The Sopranos

The Sopranos
The Sopranos title screen
Created by	David Chase
Starring	James Gandolfini Lorraine Bracco Edie Falco Michael Imperioli Dominic Chianese Steven Van Zandt Tony Sirico Robert Iler Jamie-Lynn Sigler Aida Turturro Steven R. Schirripa Vincent Curatola Frank Vincent John Ventimiglia Ray Abruzzo Kathrine Narducci Dan Grimaldi Toni Kalem Sharon Angela
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	78 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	approx. 53 minutes
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	January 10, 1999 – June 10, 2007

Template:Two other uses The Sopranos is an American television drama series broadcast on the HBO network. The show is about a fictional Italian-American Mafia family in Northern New Jersey that is led by mob boss Tony Soprano. The program has broadcast five complete seasons to date and filming of final episodes began in July 2006. The final season is split into two runs. The first run of 12 episodes concluded with the airing of "Kaisha" on June 4, 2006. The last nine episodes began broadcasting on April 8, 2007.

Since debuting in 1999 the program has gained wide-spread popularity and critical acclaim for its view into the Mafia lifestyle, the American family and the Italian-American community. Like many other HBO programs, The Sopranos is intended for mature audiences and includes depictions of violence, frontal nudity, drug use, and strong language.

The series stars, among others, James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, and Michael Imperioli. The cast is large and several members have been recognized for their acting ability. The plot focuses on the difficulties faced by Tony Soprano (Gandolfini), Boss of the DiMeo Crime Family in suburban Northern New Jersey, as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads.

Characters

Main article: List of characters from The Sopranos

File:Sopranos62poster03.jpg

2007 promotional picture for Season 6, Part 2.

Template:Spoiler Anthony "Tony" Soprano (James Gandolfini) is the boss of the DiMeo crime family and patriarch of the Soprano household. He is troubled with personal and professional problems and sees a therapist for his panic attacks. His therapist is Dr. Jennifer Melfi, (Lorraine Bracco), also an Italian-American. Dr. Melfi struggles to maintain her ethical and professional position despite being endangered and threatened by Tony and his criminal lifestyle.

Tony's immediate family consists of his wife Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco), daughter Meadow Mariangela Soprano (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and son Anthony "A.J." Soprano, Jr. (Robert Iler). Carmela is a proud mother and devoted wife who struggles to accept her husband's criminal activity and infidelity as well as her own financial insecurity. She maintains a social network with other Mafia wives and widows. A.J. is initially a typical adolescent and struggles with an unconfirmed diagnosis of ADHD and teenage rebellion. Meadow is a gifted student who rationalizes her father's business and grows up hoping to pursue a career in medicine.

Tony's extended family includes his mother Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand), sisters Janice Soprano (Aida Turturro) and Barbara Soprano Giglione (Nicole Burdette), uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese), cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) and "nephew" Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli). Livia is a shrewd manipulator and has emotional problems of her own, mainly being incapable of showing love or compassion of any kind. Junior has seniority over Tony in their criminal empire and strives to maintain power. This desire to be boss coupled with Livia's manipulative ways lead to a fudged assassination attempt on Tony in the first season. As a result, the relationship between Tony and his uncle Junior is intriguing throughout the series. Janice, who has had a child in Quebec, ran off to Seattle at a young age, but returns to New Jersey decades later and gets into disruptive relationships with some of Tony's colleagues. Barbara has moved away to start her own family. Blundetto grew up with Tony, but was convicted of armed robbery in their youth. He is finally released from prison in season five of the show. Christopher is Carmela's second cousin, but Tony considers him his nephew and protege in the crime family, helping him rise through the ranks.

Tony's close circle within the DiMeo crime family includes Silvio "Sil" Dante (Steven Van Zandt), Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) and Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore). Sil is Tony's consigliere and best friend, Paulie and Big Pussy are longtime soldiers who have worked with Tony and his father. Also in Tony's crew are Patsy Parisi (Dan Grimaldi) , Furio Giunta (Federico Castelluccio) and Carlo Gervasi (Arthur J. Nascarella). Patsy is another aging soldier with a talent for book-keeping. Furio is imported muscle from an associated Italian crime family and Carlo is an 'Old School' soldier who took over a crew.

