Guns, Brotherhood and Bad Accents: Why I Keep Rewatching Sons of Anarchy

Why I Keep Rewatching Sons of Anarchy — Even When It Drives Me Mad

I’ve just finished rewatching Mayans MC, and as usual, that led me straight back to Sons of Anarchy for what’s probably my fifth full rewatch. There’s something about this show that keeps pulling me back in, even though I have a love/hate relationship with some of the content, especially the parts that try (and fail) to involve Ireland.

So here's a breakdown of what I love, what makes me cringe, and why I’ll probably watch it all over again within the next year.

Four bikers in leather jackets gathered outside a wooden garage at sunset, with motorcycles and a flying crow in the background, evoking themes of brotherhood and rebellion

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The Main Cast: Familiar Faces and Standout Performances

I'll start by mentioning the main characters as they are actually quite fleshed out and deep right from the first episode. The whole show has a Shakespearean air to it — flawed characters in a world where their own weaknesses only make things worse.

I was already a fan of some of these actors and vaguely familiar with others from earlier roles — though I can’t always recall where I first saw them.

Charlie Hunnam — Liked him since Green Street.

Katey Sagal — Liked her since Married with Children.

Ron Perlman — Liked him since Enemy at the Gates.

Kim Coates — Liked him since Waterworld.

Ryan Hurst — Liked him since The Postman.

Tommy Flanagan — Liked him since Braveheart.

Mark Boone Jr — Liked him since Batman Begins.

Dayton Callie — Liked him since Deadwood.

Special mention to Piney (William Lucking), Juice (Theo Rossi), Happy (David Labrava), and Tara (Maggie Siff) — all new to me at the time but absolutely essential to the show’s DNA.

There’s no way I could name everyone — the cast is huge — but I’d also seen many of them in The Shield, which makes sense considering Kurt Sutter was a writer on both shows.

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The Good Stuff: Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Harley-Davidsons

Let’s be honest, Sons of Anarchy is addictive for a reason. The storytelling, the gritty loyalty of the club members, the flawed but fiercely bonded characters, the injected humour and of course the action. It’s violent, over the top, and occasionally ridiculous but it’s also full of heart.

There’s a deep, twisted morality that runs through the show. Family comes first, club is everything, and loyalty is life or death — even when it’s acted out without any thought for the consequences. That mix of adrenaline, humour, and emotional gut-punches keeps it watchable, even when I know exactly what’s coming.

The errors that these characters make during the show are enough to have you screaming at the screen at times but as humans we are all equally capable of huge blunders like these without the benefit of watching from afar.

The Bad: The Irish Plotline That Missed by a Mile

As an Irish viewer, the whole Season 3 Belfast arc is... something else. Let’s start with the accents — painfully inaccurate in most cases. It pops up a little in the first two seasons but Season 3 is especially horrific to my ears. I’ve spent a lot of time with people from the North and I’m very familiar with how they speak — including the subtle differences between regions across Northern Ireland. The show doesn’t capture any of that nuance. In fact, it doesn’t even come close.

They cast mostly American actors trying (and failing) to sound like they’re from Northern Ireland — or even random parts of the South — and it’s hard to take seriously. Did they not hire a voice coach? Or at the very least an Irishman who’s actually been to Ireland?

They probably just threw on Darby O’Gill and the Little People and said, “Just sound like that!”

Eventually, they brought in a real Kerryman — Tim Murphy — who actually sounded Irish and happens to be from my hometown of Tralee. It was a relief. He brought a particular menace to the role that the earlier American actors just couldn’t manage, mostly because their accents were so distracting. The damage had already been done though.

The Ridiculous: What were they Thinking?

Then there’s the main show plot itself. The idea of the IRA gun-running to the US is beyond laughable. America has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world — the idea they’d need to smuggle in extra firearms from a small island with tight gun control laws just doesn’t add up.

And the names? That fake shop front in “Belfast” with a name that sounds more Scottish or made-up than anything you'd find in the North? It felt like a quick Google Translate job from someone who’d never set foot in Ireland. And honestly, I often wonder if Kurt Sutter ever Googled Ireland. Before, during, or after. At all.

The Cringe: Cultural Stereotypes and Lazy Writing

It’s not just the accents — it’s the entire portrayal of Ireland. The show leans on every outdated trope you can imagine. Foggy countryside, mysterious IRA dealings — “Irish Kings” — lol, and a brooding soundtrack that screams "Hollywood Irish" rather than anything close to reality.

I get it, it’s a US drama series trying to add global intrigue. But for viewers who actually live on this side of the Atlantic and in Ireland itself, it veers into parody more often than not.

The Draw: I’ll Still Rewatch It Again

All that said, I still love the show. I still find myself laughing at Tig, rooting for Chibs, and getting dragged into Jax’s spiral of self-destruction. The music is great, the action is gripping, and the club dynamics are compelling.

Even when it’s infuriating, it’s entertaining and sometimes that’s all a show needs to be. I'll leave my analytical brain outside the sitting room door and hit the play button. All is good!

The Brotherhood above all aspect is really intriguing to me and probably the main reason the show was successful. Opie being killed off from the show was really gut-wrenching and Kurt Sutter's character taking more punishment than a human being could actually take — all for the good of the club — adds a level of depth that goes far beyond what most people would consider loyalty.

The ties that bind the characters and the ones that rip them apart ultimately make the show compelling viewing.

So yes, I’ll probably give it another spin within the next year. Cringe and all.

Final Thoughts

Sons of Anarchy is far from perfect — and when it gets Irish culture wrong, it really gets it wrong — but it’s still one of those shows that sticks with me. Maybe it’s the writing, the characters, maybe it’s the chaos, or maybe it’s just the comfort of a familiar anti-hero drama.

Either way, I keep coming back.

And maybe that’s the true mark of a good show — even when you’re rolling your eyes, you still press play.

If you agree or have something to add, drop a line in the comments below.

Thanks for Reading,

David

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