sons of anarchy-sopranos ripoff?

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Yes, just replaced the mob with motorcycles and take away most of the writing and some of the dark humour(although not as much as Brotherhood), But, i liked it. The pilot even ended the same way , with a building blowing up and a montage of various characters with hip soundtrack underneath. So far it's the closet i've come to filling the void (other then the Shield but thats gone soon too).. Expectations are high but i'll watch next week. Charcters are likable antiheros. Drea even makes an appearance. Plus allan coultar directed. You'll find he was behind some of the better sopranos episodes, plus he filmed the opening sequence so you have to give him props. Anxious to hear other feedback from the pros at Chase Lounge

Re: sons of anarchy-sopranos ripoff?

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after watching the encore presentation of this show i can't help but agree with just about every review i've seen of it-closest thing to the sopranos since it left the air. FX wednesday night 10pm. i definitely walked away from it looking forward to the next episode. going to see if the story line holds up as well as the acting. anxious to hear some feedback. probably won't be the last show this fall season people talk about, but the comparisons are undeniable-just bikes instaed of the mob

Re: sons of anarchy-sopranos ripoff?

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Granted I haven't seen enough to judge. But a ripoff is not a good thing, right? You mention that it is good and interesting, but then describe it as a ripoff in the title of this thread? Hahahha. Either way, if it is good tv, I am all there for it. But the commercials didn't grab me. And just because they are likable antiheroes--not enough for me to come back week after week (even with Coulter directing). As far as tone and style goes, Mad Men knocks most things out of the park since Sopranos ended. Give that a try...it is on AMC.

Re: sons of anarchy-sopranos ripoff?

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hey garth,

At the time i was pretty much looking for a consensus since out of the box the comparisons were heavy from reviews i had seen. Then after the 1st viewing, i had to agree. I was still up in the air about whether it could stand on it's own. After rewatching last nights encore presentation though with more of a critical eye, i'm looking forward to tonights 2nd. Drea de Matteo's character may have been too similar to her previous Aide's, emphasizing the the entire comparison, along w/ Coultar's direction, but there's something else there.

I wanted to like Mad Men when it 1st started and gave it a try but lost interest. It's stellar review for season 2 especially the 60's athenticity, had me hoping i misjudged it, but again, i had a tough time with it. The dialog just didn't ring true with me and seemed a little forced. There's no doubt in it's quality.

just stumbled across this review that says what i'm trying to a little bit better about S O A. Actually, It's strikingly simliar considering i wrote the above 2 hrs before i saw and added it.


This is "Anarchy," "Sopranos" style
Kurt Sutter, the creator of FX's intriguing new drama "Sons of Anarchy," spent years as a writer-producer for FX's "The Shield. " And it shows...

By Matthew Gilbert

The Boston Globe

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"Sons of Anarchy"

10 p.m. Wednesdays, FX Kurt Sutter, the creator of FX's intriguing new drama "Sons of Anarchy," spent years as a writer-producer for FX's "The Shield." And it shows. About a gunrunning motorcycle gang in California, the grimy, B-movie-tone "Sons of Anarchy" is similarly obsessed with brutality, amorality and the ruthless politics of self-preservation.

But "Sons" begs even more for comparison — and not necessarily negative comparison — to "The Sopranos." A gang of bikers, led by a family with a murderous matriarch, is at cross-purposes with the law, with other biker gangs and, of course, with one another. The family's son, meanwhile, deals with an unlikely bout of conscience and nostalgia. The kicker: Drea de Matteo, Adriana on "The Sopranos," is in the cast.

The good news here is that "Sons of Anarchy" ultimately has its own identity. Also a plus: the performances. The Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club was started by Vietnam vet John Teller, who is now dead. Charlie Hunnam, at times looking uncannily like Heath Ledger, ably leads the cast as John's son, Jax, who is destined to become the gang leader. Jax is a sensitive tough guy with a beatific smile and pretty yellow hair. And now that his junkie ex-wife (de Matteo) has given birth to his first son, he is rethinking his choices and pondering his father's original, more peaceful intentions for the gang.

That nascent kindness in Jax is a source of great worry to his ambitious mother, Gemma, who is played with impressive iciness by Katey Sagal. Gemma is remarried to the current Sons leader, the violent Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman). They have no scruples, and no tolerance for the ideals that Jax may have inherited from his father. "He's not his old man," Clay snaps at Gemma. "Stop worrying." But she will worry — and perform at least one horrifying deed — until she is sure that she owns her son's soul.

"Sons of Anarchy" has real potential to become a solid dramatic addition to the FX slate, as "The Shield" enters its final season.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

Re: sons of anarchy-sopranos ripoff?

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carpetbeggar wrote:I'm three episodes into the second season and I have to say this show is terrible. This show has NO authenticity.
Anyone comparing this to the Sopranos has to be high. The Sopranos was 100x the show SOA is.
Administrator/Moderator Note - Carpetbeggar, you'll get no argument from me that nothing compares (at least favorably) to the Sopranos. But try to express that opinion without questioning the sobriety of someone who might hold a slightly different view. Even though the peace in these parts the last couple of years is as due to the lack of activity as anything else, I'd hate to see things stirred up again for any reason.:icon_wink: Thanks. - FOMW.
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"

Re: sons of anarchy-sopranos ripoff?

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FlyOnMelfisWall wrote:Administrator/Moderator Note - Carpetbeggar, you'll get no argument from me that nothing compares (at least favorably) to the Sopranos. But try to express that opinion without questioning the sobriety of someone who might hold a slightly different view. Even though the peace in these parts the last couple of years is as due to the lack of activity as anything else, I'd hate to see things stirred up again for any reason.:icon_wink: Thanks. - FOMW.
LOL sorry for that. I had just finished watching a couple season two episodes and was furious at how much this show is just typical Hollywood PC garbage and how many people compare this to 'The Sopranos' and I just vented. :icon_redface:

Re: sons of anarchy-sopranos ripoff?

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carpetbeggar wrote:LOL sorry for that. I had just finished watching a couple season two episodes and was furious at how much this show is just typical Hollywood PC garbage and how many people compare this to 'The Sopranos' and I just vented. :icon_redface:
No problem. I understand as well as anyone getting caught up in a passionate viewpoint.:icon_biggrin:
Tony, his spirits crushed after b-lining to the fridge first thing in the morning: "Who ate the last piece of cake?"
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