Season Premiere: Sept. 11, 10 p.m., FX
Showrunner: Kurt Sutter
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, Ron Perlman
What to expect this season: In the season 5 premiere, we'll learn that Jax (Hunnam) has a potential friend in Jimmy Smits' former gangbanger Nero Padilla (who makes a memorable entrance with Sagal's Gemma), and a definite enemy in Harold Perrineau's Damon Pope, the pissed-off father of the young woman who Tig (Kim Coates) mistakenly killed in retaliation for Clay's shooting.
Coates says: ''There are certain times when you don't want to see or talk to someone before acting certain moments because it really does add to whatever it is you're trying to create. I think Harold and I both went there [for our characters' introduction] without even intentionally doing so. In the van driving to set, I didn't want to look at him and he didn't want to look at me. We stayed away from each other on the set. Then we just let the emotions come out.'' —Mandi Bierly