Firstly, let me tell you that I have spent a lot of time over the last few months chasing up supposedly good series with varying results. In this time, I have watched the first three shows of at least 20 different series - and this is one of two that I would give five stars to. I rate it that highly.
That's not to say that it doesn't have flaws - it does. But the compulsion to keep watching is there, the writing (courtesy of John Sutter, producer of 'The Shield') is taut and full of cliffhangers, scheming characters and bitng dialogue - it's similar to Sutter's cop show in that respect. It's got a lot of legs to it, and these are early days in the story arc, much like the Harleys that the riders use, the method of getting from a to b is somewhat unsophisticated at times, but oh what a ride!
The central character is Jax, a young man who was born into the eponymous club of the show - his late father was a co-founder, and his mother (played with wonderful hard-nosed ascerbity by Sutter's wife) is now married to the other co-founder (played by Ron Perlman - you'll recognise his face if not his name). He finds a manuscript in a box of his father's old things, reflecting upon how the club has lost its way, and he finds himself starting to question the life he leads, and some of the activities of the club - like gun running. His scheming mother and her husband are less than happy at the changes they see in him. Meanwhile the tame local police chief is due to retire, and his potential replacement is hungry to end the club for good.
And so the series begins. There's some good character actors in this show, and plenty of episodes for both plot and characters to grow and thrive in. If you liked 'The Shield', 'The Wire', 'Breaking Bad' or 'The Sopranos', I really suggest you give this a go - but bear in mind that it's only available as REGION 1 DVD at the time of writing.
I just love that sensation of dying to know what happens next, whilst knowing that you have the whole series to wtch whenever you want to - delicious!