An emotional ride
Sons of Anarchy has become much more than a cult TV series. Officially now US cable station FX's highest-rated show ever, the story of the gun-running outlaw motorcycle club has earned critical acclaim in a variety of sectors despite - and no doubt because of - its violent depictions of criminal activity.
Now with the seventh and final season about to be filmed in America, interest in Sons of Anarchy is at fever point. Before then, however, three of the show's stars are headed to Australia to present a unique Q&A panel discussion for fans. Kim Coates, who plays Tig Trager on Sons, will be joined by Mark Boone Jr, known as Bobby "Elvis" Munson on the show, and Theo Rossi, who portrays Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz.
"I work all over the world and I can't go anywhere without being recognised for this show," Coates says from LA. "I think Australian fans need to know that this tour coming Down Under, to get three of us to do this, it's an absolute miracle.
"People will be able to sit down with myself and Rossi and Boone on the stage and we'll do that for an hour and tell some stories and people will be able to ask questions.
"Then there's a VIP option where we'll be able to have a drink with some people or sign some autographs and take pictures."
Coates confirms next season will be the last, although the show's creator Kurt Sutter has suggested he's in talks with FX about a prequel set in the 1960s.
"Around May 28 or 29 we'll start a seventh and final season," Coates says. "And we'll film right until early December and that'll be it. We'll put a bow around this series and people will have an incredible library in their living room to pull out years down the road."
Comparisons can be made to The Godfather, in particular lead protagonist Jax Teller's Michael Corleone-like desire to leave the club and his eventual ascension to head of the table, while links have also been made to another great work, Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Sutter has even suggested the show's finale - spoiler alert - might mirror the bloody tragedy of Hamlet's final moments, which could make for a closing gambit to match Game of Thrones' infamous "Red Wedding" episode.
"Kurt Sutter, what happens inside his head is frightening to me, the depth of weird and dark and yet beautiful stuff he puts on paper," Coates says.
"Season seven is going to be an absolute tinderbox. I think we're going to burn it all down. And I could be completely wrong - just when you think you know where Kurt's going he goes somewhere else. If it is Hamlet-esque and it ends like Hamlet does, well, then there's nobody alive.
"All I know is I'm excited and I can't wait to finish it. It's been an incredible ride and . . . it's been an emotional ride for all of us."
