10 TV Shows That Completely Shifted The Balance Of Power In America

4. Sons Of Anarchy (FX: 2008-Present)

Following a fairly average rookie season, Sons Of Anarchy came back after a lengthy break to knock the ball out of the park during their sophomore effort. The improved quality in its second year made SoA a hit. The story of a motorcycle club in a sleepy little California town quickly turned to over the top stories evolving past petty feuds with rival bikers, and into international wars with the IRA and consistent trouble with the feds. And while we've now reached a point where much of the plot is less and less believable by the episode, this most recent season certainly showed an upturn over the previous year. The strength of the show lies in its cast. Filled with character actors, and put on the radar thanks to the stellar performance of Katey Sagal's (Married With Children) biker queen Gemma Teller, the acting has often been able to overcome the sometimes ridiculous chain of events the writers lay out. Sons Of Anarchy might not be the best show on this list, but it's certainly got one of the biggest fanbases. Created by The Shield producer (and Sagal's husband) Kurt Sutter, and premiering during The Shield's finale season, SoA was meant to fill the void that Vic Mackey was about to leave. It not only filled it, but built on it. SoA's sixth season was the highest rated season of any show in FX's history, with its finale finishing behind only Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead for tops among cable shows.