Kurt Sutter is best known for being the creator of the popular show Sons of Anarchy , but he is also known for his foul-mouthed, opinionated rants.
Sutter is not a man who takes being snubbed with grace. He is a snarky anti-hero, poking at the sick underbelly of the entertainment industry. It’s something that Sons of Anarchy fans view with great respect. In fact, many of his fans see him as the sole voice of truth in an industry based on lies.
So, with Sons of Anarchy reaching its seventh and final season, Sutter took up the subject of the Emmys.
As a guest writer for NikkiFinke.com, Sutter explained why Sons of Anarchy being snubbed was a good thing:
“Honestly – and I actually believe this – I think we’d drop viewers if Sons of Anarchy were ever nominated for an Emmy. My bombastic outlaw-*sshole reputation would be tarnished. Or rather, untarnished. I’d be just another smiling d*uchebag in a new suit, pretending to give a sh*t on the red carpet. Actually… taking a sh*t on the red carpet, that’s something that might drop as a ‘real and honest moment.’”
The truth is, Sons of Anarchy has a huge cult following. The biker-outlaw show doesn’t just attract fans, it attracts true believers; people who build fandoms and spread word of the show by mouth and the almighty Tumblr .
A great many fans of the show could recount details from season one by memory that the casual fan would have completely missed. Of course, couldn’t it be true that a show that’s gone mainstream could have the same passionate following?
Whatever the answer, Kurt Sutter doesn’t believe it; perhaps because Sons of Anarchy itself is based around a group of outlaws or because Sutter sees himself the same way.
Since it began in 2008, Sons of Anarchy has received only 2 nominations from the Emmy Awards – both for music. Not every award ceremony snubbed the fan-favorite, however. Throughout the years, Sons of Anarchy has taken home awards from the Golden Globes, the ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, Motion Picture Sound Editors, Prism Awards, Satellite Awards and the Society of Camera Operators.
It’s difficult to imagine a world where people wouldn’t be gossiping about Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson guest starring on the last season of Sons of Anarchy . It’s even more difficult to imagine a Facebook timeline full of pictures dedicated to the storyline of the late-great-character, Opie.
What is easy to imagine is why Sutter might be hurt by the situation:
“I still suffer the emotional and spiritual depletion every July when ‘Sons of Anarchy’ gets zero nominations in all major categories. While other f*cking shows that ran out of story three seasons ago, still get tagged to step up to the show. To explain the feeling, I use an analogy from a part of our lives that probably best describes our industry – high school. Remember when that kid you hated from second period French had that big end of year party? You knew he was a lazy, self-important, pompous d*uchebag, and yet when you didn’t get the invitation, you sobbed into your Members Only jacket and a piece of youthful hope cracked off your soul and fell in dogsh*t.”
Whether or not the Emmys are as corrupt as Sutter says they are doesn’t matter. True fans of Sons of Anarchy know exactly what the show is worth. No amount of snubs from the industry will convince them otherwise.
[ Images courtesy of of FX and Juggle Your Life]