I haven't seen very many episodes of The Sopranos over the years—only just enough to know that it was a derivative show universally praised for its originality, and an amazingly slackly-written show universally praised for its tight writing. And I am both old and clear-eyed enough to remember how it was originally marketed: as a gimmick that practically began apologizing in advance for its short shelf life. What if a mobster had a therapist? It turned out people liked the mobster a whole lot, and the therapist maybe not so much. Problem solved.
David Chase is supposed to have had the whole thing pretty well sketched out in his godlike genius brain right from the get-go, and if you can believe that while fumbling with the loose ends of two dozen plot threads, you'll believe it was incredibly inventive to have a mob boss living in a New Jersey suburban neighbourhood in the guise of a waste-management executive. (Did the producers ever just go ahead and actually put a "DARK UNDERBELLY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM LOCATED HERE—NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY" sign on the front lawn of Casa Soprano?) From my detached point of view The Sopranos has looked for years like a textbook case of a TV* series gradually being hijacked by its charismatic male lead, and its fans have gotten pretty much what they deserved. Why bother writing an ending when you can let America do the work for you?
*Of course, it's acknowledged to be a profound insult to refer to The Sopranos as mere television; that would require its creators to grovel in the murk of the leper colony with Rod Serling and Dennis Potter and Larry David and John Cleese and, God forbid, David Simon.
Comments (34)
Night Gallery ("The Cemetary", which features Ossie Davis who was in about 7 million things that are interesting, "Eyes" with Joan Crawford which I think starred the dad from Happy Days but this was a long damn time ago and may have been directed by Steven Speilberg) was a better show than the Sopranos.
Posted by lowetide | June 11, 2007 9:34 PM
Posted on June 11, 2007 21:34
Bunk Moreland and Jimmy McNulty thank you. As do I. I'm not as hard on The Sopranos as you are, but The Wire is a vastly superior show. Maybe it will get the credit it deserves now that it and Entourage are the only HBO shows still standing. Oh, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, if Larry David actually decides to do a 6th season.
Posted by Andy Grabia | June 11, 2007 10:44 PM
Posted on June 11, 2007 22:44
Apparently Lowetide talks about old TV shows exactly the same way he talks about old hockey players.
Posted by Colby Cosh | June 11, 2007 10:50 PM
Posted on June 11, 2007 22:50
Apparently Lowetide talks about old TV shows exactly the same way he talks about old hockey players.
Here's a photo of Lee Majors from his first movie, Strait-Jacket. Majors started his career on The Big Valley and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law on ABC. In 1974, Majors got his big break as Steve Austin on the Six Million Dollar Man, where he used to have regular fights with his boss, Oscar Goldman. Steve Austin should not to be confused with Steve Rogers, who gave up the game-winning homerun to Rick Monday in the 1981 NLCS. Major's career ended in the 80's, following a good run with The Fall Guy. I'd say his comparables are David Caruso and Richard Dean Anderson, which means he's was a good choice for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but I stopped watching television following the strike of 1994.
Posted by Andy Grabia | June 11, 2007 11:25 PM
Posted on June 11, 2007 23:25
In my GMail this comment pulls up a Google Ad for "Washington and Lee Majors." I don't know about you but I would love to see a TV movie about the first president and the Bionic Man.
Posted by Colby Cosh | June 11, 2007 11:28 PM
Posted on June 11, 2007 23:28
Well, Reagan was pretty much on autopilot for the last two seasons.
Posted by Crid | June 12, 2007 12:49 AM
Posted on June 12, 2007 00:49
Spoken like someone who hasn't watched the show! Despite unlikable characters in a predictable milieu, the Sopranos still had great writing most of the time. They wrestled every cliche to the ground; last season they had the best "it was all a dream" episode followed by a single hour that did nothing but tie up every (stressful) loose end.
This last half-season made every single character so genuinely repugnant it made a mockery of any fan who liked them. Even the therapist came to the right conclusion: Tony, you're an asshole. The ending was exactly right, even including Tony choosing the final soundtrack for the viewer.
True, it's not "The Wire" but it was still better than any show not on HBO.
Posted by Byron Fast | June 12, 2007 8:04 AM
Posted on June 12, 2007 08:04
I don't know about you but I would love to see a TV movie about the first president and the Bionic Man.
Hmm. What would the plot be? Would Austin be Washington's secret weapon against the British, performing clandestine operations for the Continental Army? I like that. And maybe Jefferson hated Austin, and fought against his deployment. The movie could be a meditation on representative government and tyranny. The modern parallels are evident. I can picture it already:
on the shore of Staten Island
Jefferson: We can't use him, George!
