On May 28, filming began on FX’s down and dirty biker drama Sons of Anarchy, which probably means the effects team has already gone through about two gallons of blood and two or three fake corpses. Luckily, this means casting news is revving up, and it looks like a new sheriff is coming to Charming, California, and her name is Annabeth Gish.
Well, the sheriff’s name is actually Althea Jarry – which sounds like a Mad Magazine riff on a real name – but it’s Gish that will be playing her. The actress is already familiar with FX’s dark brand of storytelling, as she plays the immigrant-transporting Charlotte Millwright in the Americanized remake of The Bridge. Now, I’m not trying to downplay the actress’ strengths or anything, but how can she possibly give this character a fighting chance against the powers that be within SAMCRO? I mean, even even CCH Pounder got lost in the mix in Season 6.
According to TVLine, Jarry worked for years with the Organized Crime Unit in Stockton, where the series’ prison is set. Her first duty as sheriff is tracking down whoever murdered former Sheriff Eli Roosevelt and Jax’s wife Tara. Viewers, of course, know exactly who the culprits were, though it’s not clear whether Jarry will be looking for one or two suspects.
Unsurprisingly, she’ll soon figure out that the only way to make her life easier is to work with the Sons and do some things their way. But, to be expected, she’s no doormat and she’s written a few rules of her own. Considering the first sheriff, Wayne Unser, got cancer and is generally a misery-filled person, and the second one got shot, I’m not entirely sure what Jarry’s chances are in making it to the end of the season. It’s not the happiest job in the world.
Gish, who you might remember from Mystic Pizza and SLC Punk, has had a steady television career over the years, starring in shows like The X-Files and Pretty Little Liars. Her biggest standout role to date was as the steely Eileen Caffee on Showtime’s Brotherhood, and she’s recently appeared on series such as Parenthood and Betrayal. As far as features go, she’ll soon be seen in Kyle Wilamowski’s directorial debut Grass Stains and Oculus director Mike Flanagan’s next thriller Somnia.
Gish is the second casting announcement made today, and follows the antichrist superstar himself Marilyn Manson, who is joining Sons of Anarchy as a white supremacist Stockton inmate who helps Jax out with some thangs. Can we look forward to anyone else joining the cast? Ron Perlman returning as Clay’s ghost?
The seventh and final season of Sons of Anarchy starts this September on FX.