Other significant characters in the DiMeo family include Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri (Steven R. Schirripa), Richie Aprile (David Proval), Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano), Eugene Pontecorvo (Robert Funaro) and Vito Spatafore (Joseph R. Gannascoli). Bobby is a subordinate of Junior's whom Tony often bullies. Bobby eventually marries Janice. Cifaretto is ambitious, but he is a top earner who often makes life difficult for Tony. Richie Aprile is released from prison in season two and immediately becomes an adversary for Tony. Pontecorvo is a young soldier who becomes a made man alongside Christopher. Spatafore works his way up through the ranks as his superiors die, but has a secret that is not revealed until season five.

Friends of the Soprano family include Herman "Hesh" Rabkin (Jerry Adler), Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo), Rosalie Aprile (Sharon Angela), Angie Bonpensiero (Toni Kalem), Artie Bucco (John Ventimiglia) and Charmaine Bucco (Kathrine Narducci). Hesh is an advisor and friend to Tony, and served this role under Tony's father Giovanni "Johnny Boy" Soprano. Adriana is Christopher's girlfriend; the two have a tempestuous relationship. Rosalie is a close friend of Carmela's, not to mention the widow of the former boss of the family, Jackie Aprile, who stays tied to the organization. Angie is Salvatore Bonpensiero's wife who later goes into business for herself. Artie and Charmaine are school friends of the Sopranos and owners of the popular restaurant Vesuvio.

John "Johnny Sack" Sacrimoni (Vince Curatola), Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) and "Little" Carmine Lupertazzi, Jr. (Ray Abruzzo) are all significant characters from the New York based Lupertazzi crime family, which shares much of its business with the Soprano organization. Although the Lupertazzis' and DiMeos' interests are often at odds, Tony maintains a cordial business-like relationship with Johnny Sack, preferring to make deals that benefit both families. Phil Leotardo, however, is more difficult to deal with, ambitious and not hesitant to use or order violence against Tony's crew.

Plot synopsis and episode list

Main article: List of The Sopranos episodes

See also: The Sopranos timeline

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Tony Soprano in an episode from season one.

The series begins with Tony Soprano collapsing after suffering an anxiety attack. This prompts him to begin therapy with Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Gradually, the storyline reveals that Tony's mother was manipulative and possibly psychotic, his children have troubled futures, someone in his organization is talking to the FBI, and his own Uncle is plotting his death. Tony's Uncle Junior had been installed as boss of the family while Tony controls things from behind the scenes. Furious at Junior's plan to have him killed, Tony responds to the attempt on his life with a violent reprisal and confronts his mother for her role in plotting his downfall. She has a psychologically triggered pseudostroke. Tony's Uncle Junior is arrested by the FBI.

In the second season, Richie Aprile is released from prison and proves to be uncontrollable in the business arena as well as starting a relationship with Tony's sister Janice. Tony's friend "Big Pussy" returns to New Jersey after a conspicuous absence and Tony realizes he is an FBI informant. Forced to face up to these problems, Tony personally kills Big Pussy and Janice kills Richie in a violent argument before Tony is forced to deal with him.

In the third season, the ambitious Ralph Cifaretto returns to Tony's organization after a long absence in Florida. He gets involved with friends of Tony's family and, despite a personal animosity, Tony promotes him. Jackie Aprile, Jr. becomes involved with Tony's daughter and then descends into an increasingly reckless life of crime. Tony initially attempts to chalk up Jackie Jr.'s erratic behavior to a forgivable incident of his youth, and tries to prevent an escalation by having a frank and direct talk with Jackie. Despite Tony's counsel--and warning--Jackie crosses a bright line by organizing a botched robbery attempt on his own borgata. Tony decides to give Ralph Cifaretto the responsibility of making a decision regarding whether to give Jackie Jr. a pass or not. Ralph ultimately decides to have Jackie Jr. killed.

In the fourth season, Tony murders Ralphie in a violent rage because he believes Ralphie killed their racehorse Pie-O-My in a stable fire. Ralphie's behavior up to that point had become increasingly erratic and senselessly violent, including the murder of one of Silvio's working girls in the third season. Tension between Tony and Carmela comes to a head when Tony's former goomara Irina calls the house. Their marriage finally breaks down and Carmela leaves him. Tony is approached by Johnny Sack, his friend in the Lupertazzi Crime Family, with a proposal to murder Carmine Lupertazzi, which he eventually turns down.

