The Sopranos - 19 years ago today

[Sea Bass]

Saw a story today that said The Sopranos debuted on this day in 1998. Coincidentally, I just finished re-watching the entire series earlier this week. A few thoughts came to mind after watching the finale:

• The series has held up extremely well, it’s still as funny as hell with dialogue that still works
• Annabella Sciorra was the hottest of all Tony’s goomahs.
• Certain themes of the show would never fly today; mainly the parts that showed just how much these guys hated gays (but just gay men lol).
• The way the series ended still rankles me after all this time
• After decades of searching, I have still not found a strip club with talent as hot as every Bing Girl in the show. I will press on, however.

This is all. Just some thoughts from a guy who can’t sleep.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

My biggest pet peeve with the show is it NOT showing the female Italian mafia boss, Annalisa Zucco, naked.
Total Smoke Show.

 

[Flip Wilson]

Saw a story today that said The Sopranos debuted on this day in 1998. Coincidentally, I just finished re-watching the entire series earlier this week. A few thoughts came to mind after watching the finale:

• The series has held up extremely well, it’s still as funny as hell with dialogue that still works
• Annabella Sciorra was the hottest of all Tony’s goomahs.
• Certain themes of the show would never fly today; mainly the parts that showed just how much these guys hated gays (but just gay men lol).
• The way the series ended still rankles me after all this time
• After decades of searching, I have still not found a strip club with talent as hot as every Bing Girl in the show. I will press on, however.

This is all. Just some thoughts from a guy who can’t sleep.

Paulie: The guy was an interior decorator.

Christopher: His house looked like ****.

 

[Chef2]

I loved the ending. Absolutely loved it.

 

[typefitter]

I've watched enough YouTube clips, including the ending, to have probably ruined the show for me, but I've never watched an entire episode. I get the sense from your "still stands up" comment that maybe I should.

 

[Cosmo]

I've watched the whole series twice through, and when I come home with a hearty buzz on weekend nights sometimes, I'll cue up and old episode. Man, does it hold up well.

Love College and Sopranos Home Movies.

True story: To this day, I make my scrambled eggs with sour cream. Call 'em gangster eggs. Thanks Ralphie.

 

[LongTimeListener]

No spoilers, please.

 

[Webster]

I saw every episode when it originally aired, except for 1 when we were flying back from a wedding.

I think that the intervention scene might be the funniest thing I've watched on TV. It's only spoiled by the line that Tony was going to die of a heart attack when he was 50.

It's a shame that Nancy Marchand passed away, because the Livia-Tony interactions were amazing.

I also thought that David Proval was amazing as Richie. I have no idea why he wasn't a star.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I thought it was a show that kind of overstayed its welcome a few seasons, but the first few seasons were brilliant. And, of course, without "The Sopranos" there is no "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones," "Boardwalk Empire," "Orange is the New Black," and a hundred other shows that are available right now that I couldn't even name.

 

[Monday Morning Sportswriter]

Bobby: Mom started going downhill after the World Trade Center. You know Quasimodo predicted all this.
Tony: Who did what?
Bobby: All these problems - the Middle East, the end of the world.
Tony: Nostradamus. Quasimodo's the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Bobby: Oh right. Notre Damus.

 

[Cosmo]

I thought it was a show that kind of overstayed its welcome a few seasons, but the first few seasons were brilliant. And, of course, without "The Sopranos" there is no "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," "Game of Thrones," "Boardwalk Empire," "Orange is the New Black," and a hundred other shows that are available right now that I couldn't even name.

Sopranos hit a lull ... they shouldn't have extended the final season like they did, and it was clear that some of those episodes were filler. I understand why it happened (actor availability, etc.). The back half of the final season was outstanding. And I had no use for the episode where Junior sits in the graveyard talking to his old flame. Only episode I skipped on the rewatch.

 

[Monday Morning Sportswriter]

And I had no use for the episode where Junior sits in the graveyard talking to his old flame. Only episode I skipped on the rewatch.

Might want to rewatch it. I don’t think you’re remembering it right.

 

[lcjjdnh]

I saw every episode when it originally aired, except for 1 when we were flying back from a wedding.

I think that the intervention scene might be the funniest thing I've watched on TV. It's only spoiled by the line that Tony was going to die of a heart attack when he was 50.

It's a shame that Nancy Marchand passed away, because the Livia-Tony interactions were amazing.

I also thought that David Proval was amazing as Richie. I have no idea why he wasn't a star.

Also played Toby’s rabbi in an early West Wing episode—that’s quite a range!

 

[StaggerLee]

I didn't read any of the posts above because I'm watching The Sopranos for the first time ever and honestly have no idea how it ends (crazy that I've avoided spoilers but what can I say, I've lived in a sports writer's bubble my whole life).

Already on Season 2, Episode 12 and looking forward to seeing how this plays out. Strange that I've never seen the show, because I'm a huge fan of Godfather trilogy and Goodfellas.

 

[Webster]

Also played Toby’s rabbi in an early West Wing episode—that’s quite a range!

He was great in that episode! And I know that he lost out to Gandolfini for Tony because he wasn't as likable. But he's a great actor who seemed to play a bit part in a ton of shows/movies.

 

[Lt.Drebin]

Sopranos was my favorite TV series ever. I found it suspenseful, fascinating, and often hilarious.

I also liked the finale. To me, the point of the finale was to illustrate what the rest of Tony’s living days would be like: nerve-wracking — to the point he would always have to live in fear, with his head on a swivel. In other words, he could get murdered at any moment.

Also: “Pine Barrens” was my favorite single episode of TV ever. I always thought that Russian that got away would rear his ugly head again at some point ...

 

[heyabbott]

I loved it as I watched it but in hindsight I think I overrated it. For me, when I realized Tony was never going to grow, to become self aware, it stopped being great ‘literature’ or art and reverted to being great entertainment.

The Wire and Deadwood, for example, were both great art and great entertainment.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

No spoilers, please.

The chick is a dude.

 

[TwoGloves]

Brad Renfro was great in The Sopranos

 

[Double Down]

I think that the intervention scene might be the funniest thing I've watched on TV. It's only spoiled by the line that Tony was going to die of a heart attack when he was 50.

Two lines from that scene are among my favs in the whole series.

1. When Silvio gives his speech to Chris, and he says (and it's all in his delivery) "I came to pick you up, your hair was all hanging down in the toilet. Disgusting."

2. When it's revealed Chris sat on Adriana's dog, and Tony is furious, and in the midst of the arguing Paulie says "You sat on the dog? What, was it barking?"

Both lines just about made me die.


Just starting rewatching this series, coincidentally. The subtle themes of the series -- beneath all the gangster stuff -- are so good. The Wire, The Sopranos, Mad Men and Deadwood. Everything else is a tier below. (And yes, that includes Breaking Bad, which was great for what it was, and more entertaining that some of the shows I listed, but not on that level in terms of depth.)