Gag Reel-Your typical gag reel. Length: 7 Minutes
- Commentary
Overall Sons of Anarchy is not a bad show. I wouldn’t really consider it a must watch show but it is a nice show to get caught up on during the summer. As a matter of fact that is what I am planning on doing this next season. I won’t have enough time to catch it during the fall but I will probably catch up on it during the summer when season two is released on DVD and Blu-Ray.
If you are a fan of shows such as the Sopranos or other darker dramas, I think Sons of Anarchy would be a good show to give a chance. It’s not the greatest show ever but you can still get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it. If you are already a fan of Sons of Anarchy and are interested in re-watching the first season I would also recommend a purchase. If you are only interested in the special features, I don’t think it is worth picking up the Blu-Ray set.
