Sons Of Anarchy Is Replacing Jax Teller Despite Charlie Hunnam’s Return

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Charlie Hunnam’s Jax Teller squinting his eyes in Sons of Anarchy

Published Aug 27, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns.
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Sons of Anarchy's TV legacy is primarily defined by Charlie Hunnam's Jax Teller. While the show was later turned into a franchise with a follow-up spin-off, Mayans M.C., it is Charlie Hunnam's Jax Teller that remains the defining face of the franchise. Teller's cathartic 7-season arc and Hunnam's incredible portrayal of the character etched Sons of Anarchy's identity as solid crime drama.

Since Sons of Anarchy ended its run with Jax Teller's death, it was narratively impossible for the franchise to have him back in any capacity. Interestingly, though, Sons of Anarchy is soon set to return to small screens with a whole new spin-off that will also feature Charlie Hunnam as one of its leads. Hunnam's return to the franchise seems to make no sense on paper.

However, it looks like the franchise has found a clever workaround to have Hunnam as its lead again without marking Jax Teller's return. In the upcoming Sons of Anarchy spin-off, titled Legends, Hunnam plays an intriguing role instead of Jax Teller. This new creative direction for the franchise is both risky and fascinating.

Charlie Hunnam Is Not Jax Teller In Sons Of Anarchy’s New Spin-Off

Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller with shorter hair wearing a black hoodie in Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy's new spin-off, Legends, has a strange premise. It follows a meta-narrative in which the cast of Sons of Anarchy, including Charlie Hunnam, reunite for a fan convention ten years after the show. This is when a real-world threat forces them to rely on their "SAMCRO" brotherhood from the series.

Put simply, the show blurs the lines between art and life by making Sons of Anarchy's actors play themselves in a self-parodying thriller.

Like other cast members, Charlie Hunnam, too, will play no one but himself in the series, albeit a more exaggerated version. On paper, Legends sounds a lot like fan fiction that is somehow being translated to television. Interestingly, though, Charlie Hunnam himself pitched the concept directly to FX.

Considering the show's meta approach and subtle reliance on the character beats established in Sons of Anarchy, it seems likely that viewers will see traces of Jax Teller in Charlie Hunnam's new character as well.

The show will serve as a limited series, so one cannot expect it to last as long as SOA. Still, it is an interesting new direction for the franchise after the parent series and Mayans M.C.

Legends Seems Nothing Like Sons Of Anarchy (And That’s Okay)

Since Legends' exact storyline is still unclear, it may be too soon to judge the show. However, it almost seems nothing like Sons of Anarchy with its meta-thriller storytelling. It would also be fair to say that it belongs to a completely different genre. For a franchise that has established a solid identity for itself as a serious crime drama, this new creative direction seems a little tricky.

Sons of Anarchy's lasting legacy alone could help Legends get a lot of attention when it premieres.

However, the show could experience a major identity crisis if it leans too heavily into parodying itself and not retain the grittier aspects of Sons of Anarchy. At the same time, the upcoming spin-off cannot also risk being too derivative and coming off as a Sons of Anarchy continuation, since the show has already ended on a conclusive note with Teller's death.

Considering how Sons of Anarchy's success can largely be attributed to the performances of its cast, Legends benefits from the fact that Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, Mark Boone Junior, Tommy Flanagan, Kim Coates and Theo Rossi are all set to return in its story. The novelty it brings to a familiar franchise also makes it incredibly intriguing.

However, it is still hard not to be cautiously excited about Sons of Anarchy's upcoming spin-off even though it marks Charlie Hunnam's return.