Before Sons Of Anarchy, numerous movies and TV shows about gangsters and organized crime were made, but none had ever delved deeply into the world of biker gangs. The FX series explored just how brutal the lives the people in this world can be. And while the dialogue wasn't always unique, the character development was quite impressive.
Each character struggled with inner demons and eventually ended up growing into a better person or went into a self-destructive mode. Given how brilliantly the characters were written, it's a surprise that the series was often snubbed whenever Emmy nominations were announced. But which characters did fans adore the most? Here are the likable ones and the totally annoying ones.
Likable: Opie
Opie's death at Stockton State Prison was one of the saddest moments in the series. He was one of the characters who deserved to survive until the end. Opie was always calm and collected. He was also a forgiving man. Even after learning that Clay and Tig were behind his wife's death, he still spared their lives.
Opie was also a proper family man who embodied the highs and lows of life. The only major funeral shown in the series was that of his deceased wife Donna and the only major wedding ceremony happened when he married Lyla. Opie never killed anyone without a proper reason too,
Can't Stand: Gemma
Despite the fact that she was tough, Gemma's list of evil deeds overshadowed all the few good qualities she had. She cheated on her first husband John Teller with Clay then conspired to kill him. She also rushed to kill Tara—the only sane character in the entire series—because she suspected she was ratting yet that wasn't the case.
Instead of doing proper investigations, she rushed to kill her son's wife. In truth, she had never liked Tara from the beginning. Gemma was also violent, beating up every woman who came close to Clay. Not to forget, she caused an accident that almost killed Jax's sons because she decided to drive while high.
Likable: Bobby
It was evident that Bobby was going to be a fascinating character from the moment he was shown impersonating Elvis Presley. He was always the voice of reason in SAMCRO. He never hesitated to call out Clay when he thought he was making a poor decision. He also wasn't prone to violent outbursts like other SAMCRO members.
Bobby always appeared shocked whenever one of the members committed a gruesome act of violence. For example, when Chibs shot one of the men that had beaten Opie to death, Bobby was stunned. And even when he became Jax's Vice President, he never hesitated to correct him whenever he felt he was wrong.
Can't Stand: Clay
Clay's death came as a form of relief to viewers. He had done too many unforgivable things. His first despicable act was when he ordered Tig to kill Opie without consulting the club first. Instead, Donna ended up getting shot instead. And it turned out Opie wasn't a rat. He also made decisions that the smart members of the club always opposed.
His decision to introduce SAMCRO to the drug business was motivated by greed. This decision brought plenty of violence. And when JT's letters surfaced, Clay killed Piney because of them and almost killed Tara. Not to forget his domestic violence incident where he brutally beat up Gemma.
Likable: Tig Trager
Tig wasn't moral by any means but he had plenty of interesting moments in the series. Like when he led cops on a chase through Charming so as to distract them and allow the other SAMCRO members to travel to Belfast. He always oozed confidence and charisma. These traits enabled him to get along with both Clay and Jax during their tenures.
Those specific traits helped him with the ladies too. He hooked up with a number of women before getting into a relationship with Venus. It was also easy to sympathize with him when Damon Pope burned his daughter alive. Tig was a survivor too. Despite putting himself in danger many times, the series ended with him in one piece.
Can't Stand: Juice
Juice never looked like he belonged at SAMCRO. He was too weak and as a result, he was easily targeted by law enforcement officers such as Eli Roosevelt. There was never a moment in which Juice didn't look nervous. It's quite surprising that other SAMCRO members rarely noticed this.
Juice's weaknesses made him get used as a pawn by not only the cops but also club members like Clay and Jax. And despite the efforts of Chibs to mentor him and make him a better person, he was irredeemable. His ending was even sadder as he was sexually assaulted by the Triads before being stabbed by Tully.
Likable: Chibs
Chibs got along with all club members from the start of the series right until the end. Even when Clay had lost his way and had a grudge against everyone, he had no problem with Chibs. The Irish SAMCRO member was so understanding that he even got along with the troubled Juice.
The only person he ever had a problem with was Jimmy O and that was understandable because the crime leader had taken his family away from him. Thanks to his unique ability to keep himself out of trouble, Chibs survived until the end and ended up being the club's President after Jax stepped down.
Can't Stand: Jimmy O
Most of the show's other villains were smart and quite intelligent. Damon Pope brought terror to SAMCRO while Ethan Zobelle managed to elude them completely. However, there was nothing intriguing about Irish gangster Jimmy O. He just committed one evil act after another.
Jimmy had no respect for family. He used Jax's son as a pawn against SAMCRO and even kept Chib's wife and daughter away from him for a very long time. He even couldn't spare an innocent couple that had adopted Abel, choosing to murder them instead of just taking the baby and leaving. Luckily, he eventually got what was coming to him when Chibs killed him by the roadside.
Likable: Jax
It was a shame to see Jax die the way he did. As the main protagonist, he possessed every trait that an antihero should have. He was violent but there were justifiable reasons every time he pulled the trigger. And for a huge part of the show, Jax tried to get away from the life of crime just like his father.
He did his best to pull SAMCRO out of the drug and gun business. He also made plans to get away with his family but circumstances kept pulling him back in. As SAMCRO's President, he was great at making deals. He got along with most crime leaders, including those that had brought much harm to SAMCRO like Damon Pope.
Can't Stand: June Stahl
Nothing June Stahl did was impressive. She often made decisions that would boost her own personal glory rather than those that would bring justice. She also had a tendency of unnerving ever man she interacted with. None of her fellow law enforcement officers liked her methods either.
She killed her own partner and lover for selfish reasons. She also tried to play SAMCRO twice. When she tried to frame Opie as a rat, Donna ended up dead. The second time, she tried to set up Jax but wasn't so successful. Instead, she ended up dead.