In the fifth season, Tony's cousin Tony Blundetto is released from prison alongside other mob figures. Carmine dies unexpectedly and his failure to nominate a successor leads to a power struggle in New York. Despite trying to avoid returning to organized crime, Blundetto gets involved in the war against Tony's orders. When Blundetto kills the brother of Phil Leotardo, Johnny demands that Tony turn him in. Refusing to do so provokes the New York faction, and eventually Tony elects to kill Blundetto himself rather than hand him over to be tortured. Tony manages to convince Carmela to take him back. Christopher discovers that Adriana is an FBI informant and tells Tony. Tony, with Christopher's understanding, orders Silvio Dante to kill Adriana. Just as Tony and Johnny are about to put an end to the bloodshed between the families and get back to business, Johnny is arrested by the FBI.

In the first part of the sixth season, Tony is shot by the now senile and confused Uncle Junior. Following the shooting, Tony has numerous vivid dreams while in a coma. These change his outlook and he tries to change his ways. However, he is faced with more problems in his business life. Christopher Moltisanti, after getting married and buying a new home, becomes romantically involved (and begins using drugs again) with an attractive female real estate agent that Tony is attracted to as well. Vito Spatafore is outed as a homosexual and Tony is urged to deal with the problem by Phil Leotardo, now boss of New York with Johnny Sack in prison. When Tony fails to act, Phil intervenes and kills Spatafore. Tony's crime family commits a reprisal murder and once more it appears that the families are on the verge of all-out war.

Symbolism

Throughout the course of the show's history The Sopranos has featured heavy use of symbolism. Interpretations of the symbolism used in the show have been wide ranging and repeatedly disputed. The interpretations have ranged from ones by "Literary critics and historians, neo-Marxists, theoretical feminists, postmodernists, and pre-post-post-structuralists" according to David Kelly of The New York Times. They have also been repeatedly interpreted in chatrooms, on internet forums, and in blogs. Fortunately, David Chase has helped explain much of the symbolism in television and print interviews.

Dreams

See also: Tony Soprano's Dreams

A distinct aspect of The Sopranos are the dream sequences. Series creator David Chase, who writes most of the dream sequences, states of them, "We've used those dreams to further the narrative. For example, "Funhouse' could have been a story in which Tony gets some information that Pussy's the rat and he tracks it down and we do some stultifying procedural until we have the proof in hand. And I just couldn't go through that. I can't stand that (stuff). So we just decided it would be more interesting, that on some level Tony knows this, that his friend is betraying him, and it makes him ill in combination with some bad chicken, and his subconscious erupts like that and gives him the information." The dream sequence includes Tony talking to Big Pussy as a fish and realizing his friend is an FBI informant. In the dream, Pussy (the fish) tells Tony, "You shouldn't have passed me over for promotion." Another famous dream is the sequence in "The Test Dream" that is over 20 minutes in length.

Season six contains the longest continuous "dream" sequence with Tony as a regular man having his identity mistaken for a man named Kevin Finnerty. In the dream, Tony is stuck in a city he had traveled to for business, and because of mistaken identity, he cannot travel home. Finnerty is portrayed as a salesman who lives a conservative, law abiding life.

Themes and characteristics

Malapropisms

The mobsters in the series are depicted as tough, savvy, and street-smart but lacking education and common sense. The characters are frequently oblivious to the humorous usage of their language and ignorance. The malapropisms are often a source of humor for the viewers. Paulie pronounces "Mayhem" as "Mayham" in the third episode of season six, giving the episode its title. In New York mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi's first appearance in Season 3 he reassures Tony that seeing a therapist is nothing to be ashamed of: "There's no stigmata." In the second episode of season one, Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri laments to "Big Pussy" that Americans are stealing Italian culture and making money as a result (pizza, calzones, etc. are cited as examples). Paulie also cites "Expresso" (emphasis on "X") coffee as something stolen by Americans from Italian culture and sold in the mainstream for profit; the coffee is actually spelled and pronounced "Espresso". Bobby Baccalieri once drew the ire of Tony while discussing world events and biblical prophecy by erroneously stating that "Quasimodo predicted all of this." Tony then corrected him by saying that he meant Nostradamus and that Quasimodo was the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Baccalieri then continued the conversation by mentioning the backfield of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, now thinking that a hunchback is like a full back. Christopher has often used the expression "irregardless", as well as confusing Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) with the acronym for a sports utility vehicle by calling the show Law & Order: SUV. Tony has had several instances of misused language. In a season 2 episode, he mentions his uncle's "cathode" when referring to a catheter. In season four, he attributes a quote of Rodney King, "Why can't we all just get along?", to "the Reverend Rodney King Jr". Tony apparently inherited this trait from his father, Johnny Soprano, who once told his wife, Livia, she was an "albacore around his neck."

