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The Sopranos

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The Sopranos
The Sopranos-Logo.jpg
Premiere January 10, 1999
Finale June 10, 2007
Creator David Chase
Network/Provider HBO
Style 60-minute drama
Company Chase Films,
Brillstein-Grey Communications (season 1),
Brad Grey Television (seasons 2-6),
HBO
Seasons 6
Episodes 86
Origin USA

The Sopranos is a mob drama that aired on HBO. It followed the story of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano and his two families, one by blood (wife Carmela, daughter Meadow and son A.J.) and his crime family, which included his aging, cantankerous Uncle Junior and his junkie nephew Christopher.

The series has been almost universally lauded by professional critics of the medium as a high-water mark in American television. With its mixture of dark comedy, operatic tragedy, suburban mundanity and pulpy sensationalism, The Sopranos heralded the popularization of cinematic filmmaking techniques combined with a complexity and exactitude only a serialized medium such as television could afford. The Sopranos even had no compunction against killing off key characters, a trademark which would be later seen in 24, while still leaving plenty of room for graphic depictions of sex, nudity and violence which would have been impossible on the FCC-regulated broadcast networks.

As a result of this complexity (and in no small part thanks to its cast, which over the years included such seasoned and respected actors as James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Joe Pantoliano and Steve Buscemi), The Sopranos became one of the most acclaimed series in television history almost from day one. In merely six seasons and 86 episodes, it racked up over 100 Emmy nominations, winning 21 of them.

However, it wasn't just the critics and the awards bodies who responded. The Sopranos was a hit of a magnitude then unheard of for a cable show. From the second season through the sixth, pay network HBO reported subscription increases of 30 to 40 percent prior to each season premiere, and new episodes routinely broke ratings records for the network in particular and pay cable in general. Tony Soprano became a pop culture icon to rival his cinematic predecessor Michael Corleone.

The critical acclaim and popular appeal of the show led to a legitimizing of cable television. Although cable had had a few original programming successes in the 1980s and '90s (HBO itself had already done quite well with The Larry Sanders Show), prior to the release of The Sopranos and its posh, sophisticated, urbane New York sitcom sister Sex and the City, cable television was still working to overcome its image as a ghetto of sorts for television programming, even requiring its own separate awards. Throughout the 2000s, however, award nominations and year-end "best of television" lists found cable making strong showings, if not altogether dominant.

Perhaps most significantly in the long term, however, was a quirk of historical timing. The DVD format was released at around the same time as the premiere of the series. As a result, The Sopranos and Sex and the City were among the first to be released to the format, and their sales success proved the viability of a home video market for television shows. Within a few scant years, DVD sales had grown to play a role almost as significant as ratings in programming planning. Thus, even in the most objective of senses, The Sopranos represents a significant change of course in the history of the medium of television.

Contents

Cast

Actor Character Duration
Billed Cast 1 2 3 4 5 6
James Gandolfini Tony Soprano * * * * * *
Lorraine Bracco Dr. Jennifer Melfi * * * * * *
Edie Falco Carmela DeAngelis Soprano * * * * * *
Michael Imperioli Christopher Moltisanti * * * * * *
Dominic Chianese Corrado Soprano, Jr. * * * * * *
Vincent Pastore Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero * * *
Steven Van Zandt Silvio Dante * * * * * *
Tony Sirico Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri * * * * * *
Robert Iler Anthony Soprano, Jr. * * * * * *
Jamie-Lynn Sigler Meadow Soprano * * * * * *
Nancy Marchand Livia Soprano * * *
John Ventimiglia Artie Bucco o * * * * *
Katherine Narducci Charmaine Bucco o * * * * *
Drea de Matteo Adriana La Cerva o * * * * *
David Proval Richie Aprile *
Aida Turturro Janice Soprano Baccilieri * * * * *
Vince Curatola Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni o * * * * *
Steve R. Schirripa Bobby "Bacala" Baccilieri * * * * *
Federico Castelluccio Furio Giunta * * * *
Joe Pantoliano Ralph Cifaretto * *
Steve Buscemi Tony Blundetto * *
Orange/Red/o indicates a recurring or guest role during that season.
Dark Green indicates top billing during that season.
Supporting/Recurring Cast 1 2 3 4 5 6
Jerry Adler Herman "Hesh" Rabkin * * * * * *
Oksana Babiy Irina Peltsin * * * *
Paul Schulze Father Phil Intintola * * * * *
Sharon Angela Rosalie Aprile * * * * * *
Matt Servitto Agent Dwight Harris * * * * * *

Seasons

Season  Premiere Finale #
HBO
Season One January 10, 1999 April 4, 1999 13
Season Two January 16, 2000 April 9, 2000 13
Season Three March 4, 2001 May 20, 2001 13
Season Four September 15, 2002 December 8, 2002 13
Season Five March 7, 2004 June 6, 2004 13
Season Six March 12, 2006 June 10, 2007 21

In-Depth

  • At a Glance: Additional information about the series
  • The Big Whack List: A listing of who died at whose hand and when. NOTE: May contain spoilers.
  • Characters: A listing of all major characters who appeared and the families, blood or crime, with which they were associated.
  • Dream Diary: A listing of key dream sequences with analysis and key symbolism.
  • Music: A listing of music used in the series.

DVD and Blu-ray Releases

DVD

Title Release Discs
Complete Series  (Region 1)
The Complete Series November 11, 2008 purchase 33
The Complete Series (2009) November 17, 2009 purchase 30
Season Sets  (Region 1)
The Complete First Season December 12, 2000 purchase 4
The Complete Second Season November 6, 2001 purchase 4
The Complete Third Season August 27, 2002 purchase 4
The Complete Fourth Season October 28, 2003 purchase 4
The Complete Fifth Season June 7, 2005 purchase 4
Season Six, Part I November 7, 2006 purchase 4
Season Six, Part II October 23, 2007 purchase 4

Blu-ray

Title Release Discs
Season Sets  (Region A)
The Complete First Season November 24, 2009 purchase 5
Season Six, Part I December 19, 2006 purchase 4
Season Six, Part II October 23, 2007 purchase 4

Soundtrack Releases

Title Release Tracks Discs
Soundtracks
The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series December 14, 1999 14 1
The Sopranos: Peppers & Eggs May 8, 2001 25 1
Unofficial Imports
Fuhgeddaboudit! Music You Heard on The Sopranos March 15, 2004 45 1
Bada Bing! Music Heard on The Sopranos July 31, 2007 52 1

External Sites