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For Katey Sagal,
kudos where it matters

She returns as Gemma on 'Sons of Anarchy'

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Sep 7, 2010

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One of the more surprising Emmy snubs this year was Katey Sagal's lack of nomination for season two of "Sons of Anarchy," FX's hit series about an outlaw biker gang with more problems than a calculus exam.

In the season two finale, Sagal's character, Gemma, was framed for murder, while her grandson was kidnapped by a rival gang, after being gang-raped to start the season. The repercussions of those plot points begin to play out tonight at 10 p.m., when "Anarchy" returns for its third season.

Sagal's portrayal of the tough Gemma has drawn critical kudos, especially from those who remember her pitch-perfect performance as the shrill and calculating Peggy Bundy on the Fox comedy "Married with Children."

With "Anarchy," Sagal has proven to be just as gifted a dramatic actress, and her Emmy snub, as well as a lack of nominations for other actors and writers on the series, prompted a series of angry tweets from series creator Kurt Sutter earlier this summer in which he called Academy voters "lazy sheep." (Sutter also happens to be Sagal's husband.)

But if Emmy recognition has been lacking, viewer recognition has not. The series saw a huge 72 percent increase in viewership from season one to season two, when it averaged 4.5 million total viewers, according to Nielsen.

In tonight's episode, Hal Holbrook begins a stint as Gemma's father, who is suffering from dementia.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	ABC	"Wipeout" (R)	Obstacles include Moving Big Balls and Spinner.
8 p.m.	ABC Family	"Melissa & Joey" (C)	Mel's father visits and encourages the kids to break the rules.
9 p.m.	NBC	" America's Got Talent" (R)	The top 10 acts perform in Hollywood.
9:30 p.m.	Univision	"Soccer" (S)	Mexico takes on Colombia in a friendly.
10 p.m.	Bravo	"Rachel Zoe Project" (R)	Skater Johnny Weir calls Rachel for some fashion help. Might be a little late for that.
10 p.m.	FX	"Sons of Anarchy" (D)	Season premiere. Among other things, Gemma looks for her father, who has Alzheimer's.
10 p.m.	REELZ	" Hollywood's Top Ten" (T)	Counting down the top 10 3D movies.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	"Good Morning America" (N)	A renaissance man: Actor Steve Martin talks about his new children's book, then performs bluegrass.
7 p.m.	ESPN	"Major League Baseball" (S)	AL East matchup between the Rays and Red Sox.
8 p.m.	CW	" America's Next Top Model" (R)	Season premiere. Thirty-two models will be whittled to 14 finalists.
8 p.m.	Fox	"MasterChef" (R)	The contestants go fishing and then make entrees with their catches.
9 p.m.	NBC	" America's Got Talent" (R)	The final 10 becomes the final four.
9 p.m.	CW	"Hellcats" (D)	Series premiere. A pre-law student loses her scholarship, so she tries to win another through cheerleading.
10 p.m.	Bravo	"Top Chef" (R)	The first half of a two-part season finale.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	"Good Morning America" (N)	Arianna Huffington guests and the show hosts a "Brady Bunch" reunion.
7:30 p.m.	NBC	"NFL Opening Kickoff 2010" (A)	Performances by Dave Matthews Band and Taylor Swift.
8 p.m.	CBS	"Big Brother" (R)	Another houseguest is eliminated, and the head of household competition is held.
8 p.m.	CW	"Vampire Diaries" (D)	Season premiere. Followed by the series premiere of the buzzed-about "Nikita."
8:30 p.m.	NBC	"NFL Football" (S)	Season-opening game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.
9 p.m.	ABC	"Rookie Blue" (D)	Season finale. The rookies go through evaluations.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	"Today" (N)	Actress Julianne Moore guests and Sugarland performs.
7 p.m.	ESPN	"College Football" (S)	In-state rivalry game between West Virginia and Marshall.
8 p.m.	Multiple networks	"Stand Up to Cancer" (A)	Telethon hosted by news anchors Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Brian Williams.
9 p.m.	Travel Channel	"Ghost Adventures" (R)	A look at the best evidence of ghosts from the first two seasons.
10 p.m.	ABC	"20/20" (N)	Barbara Walters looks at progeria, a disease that makes kids age rapidly.
10 p.m.	Syfy	"Haven" (D)	Audrey's new friends throw her a surprise birthday party.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Time	Network	Program	Description
3:40 p.m.	ESPN	"College Football" (S)	Great nonconference game between Miami and Ohio State.
7 p.m.	ESPN	"College Football" (S)	Another good one, this between Penn State and Alabama.
7:30 p.m.	ABC	"NASCAR Racing" (S)	The Sprint Cup Air Guard 400 from Richmond.
8 p.m.	CBS	"Tennis" (S)	The women's final from the U.S. Open.
8 p.m.	Fox	"Cops" (R)	Season premiere. The show celebrates its 23rd season with its 800th episode.
9 p.m.	Hallmark Channel	" Fairfield Road" (M)	A man from Boston lives small-town life in Cape Cod.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Time	Network	Program	Description
2:30 p.m.	ESPN	"Basketball" (S)	The title game of the FIBA World Championship.
4 p.m.	CBS	"Tennis" (S)	Another final, this time on the men's side at the U.S. Open.
8 p.m.	Disney Channel	"Hannah Montana Forever" (C)	Miley's horse gets sick after he's bitten by a snake.
8:15 p.m.	NBC	"Sunday Night Football" (S)	NFC East rivalry game between the Cowboys and Redskins.
9 p.m.	HBO	"True Blood" (D)	Season finale. Eric wants revenge against Russell.
10 p.m.	E!	"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" (R)	Kim has a bad physical reaction to Botox injections.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.