Washington: Why the hell not? He'll take New York, and the war will be ours. Screw you and your Jeffersonian democracy.
Jefferson: But then we'd be no better than the British. Can't you see it, you wood-toothed bastard? WE'D ONLY BECOME THAT WHICH WE HATE!!!
End Scene
Charlton Heston plays Washington, of course, and Sean Penn plays Jefferson. I see The Rock in the role of Austin.
Posted by Andy Grabia | June 12, 2007 8:14 AM
Posted on June 12, 2007 08:14
Pffft. Talk about paint-by-numbers contrarianism (c/w absurdly calling the show "universally praised", like you're the first guy to ever critcize it on its merits).
"The show's gushingest admirers oversell it! Its network missed the mark with the marketing before any audiences had actually seen it!" Congratulations, that applies to pretty much every successful TV show ever.
For me, I enjoyed the series, and while I wasn't "blown away" by the final episode, it made perfect sense and was exactly consistent with the series' well-established themes. But then I suppose this non-review wasn't directed at me (or even at actual fans who were unsatisfied with the ending).
Posted by Matt | June 12, 2007 9:55 AM
Posted on June 12, 2007 09:55
Contrarian? Cosh? Noooo...
Posted by Andy Grabia | June 12, 2007 10:16 AM
Posted on June 12, 2007 10:16
Cosh,
Speaking of ground-breaking, Italian-American pop culture icons, I'd like to see your take on the Godfathers I & II, movies "universally praised" as two of the greatest of all time. Make note, especially, of the eloquent dialogue written for the principal characters, which was then considered "inventive" mainly because real-life mobsters couldn't speak like that had they had learned to read using nothing but a Bartlett's.
Soprano's, on the other hand, was much more human than the Scorsese's much acclaimed duo. The characters had more depth, they talked like one would expect, and reacted in believable fashion. Fans could relate to them, even if the violence and raunch was more than many people could handle.
I enjoyed the show, though I didn't make an effort to catch all the episodes. I do appreciate, however, Chase's remaking of the television drama. Before then, bold, daring productions were at the mercy of the networks (see Twin Peaks). Now, thanks to the popularity of the Sopranos, we have Rome, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, 24 and, yes, The Wire. Now, for once, fictional television series can be considered an art.
Incidently, the ending pissed me off, and since quality art is meant to evoke an emotional reaction, I believe Chase acheived this end.
Posted by Rob Huck | June 12, 2007 1:40 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 13:40
If you want a show with tight writing, The Shield is there.
Posted by Matt | June 12, 2007 1:47 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 13:47
I will admit one thing: The Wire is probably the subject of stupid "it's too good to be television!" praise almost as often as The Sopranos.
[See also.]
Posted by Colby Cosh | June 12, 2007 1:50 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 13:50
> since quality art is meant
> to evoke an emotional reaction,
> I believe Chase acheived this end.
I'd hate to think of what you'd accept as the conclusion of a sexual encounter.
Posted by Crid | June 12, 2007 2:11 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 14:11
Soprano's, on the other hand, was much more human than the Scorsese's much acclaimed duo.
How the hell did this one slip through subsequent comments? Francis Ford Coppola directed the Godfather movies. Hey, did you guys ever see that movie by Akira Kurosawa, that one called Citizen Kane?
I won't stand for you dissing The Wire, Cosh. A whistling rendition of "Farmer in the Dell" will let you know when I'm approaching your house.
Posted by Andy Grabia | June 12, 2007 3:28 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 15:28
Oh yeah. Coppola.
Freudian slip. I watched The Aviator last night.
Posted by Rob Huck | June 12, 2007 3:37 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 15:37
But now that I think about it, wouldn't The Godfathers would be much more like The Sopranos if Scorsese directed it?
Posted by Rob Huck | June 12, 2007 3:38 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 15:38
I think The Godfather would have been much more like Goodfellas if Scorsese had directed it.
The Godfather, I mean. Or either one, technically. Especially since Goodfellas was in some way conceived as a counterargument to the romantic portrayal of the Mafia in Coppola's trilogy.
Can't properly mock the Sopranos, as it's not a show I watch, but I really liked Goodfellas.
Posted by Ryan Cousineau | June 12, 2007 5:24 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 17:24
"Maybe it will get the credit it deserves now that it and Entourage are the only HBO shows still standing"
Is it just me or has Entourage slipped this year. Don't get me wrong, I still have seen every episode this season, but the quality of the show has gone down. What ever happened to the days of Drama and Turtle having a "akward" threesome or Drama sending mixed signals to his masseuse? Outside of Ari losing his ability to be a pr*ck, none of the well scripted jokes are there anymore. Instead it seems the show is relying on its "cool-lifestyle" factor and nothing else. This formula seems to be working, but part of me is wondering how long it can keep this course.
