Great TV Series - 4
THE SOPRANOS
Jerry McBroom picked this one (and two others), and I have to agree that it is one of the greatest and most influential television series of all time. I watched every single episode as they aired and couldn’t wait to see the next one.
The Sopranos is largely credited with changing how we watch television. The hour-long HBO drama about Tony Soprano, a mob boss juggling the mafia and his family, ushered in the golden era of television we now enjoy.
The show was nominated for 111 Emmys during its six-season run (1999 - 2007) and won 21, including awards for Best Lead Actor for James Gandolfini, Best Lead Actress for Edie Falco, and multiple awards for writing and directing, and made HBO a must-have network for TV lovers everywhere.
Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is a New Jersey Mafia boss who tries to balance his family life with his role as the boss of the DiMeo crime family. Tony's career causes him frequent rage and anxiety, and, following a series of panic attacks. He reluctantly begins seeing psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), who encourages him to open up about his difficulties balancing his family life with his criminal life.
In Dr. Melfi's office, Tony slowly begins to open up about his emotional problems, even as his career continually leads him into dangerous and even life-threatening scenarios. He finds himself at odds with his wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), his uncle, Junior (Dominic Chianese), and other ambitious family members, such as his nephew and protégé, Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), as well as with New York crime families.
Dr. Melfi treats Tony to the best of her ability, even though he is prone to violent, angry outbursts. In contrast, Melfi is usually thoughtful, rational, and humane. Drawn by the challenge of helping such an unusual client, she naively assumes that their doctor–patient relationship will not affect her personal life.
Tony’s relationship with his wife is strained by his constant infidelity and her struggle to reconcile her misgivings about Tony's business, whose existence she publicly denies, with the affluent lifestyle and higher social status it brings her. Tony and Carmela's parenting style involves anger, criticism, and yelling. They have challenging relationships with their two children: the intelligent but rebellious Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and the underachiever Anthony Jr. (Robert Iler).
The starring cast included members of Tony's extended family.
Many of the actors were Italian American and from the New York area, like the characters they portrayed. Several appeared together in films and television series before joining the cast.
The Sopranos creator David Chase was impressed with Steven Van Zandt's humorous appearance and presence after seeing him induct The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and invited him to audition.
Van Zandt, of course, is the guitarist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. He eventually agreed to star as Tony's consigliere and best friend, who runs the family's strip club headquarters and other businesses. Van Zandt’s real-life spouse, Maureen, was cast as his on-screen wife, Gabriella.
All the exterior and some interior shots of the Soprano residence were filmed on location at a private residence in North Caldwell, New Jersey. Most of the show’s exterior scenes took place in New Jersey and were filmed on location.
The strip club Bada Bing! was actually Satin Dolls, a strip club on Route 17 in Lodi, New Jersey. Exteriors and interiors were shot on location except for the back room. The club continued to operate during the eight years that the show was filmed there.
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It’s been said that the series challenged viewers to question whether people can truly change and whether success is meaningful without inner peace. What do you think about that? And what is the greatest miniseries (or just series) ever, and WHY? I’d like to know what you think.
Most of what you find here was distilled from other sources.