FX has announced the return dates for several of their popular scripted series — season four of Sons of Anarchy, season seven of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, year three of The League, and season three of Archer.

Here are the dates and the press release from FX:

FX SETS FALL PREMIERE DATES FOR ORIGINAL SERIES

Sons of Anarchy Returns Tuesday, Sept. 6, 10 PM ET/PT With a Special 90-Minute Premiere

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Begins Thursday, Sept. 15, 10 PM ET/PT

New Drama Series American Horror Story Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 5, 10 PM ET/PT

The League Kicks Off Thursday, October 6, 10:30 PM ET/PT

Archer Gets Special 3-Week Run Starting Thursday, Sept. 15, 10:30 PM ET/PT

LOS ANGELES, July 20, 2011 – FX, basic cable’s leader for scripted programming in the fall season, is continuing its strategy of launching new and returning original series in September and October.

FX opens its fall season with the return of the award-winning hit drama Sons of Anarchy on September 6, and will continue to run Tuesdays at 10 PM ET/PT. The 13-episode season kicks off with a special 90-minute premiere episode. Sons of Anarchy, is an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (MC) desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that there simple, sheltered town of Charming, California which remains exactly that, charming. Season four begins with SAMCRO fresh out of jail and back into Charming. Upon their arrival, they encounter new law enforcement and head right back to business. The club is pressed with a decision that could challenge what SOA has always stood for and brings forth an unlikely alliance. With Jax fresh out of a jail and the birth of his newborn son, he is forced to put new plans into motion that could affect the club and ultimately his family. Sons of Anarchy is the #1-rated series in FX history. Sons of Anarchy first moved to the fall in its second season and saw its ratings increase upwards of +70% in viewership and all key demos. Sons of Anarchy was created by Executive Producer/Writer/Director Kurt Sutter and it stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal, who won the Golden Globe(R) Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her performance last season. The series is produced by Fox 21 and FX Productions.

A mainstay on FX’s fall schedule since 2007, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia begins its seventh season on September 15, airing Thursdays at 10 PM ET/PT for 13 weeks. Sunny has grown into a huge success to become one of the top scripted comedies on cable. Last season, Dee got knocked up, Charlie and Dennis partied in Atlantic City, and Mac fought gay marriage in his own unique, misguided way. This season, tune in to see the Gang prepare for the apocalypse, hit the beach at the Jersey Shore, produce a child beauty pageant, and take a walk down memory lane at their high school reunion. As they say, some things never change, so prepare for more depraved schemes, half-baked arguments and absurdly underhanded plots to subvert one another. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was created by McElhenney and is executive produced by McElhenney, Day, Howerton, Michael Rotenberg, Nick Frenkel and Tom Lofaro. The show is produced by FX Productions.

FX’s new drama series American Horror Story makes its debut on October 5 and will run Wednesdays at 10 PM ET/PT. American Horror Story, co-created by former Nip/Tuck executive producers and current Glee co-creators/executive producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, revolves around The Harmons, a family of three who move from Boston to Los Angeles as a means to reconcile past anguish. The All Star cast features Dylan McDermott (The Practice) as “Ben Harmon,” a psychiatrist; Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) as “Vivien Harmon,” Ben’s wife; Taissa Farmiga as “Violet,” the Harmon’s teenage daughter; Jessica Lange (Tootsie, Blue Sky, Grey Gardens) in her first-ever regular series TV role as “Constance,” the Harmon’s neighbor; Evan Peters (One Tree Hill) plays “Tate Langdon,” one of Ben’s patients; and Denis O’Hare (The Good Wife) as “Larry Harvey.” Guest stars for the series include Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) as the Harmon’s housekeeper; Alexandra Breckenridge (Dirt) as the Harmon’s housekeeper; and Jamie Brewer as Constance’s daughter. The pilot episode of American Horror Story, shot in Los Angeles, was written by Murphy and Falchuk, and it was directed by Murphy. In addition to Murphy and Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto will also serve as Executive Producer of the series. American Horror Story is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television.

The League kicks off its third season on October 6, airing Thursdays at 10:30 PM ET/PT for a 13-episode run. The League, which debuted in September of 2009, is set against the backdrop of a fantasy football league. The show is about friendship, marriage, parenting, and growing up… or refusing to grow up. Season two of The League grew +4% in Total Viewers and +5% in Adults 18-49 vs. season one. It was created by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff Schaffer (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld) and Jackie Marcus Schaffer (Disturbia, EuroTrip) who serve as executive producers and directors. The ensemble cast features Mark Duplass, Stephen Rannazzisi, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Katie Aselton and Jon Lajoie. The series is produced by FX Productions.

Finally, FX’s acclaimed animated series Archer will get a special three-week run with all new episodes September 15, 22 and 29, Thursdays at 10:30 ET/PT behind It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Archer showed strong year-over-year growth in its second season, posting increases of +23% in Total Viewers and +22% in Adults 18-49, and the special run behind Sunny will provide an excellent sampling opportunity to expand its audience before officially launching its third season in early 2012 with a 13-episode run.

This summer FX is getting strong performances from its original series. The new critically acclaimed comedy series Wilfred is delivering the highest first-season ratings ever of any FX comedy. Wilfred’s season one finale airs on Thursday, September 8 at 10 PM ET/PT.

Louie, starring Louis C.K., is having an impressive second season, posting year-over-year gains of +57% in Total Viewers and +60% in delivery of Adults 18-49. C.K. was recently received Emmy(R) Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (an FX first) and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. The season two finale of Louie airs on Thursday, September 8 at 10:30 PM ET/PT.

FX’s award-winning drama Rescue Me debuted its seventh and final season last Wednesday, up +22% in Total Viewers and +9% in Adults 18-49 vs. the season 6 average. The groundbreaking series will air its series finale on Wednesday, September 7.

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from the Fox Networks Group. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 99 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning original series, an established film library with box-office hits from 20th Century Fox and other studios and an impressive roster of acquired hit series. For more information about FX, visit our web site at www.FXnetworks.com.

*Source: Nielsen Most Current (000s)

What do you think? Which of these shows are you looking forward to seeing? Any that you think should be cancelled instead?

Image courtesy FX.