Key plot lines of the show highlight the characters ineptitude and frequent misunderstandings of history and common knowledge. Paulie is the character best known for humorous use of language. When he mentions what he thinks caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and a lady diner queries, "Wasn't that a meteor?", Paulie dismissively replies "they're all meat-eaters". Paulie also believes snakes can reproduce spontaneously. When Tony Blundetto becomes involved in a business dealing with a Korean, Paulie reminds him to "remember Pearl Harbor". Much of the episode "Pine Barrens" was devoted to the failings of Paulie and Christopher as they attempted to survive a single day and night in a snowy wilderness after a botched execution. In this episode, Tony tells them to be careful with the subject of their execution as he once allegedly killed 16 Chechnyan rebels and was part of the Russian Interior Ministry. When Paulie later repeats this claim, he says that the subject killed 16 Czechoslovakians and was an interior decorator. Earlier in the same episode Christopher shows his bad knowledge of history when he talks about Russians with Paulie. Paulie happens to mention the Cuban Missile Crisis, Christopher is surprised and asks, "That was real?" because he had seen a movie and thought it was fiction. In the pilot, Christopher explains his understanding that Polish people are from Czechoslovakia. In Season 4, he believes his girlfriend has two uteri. In Season 6, episode 6, Tony talks to Melfi about homosexuality, misquoting (and mangling the name of) then-Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum saying "I agree with that Senator Sanitorium. He says if we let this stuff go too far, pretty soon we'll be fucking dogs."

Tony often repeats things that Dr. Melfi says to him elsewhere, only to get the phrase entirely wrong or completely miss the point. When Melfi told him that his relationship with Gloria can be described as "Amour Fou" ("crazy love"), Tony later repeats the phrase to Gloria, describing their affair as "Our Mofo". In the tenth episode of the fifth season, "Cold Cuts", Tony says "revenge is like serving cold cuts" only to be corrected by Dr. Melfi saying, "Revenge is a dish best served cold". In "Commendatori" Paulie travels to Italy and attempts to blend in with the locals, but does not realize that he is repeatedly being mocked. On another occasion Tony remarks to Dr. Melfi that he has read a book she recommended, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, but that many of his compatriots have read Prince Matchabelli, a malapropism that simultaneously alludes to a perfume and the book The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. Some characters however are portrayed as well spoken in contrast. For instance Johnny Sack almost never uses malaproposims.

Ineptitude is displayed when the Family bought a gravestone for Joseph Pepperelli that bore the deceased gangster's nickname "Joey Peeps" rather than his actual name because some the characters were apparently unaware of his real name.

References and allusions

Television and movie references

Characters, particularly Tony, are often shown watching movies or TV shows on television. Tony is often seen watching documentaries on The History Channel or noir classics such as James Cagney's The Public Enemy or White Heat. Tony has also been seen watching The Quiet Man starring John Wayne and Rio Bravo starring Dean Martin and John Wayne. The use of certain scenes in these documentaries and movies are used to foreshadow events that are going to happen, or to symbolize the situation that Tony and/or other characters are in. An example of this is Uncle Junior watching a Paths of Glory scene in "Members Only" that had Adolphe Menjou's character (General Broulard) telling Kirk Douglas's character (Colonel Dax) "You've spoiled the keenness of your mind by wallowing in sentimentality... You are an idealist, and I pity you as I would the village idiot." This was used to symbolize the deterioration of Uncle Junior's memory and his relationship with Tony.

Movies are also a source of inspiration for the show. Christopher's obsession with becoming a screenwriter has been a long-running storyline on the show. In the first and second seasons, he wrote a script called "You Bark, I Bite" but struggled to complete it. In season six, he hired former AA sponsor, JT Dolan, to write a script titled "Pork Store Killer" (later renamed "Cleaver"). On occasion, he uses movie references to describe the situation he is in. In addition, Ralph Cifaretto had a fascination with gladiator movies. Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000), in particular, seems to stimulate Ralph's bravado and he can be heard quoting several lines from the film during the third season. When he quotes "Pride and Honor", Tony hands Ralph his empty glass and says, "Scotch and Soda".

