Had enough of Jimmy Smits’ Nero? Us neither. Some good news landed earlier today on that front as the veteran actor whose television roles in the past included arcs on The West Wing and Dexter will be returning to Sons of Anarchy. The show’s return is slated for this fall which will mark the start of its sixth year which will pretty much up Smits to a series regular as he will appear in every episode.
This is part of the ramp up to the end for the motorcycle drama which showrunner Kurt Sutter is set to cap off within the next few years. Do not worry though because the producer (known as Otto to fans of the show) is already working on scripting his next television drama entitled Lucas Stand. First word on that project came yesterday.
With only a few more seasons of Sons of Anarchy left in the tank, showrunner Kurt Sutter seems to already be laying the ground work for his follow-up series’. FX has just closed a script development deal with the producer for a show called Lucas Stand. The premise has a former spec ops soldier traversing time and place to hunt down and kill Hell’s law-breaking demons. This is an action/horror drama and will be an episodic serialized program. Expect to hear more on this one somewhere down the road in addition to his already in-development comedy Diva. Clown. Killer. which may end up be a starring vehicle for Sutter’s wife Katey Sagal who is still a regular on SoA. 
Kurt Sutter has one of the most well-respected and highest-rated dramas on cable television which means what he says matters. The Sons of Anarchy creator certainly is not known for his sugar-coating, so let’s just get to what he threw down upon hearing that AMC 
Kurt Sutter recently had an interview with 
Sons of Anarchy star Katey Sagal went to Conan last night to promote her crazy successful FX biker series. She ended up talking at length about the fan response to the show, specifically that from the prison crowd noting that at one time she was given parole cards to sign at a DMV. The actress also re-offered a part to Conan after the talk show host turned down/ignored a big part prior to season three when the drama went to Ireland. Perhaps this time the talk show host will reconsider now that he knows this was legit. It also does not hurt that viewership for SoA is at all-time highs at the moment, so this could actually happen now. 
Joel McHale was supposed to be promoting tomorrow’s return of Community, but there is a problem: NBC pulled the return of the show before it could even air. What this means is Halloween in February and Thanksgiving in January; however, it also means no more Friday death slot which is actually huge for the comedy’s renewal prospects. This is essentially what you will hear McHale talk about in his recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel when he confirms the network heads spun the delay to them as ‘a good thing.’
As expected, the Fall 2012 return of Sons of Anarchy debuted huge among viewers last night, but what was not so much assumed was an uptick in the series’ popularity. It is safe to assume that Netflix deserves some credit for the fact that today we are reporting that the Kurt Sutter-ran drama has achieved its best ratings yet on the day of its fifth season premiere. 5.4 million tuned in with well over half of those belonging to the coveted 18-49 demographic.
Sons of Anarchy will return to air for its fifth season come Tuesday which should be enough to excite its many fans, but what is adding to the enthusiasm this year is the show’s many guest stars. This time around, Jimmy Smits, Ashley Tisdale, and Joel McHale will take recurring roles in front of the camera. That last one is enough to bring SoA into our crosshairs ahead of premiere night in that there is a new behind-the-scenes look at the motorcycle drama featuring McHale discussing his role in the upcoming season. Hit the jump for the view. 
FX has as strong a fall lineup as they have had in years with the continued strength of Sons of Anarchy coupled with the well-off American Horror Story anthology which is now moving on to its second original season season. Today’s news is that FX has finalized their fall schedule and in addition to the already announced SoA return of September 11, dates were also set of American Horror Story, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, and the recently-retooled Brand X. 
The Scary Movie franchise’s new leading lady now has a date with SAMCRO. Kurt Sutter has officially enlisted High School Musical alumna Ashley Tisdale to play a high-priced escort in Sons of Anarchy’s upcoming fifth season. 
Funny or Die has a brand new parody out this week with the spotlight shined on the hit FX series Sons of Anarchy. The bit is called Grandsons of Anarchy, and it features a bunch of kids running around on three-wheelers with super soakers.
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