Sons Of Anarchy: 5 Characters Who Were Gone Too Soon (& 5 Who Overstayed Their Welcome)
Sons Of Anarchy had some tremendous characters, with a huge ensemble cast helping to bring this story to life. However, with a show that has so much violence throughout it, there are a lot of deaths, with some characters only having a short spell on the show because of it despite the fact they deserve more.
However, while certain characters were written off the show a little too early, there are some people that end up being part of the show for far longer than they actually should have been, simply outstaying their welcome on the series in the eyes of the fans.
10 Gone Too Soon: Donna Winston
Donna Winston's death is one of the most emotional moments within the entire series and is something that has a major impact on the show overall, particularly with Tig and Clay. While her abrupt death in the first season has a purpose, it could have been even bigger if she'd have stayed alive longer.
Her relationship with Opie is one of the genuine ones within the show, and people were able to buy into it. She was totally different from the rest of the group and her desire to see Opie on the straight and narrow is a story that could've been a lot of fun to explore.
9 Overstayed Their Welcome: Lincoln Potter
Lincoln Potter as a character had a lot of intrigue. He was highly skilled and was willing to do whatever it took, and that is something that made him seem like a genuine threat. However, his storyline was one of the weakest within the series.
He was often pushed to the side for other plot points and that hurt him overall. The character also blurred the lines as he helped different people at times, which didn't help to truly establish his real personality as much, hence why he overstayed his welcome.
8 Gone Too Soon: David Hale
While members of the police were typically seen as enemies towards SAMCRO, they played a necessary role in this show. David Hale was a great character because he tried to be fair with people while ensuring that Charming was as safe as possible.
He could have been someone that proved to be a much bigger problem for SAMCRO, and Wayne Unser in particular if he had been kept around for a little longer on the show.
7 Overstayed Their Welcome: Lee Toric
Lee Toric was supposed to be really scary when he was brought in, mainly because he was someone who would do anything it took to get what he wanted. However, the character always felt very stale and didn't quite connect with the other characters he interacted with.
He was never truly feared on the same level as other enemies for SAMCRO, and that is why the character felt like it dragged on at times. His own personal problems ended up being too much of a focus for this character, which is why audiences ended up being sick of the character.
6 Gone Too Soon: Piney Winston
Piney Winston was one of the original members of SAMCRO, and because of his poor health, it was always inevitable that he wouldn't make it until the very end. However, he could easily have been kept around longer than he was, mainly because Piney knew so many details about the past.
He tried to guide Jax with advice, and if he had been around in later seasons when Jax was actively trying to make big changes, he would no doubt have been impressed. It would also have been interesting to see how Piney would've dealt with his son being killed, which could have been a storyline worth exploring.
5 Overstayed Their Welcome: Galen O'Shay
Galen O'Shay was a villain who had the potential to be great, and at times he was a menace that fans could actually be scared of. However, he ended up being quite muddled in the situation between Clay and Jax, rather than being the main focal point himself.
In the end, Galen didn't feel quite as important as he should, and in the end, he was simply around for a lengthy period of time without making as much impact as he should have done.
4 Gone Too Soon: Hernan Kozik
Herman Kozik was an interesting character with a good backstory and his rivalry with Tig is something that was a lot of fun to see play out. However, before they got to truly draw a conclusion to their issues which could have resulted in Herman being voted in, he ended up dying in a brutal fashion.
He was different from the rest of the group because he came from the outside, and seeing that tension between him and Tig which stopped him from getting sworn in was a great storyline. But resolving it and letting him be a full member would have been great. Instead, it felt like a lot of time and effort was put into him with little pay-off.
3 Overstayed Their Welcome: Chuck Marstein
Chuck was quite obviously on the show to bring in a little bit of comedy, and that did work at times as he could be a lot of fun. However, he was involved throughout the entire show and that just proved to be far too long for this character.
Sure, he had some fun storylines and his personality did develop at points, but overall he didn't offer that much to the show in the grand scheme of things. He danced with death a lot on the show without it happening, but it would actually have been more fitting for him.
2 Gone Too Soon: Kip 'Half-Sack' Epps
Half-Sack spent his entire time on the show as a prospect, never fully earning his patch, which is why he was gone too quickly. Kip was an excellent character that had been built up really well over time, but he didn't get the big moment of becoming a true member of the group, which is something his character deserved.
Half-Sack was somebody who could've been pushed heavily throughout the show as a major deal, especially since his relationship just begins before his death. He is someone who could have been interesting due to his history of building his way up the ranks, but that was cut short.
1 Overstayed Their Welcome: Tara Knowles
Tara might have been one of the lead characters, but she was one that fans ultimately soured against. She quickly became someone that audiences didn't like, which was mainly down to her storylines, and it got to the stage that they wanted her to be gone from the show.
Tara's growing arrogance and anger at the situation she was in never made much sense, considering she was aware of the life she signed up for. Her back and forth decision on wanting to help the club or not is something that angered a lot of people, and she certainly overstayed her welcome.