'SoA' Really Changed The Game on Television

After spending seven years with the bad boys of SAMCRO, it's hard to believe that this influential show is finally gearing up for its grand finale. There are just two episodes left in the series, so I thought it would be appropriate to look back on all the ways Sons of Anarchy has changed the television industry since 2008. SoA 's last episode airs Dec. 9 at 10 p.m. ET on FX. That means we've still got a few short weeks left with the Sons before the shows goes up in an (inevitable) final blaze of glory. Let's make them count.

At this point, TV viewers are more than used to the parade of anti-heroes scowling all over our screens and making us contemplate humanity's inner struggle and stuff. But back when Sons of Anarchy first started, the concept of an immoral, possibly unlikable main character wasn't all that common. We had Tony Soprano... and that's about it. So I give showrunner Kurt Sutter a lot of credit for bringing Jax, Gemma, Clay, and the rest of SAMCRO into our lives. Outside of The Wire, televisual portrayals of gang members aren't known for being all that complex. But in Sutter's hands, these characters made viewers rethink their initial misgivings about gun smuggling, drug dealing, and leather vests.

SoA has packed so much plot into its past 90 episodes, and there were so many twists and turns throughout the series, that it's nearly impossible to say who will die or what will happen in the series' final hour. So let's take a look back on all the show has given us, instead:

Charlie. Hunnam.

Does no one else think it's a little weird that, even though Charlie Hunnam is ripped, Jax lives a very unhealthy lifestyle and never works out? Whatever, I'm not complaining. In addition to introducing countless viewers to Hunnam's overall gorgeousness, by casting the actor Sons also informed more people about his earlier work, like the movie Green Street Hooligans, Undeclared (Judd Apatow's followup to Freaks and Geeks), and the original British Queer as Folk, all of which you should go check out right now.

Making Single Fathers Visible on Television

Before Jax and Tara married, Jax was Abel's primary parent — Wendy was too messed up to really be a part of her child's life. Since Tara's death, Jax has spent all of Season 7 again taking care of his kids without a partner. Sons of Anarchy is the rare show to portray the real difficulties single fathers face — especially those without higher education or well-paying jobs. Jax fell apart in Season 3 when he didn't know if he'd ever see his son again, and it was the realest his character's ever felt.

Keeping Katey Segal on My TV

Katey Segal rose to fame as Peg Bundy on Married with Children where, like on SoA, she played another boss ass lady who refused to let the men in her life stop her from living her dream. In Peg's case, that dream was mostly being super lazy, buying things she couldn't afford, and generally calling everyone else out on their nonsense. Gemma is a slightly different sort of badass, but she still takes no crap from nobody. At this point, the Teller-Morrow matriarch is pretty much irredeemable. But I still like seeing her kick butt each week.

Sons of Anarchy's series finale will air on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

Images: Byron Cohen/FX; Giphy; FuckYeahGemmaTellerMorrow/Tumblr