Remote Patrol: R.I.P. SOA! What's next?
SPOILER ALERT: Don't read if you haven't seen Sons of Anarchy's series finale!
I always ran hot and cold on Sons of Anarchy, but I was on board for the final ride - at least until the heavy-as-an-18-wheeler last scene, when Charlie Hunnam's Jax Teller made like "Jesus Christ!" (as Michael Chiklis's trucker proclaimed) and sacrificed himself for his motorcycle club's sins. Oh well, nobody ever accused creator Kurt Sutter of being subtle.
Up to that point, however, SoA's farewell season was nearly flawless, so I became powerfully addicted to a show whose appeal I'd long failed to appreciate fully. What am I and millions of other devotees supposed to do now to satisfy our cravings for down-and-dirty action mixed with high-caliber acting? (Jimmy Smits, Kim Coates and Tommy Flanagan especially excelled in the farewell season.)
Here are five shows that have new episodes coming to fill that Mark Boone Junior-sized hole in your hearts.
1. Justified
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If you couldn't get enough of Walton Goggins's heartbreaking portrayal of trans prostitute Venus Van Dam on SoA, check him out sans the wig and fake breasts as Boyd Crowder, lifelong frenemy of US Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) on FX's Elmore Leonard adaptation, returning February 20.
The sixth and final season promises a showdown between Boyd and Raylan, with their mutually beloved Ava (the Emmy-worthy Joelle Carter) caught in the middle. Bonus: Another SoA alum, Garret Dillahunt, joins the cast as a new antagonist for the perpetually trigger-happy Raylan.
2. The Americans
Another top-quality FX drama - this one about a much Colder War than the ones the Sons routinely waged - unveils its third season on January 28. The '80s-set spy thriller, about a married pair of Soviet sleeper agents (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) operating in the shadows of the D.C. suburbs, adds the great Frank Langella to its roster as a new handler. When it comes to ruthless brutality, SAMCRO's got nothing on the KGB.
3. Banshee
SoA pushed the limits of basic-cable nudity, especially after the gang opened its Red Woody porn studio. But on pay-cable's Skinemax - er, Cinemax - this pulpy treat has no limits when it comes to super-explicit sexuality.
And when small-town 'sheriff' - read: vengeful convict - Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) kicks off the show's third season on January 9, you can bet he'll get all kinds of action.
4. Hand of God
Okay, so there's only one episode available so far. But Amazon has picked up the pilot for SoA patriarch Ron Perlman's new drama, so a full season will be streaming soon.
It's safe to say the spirit of Clay Morrow is alive and well as the beastly actor stars as a judge who suffers a mental meltdown and goes on a bloodthirsty mission to take down the rapist who destroyed his family. And hey, Garret Dillahunt's in this one, too!
5. The Bastard Executioner
Okay, we have no idea when the show will air. But it's Sutter's next FX project along with his brilliant collaborator Paris Barclay, his real-life wife and SoA muse Katey Sagal is on board, and it's about a knight in King Edward II's court who goes on, yes, a quest for revenge.
If Hunnam and Sutter are serious about working together again - as they swore on the Anarchy finale's after-show - this seems like a perfect fit. And Charlie wouldn't even have to try (and fail) to hide his British accent anymore!
Bruce Fretts is a veteran of both Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide Magazine, where he penned the wildly popular 'Cheers & Jeers' column for ten years.
