FX Renews 'Sons of Anarchy' for Fifth Season

Prashant Gupta/FX"Sons of Anarchy" FX has renewed Sons of Anarchy for a fifth season. The cable network on Monday ordered 13 episodes of the drama from showrunner Kurt Sutter. "Everyone at FX is very grateful to Kurt Sutter, his many writing, directing and producing collaborators and his masterful cast for making such a compelling and beautifully crafted show," FX president and GM John Landgraf said in a statement announcing the news. VIDEO: 'Sons of Anarchy': Cast and Creator Tease Season 4 "It is no small challenge to bring the themes of a great, ancient play like Hamlet into a wholly original television setting and to tell this complex story in a way that is both riveting and accessible to a broad audience," he added. "The fans know how beautifully SOA meets this challenge, and we thank them for their loyal and passionate viewership." STORY: 'Sons of Anarchy' Sets Ratings Record for FX The renewal comes a few months after Sutter told THR at the summer Television Critics Association press tour that he envisions the drama running seven seasons. SOA, starring Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal stands as FX's highest-rated series ever and basic cable's No. 1 scripted drama series among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic. First-run episodes of SOA's fourth season are averaging 5.8 million total viewers and 3.9 million in the demo, up 30 percent and 26 percent, respectively, compared with Season 3. REVIEW: 'Sons of Anarchy' Season 4 The series is midway through airing its fourth season and wrapped production on Friday. SOA was created by Sutter, who also executive produces the series alongside John Linson, Art Linson and Paris Barclay. The drama is produced by FX Productions and Fox 21. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit Sons of Anarchy FX