Other notes: The Wire does kick ass and I would love to hear what Colby has to say about the surge in popularity of mixed martial arts.
Posted by Matthew Watt | June 12, 2007 5:42 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 17:42
The Wire does kick ass and I would love to hear what Colby has to say about the surge in popularity of mixed martial arts.
Are these two things related?
Posted by Andy Grabia | June 12, 2007 6:03 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 18:03
Grabia: :-)
Cosh: I can also do similar stuff for Stampede Wrestling and Clint Eastwood movies. Pull, Emile!
Posted by lowetide | June 12, 2007 6:19 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 18:19
Well, the Cuban Assassin WAS in Dead Pool, so it's not like those two things are unrelated.
Posted by Jason | June 12, 2007 6:51 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 18:51
The Cuban Assasin was not in Dead Pool! Really? That's amazing. What about The Angel of Death or the Viet Cong Express?
Posted by Andy Grabia | June 12, 2007 8:21 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 20:21
No, those two things are not related, but I just wanted to support your view Andy that The Wire is a great show, and that I would really like to see Colby's take on mma, that is all.
And Lowetide, what song lyrics would you use for your post on Clint Eastwood and stampede wrestling?
Posted by Matthew Watt | June 12, 2007 10:30 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 22:30
When the ghost comes round at midnight
Well you both can have some fun
He can drive you mad, he can make you sad
He can keep you from the sun
When they take him down, he'll be both safe and sound
And the hand does fit the glove
And no matter what they tell you,
There's good and evil in everyone
Posted by lowetide | June 12, 2007 10:36 PM
Posted on June 12, 2007 22:36
One word:
Cracker.
Posted by Kathy Shaidle | June 13, 2007 1:06 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 13:06
Thank you for expressing less than total adulation for The Sopranos. Quick trick question: How is The Sopranos different from The Godfather or Goodfellas? It's a TV series, not a movie. Yes, but that's not it. Give up? Okay. It wasn't created by Italian-Americans, that's what. That's why its characters have names like Soprano and Leotardo -- that is, names that come from Italian words commonly used in English. It's artificial in a lot of other ways too, but that one is IMO worth a mention. BTW, Goodfellas really is an underrated movie, and by far the most realistic of all the gangster opuses.
Posted by CJ | June 13, 2007 2:23 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 14:23
Sorry, pal, but that title stays with Bugsy Malone.
Posted by Jason | June 13, 2007 7:15 PM
Posted on June 13, 2007 19:15
TNR made some great points about The Sopranos, especially that the show really shined in terms of dialogue, especially in the past few seasons. The writers did a good job of introducing awkward moments into conversation. The characters didn't magically utter snappy, witty dialogue like they do in far too many shows today. And the show always seemed better in tune with current events than other shows.
- Chris
Posted by Chris | June 14, 2007 12:16 PM
Posted on June 14, 2007 12:16
Wrong, CJ. David Chase is a true paisan. His real name is DeCesare. He changed it to Americanize it. And if you watched the series, you know Phil Leotardo explained that his real name was Americanized, too—by immigration agents at Ellis Island: "They took our proud Italian heritage, and named us after a ballet costume." It was part of the deep reservoir of bitterness that animated Phil, and a testament of the depth of characters that made the Sopranos such a fine show.
As an exercise in would could have been you might get a kick with this TV blogger's terrifying vision of how the series might have ended were it on network TV (Chase originally developed the idea at Fox):
http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2007/06/if-sopranos-were-on-major-network.html
Posted by Kevin Libin | June 14, 2007 5:20 PM
Posted on June 14, 2007 17:20
Er, that would be an exercise is "what" could have been.
Posted by Kevin Libin | June 15, 2007 10:01 AM
Posted on June 15, 2007 10:01
Er, that would be an exercise in "what" could have been.
Posted by Kevin Libin | June 15, 2007 10:01 AM
Posted on June 15, 2007 10:01
Cabin Boy starring Chris Eliot is an underappreciated movie that shames even Citizen Kane.
Posted by Fine Wine | June 23, 2007 8:39 PM
Posted on June 23, 2007 20:39
"I'd hate to think of what you'd accept as the conclusion of a sexual encounter."
Bill Clinton's deposition.
Posted by Fine Wine | June 23, 2007 8:41 PM
Posted on June 23, 2007 20:41