'Sons of Anarchy' boss: Violent premiere scene 'not sensational'

A scene that caps off the season 6 premiere of Sons of Anarchy reignited a conversation about television violence today at the Television Critics Association press tour, where Executive Producer Kurt Sutter urged critics to stay mum about the sequence “that’s not meant to be sensational.”

“I feel like if it gets leaked, it’s going to be like, ‘oh, they’re doing it to be controversial to bring more eyes to the episode,'” Sutter told reporters about the Sept. 10 episode on FX. “Honestly, I’m worried more about that kind of blowback than people finding out about that event.”

He then explained why he chose to feature such a shocking sequence that breaks from the typical action in Charming. “I’ve wanted to do that story for about three years,” Sutter said. “I knew obviously it would be somewhat controversial but I feel like as much as I wouldn’t do something just because it was controversial, I’m also not not going to do something because it’s controversial.

“I feel like it’ll continue to play out and that’s the truth,” Sutter continued. “I will also say that there’s a lot of blood and guts in my show and it’s the signature of the show, but I also feel like — and I feel like I’m not lying to myself when I say this — is that nothing is done gratuitously. The events that happen in the premiere are really the catalyst for the third act of [the series].”

Sutter does have a history of incorporating certain story lines that could be misconstrued as a ploy to grab headlines. That’s why FX kept it on the down low that Walton Goggins (Justified) had filmed a guest spot as transgender escort Venus Van Dam until it aired last season.