10 TV Performances Way Better Than Anyone Expected

6. Katey Sagal - Sons Of Anarchy

Although Katey Sagal was an experienced TV actress before being cast in Sons of Anarchy, she was mostly known for her roles in sitcoms. From Married...With Children to 8 Simple Rules, via a voice role as Leela on Futurama, Sagal had carved out a reputation as a gifted comedic actress, alongside being known for her singing career too.

As we've seen plenty of times, though, there's often something great to be found when comedic actors are given dramatic roles, and that happened with Sagal in SoA.

Taking on the role of the Gemma Teller, mother of protagonist Jax, in the dark, violent Sons of Anarchy was seen as something of a risk then, because it wasn't entirely clear what Sagal would bring to the role. But what she brought was an absolute powerhouse of a performance. As Gemma, Sagal became not only a key part of the show's narrative, but its emotional core as well. She shed her comedic background with a portrayal that was contemptible, vicious, manipulative, and yet, at times, devastating too.