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan serves as an inside joke in "House Arrest", aired in the second season. Junior gets a visit in the hospital from a Michael McLuhan, who is a U.S. Marshal. The nurse asks if his name is really 'Marshal' McLuhan. Junior wonders what the "joke" is.

Goodfellas

David Chase has stated that the Martin Scorsese gangster film Goodfellas was a source of inspiration for him, calling the 1990 movie his "Koran".

The Sopranos began with four starring cast members (Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico and Vincent Pastore) who had appeared in Goodfellas. Later Frank Vincent, another Goodfellas cast member (Phil Leotardo), joined the cast. Recurring characters played by actors who also appeared in Goodfellas include Barbara Soprano Giglione (Nicole Burdette), Larry Boy Barese (Tony Darrow), Carmine Lupertazzi (Tony Lip), FBI Chief Frank Cubitoso (Frank Pellegrino), Albie Cianflone (John "Cha Cha" Ciarcia), Mary De Angelis (Suzanne Sheperd), Beansie Gaeta (Paul Herman), Joanne Moltisanti (Marianne Leone, also played by Goodfellas alumna Nancy Cassaro in one earlier episode) and Pat Blundetto (Frank Albanese). Anthony Caso appeared in The Sopranos episode "46 Long" as Martin Scorsese [1] and had a small part in Goodfellas. Actor Chuck Low appeared as Jewish character Morrie in Goodfellas and Chassidic hotel owner Mr. Teitlemann in The Sopranos. Actors who have had small roles in The Sopranos and Goodfellas include Tobin Bell, Gene Canfield, Gaetano LoGiudice, Vito Antuofermo, Frank Adonis, Anthony Alessandro and Victor Colicchio. A total of 24 actors have appeared in both productions.

There are several references to Goodfellas in the show, including Christopher shooting a bakery store cashier in the foot, muttering, "It happens" (Imperioli's character, Spider, was shot in the foot in the film).

The Godfather

Many of the characters are interested in The Godfather series of movies and some of the actors who portray them also appear in the films. For example in The Godfather Part II, Dominic Chianese (Junior Soprano) plays Johnny Ola. Danny Aiello played the hit man that Sirico has been reported to have played. In The Godfather, Tony Lip (Carmine Lupertazzi) and Lou Martini, Jr. (Anthony Infante) appeared as wedding guests. In The Godfather Part II, Richard Maldone (Albert Barese) had a small role as Joey.

Christopher Moltisanti is often shown to be fascinated with the films' depictions of the Mafia. They have all watched the films so often that Paulie, for example, refers to The Godfather star Al Pacino in conversation simply as "Al", the Horn on Paulie's car plays the theme from the Godfather, and several of the characters refer to the movies by their numbers: the first movie in the trilogy is simply referred to as "one". Tony and his crew sometimes discuss favorite scenes from the films: e.g. Tony's favorite is when Michael Corleone gets revenge in the restaurant on those who tried to kill his father. Silvio Dante in the early seasons would impersonate Al Pacino, from Godfather Part III, saying "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." He has done impersonations of the scene in The Godfather Part III between Michael Corleone and Al Neri where Michael says "Our true enemy has yet to reveal himself," (followed, tellingly, by an immediate cut to a shot of Big Pussy.) Tony, when speaking to Artie Bucco after difficulties at Nuovo Vesuvio, tells Artie that he will eat there "until I fall off the chair," a reference to Michael Corleone's death at the end of The Godfather Part III. The mobsters compare themselves to the cinematic images of organized crime in The Godfather trilogy, as well as other well known films about the Mafia, such as Goodfellas.

There are also various visual homages to the Godfather trilogy. Just before Tony is shot in a failed assassination attempt in Season One, he buys a bottle of orange juice, a reference to Vito Corleone buying oranges during a similar attempt on his life. In Season Five, Carmine Lupertazzi suffers a fatal stroke while eating brunch. At the table, all the glasses are filled with water, except Carmine's, which has orange juice. In addition, following the death of Livia Soprano in Season Three, there is a point-of-view shot of Tony taking an elevator to the funeral home basement. The scene is a direct homage to the scene in The Godfather where Vito calls on a favor to Bonasera following the murder of his son, Santino. In "The Test Dream" we hear Annette Bening make a reference to the line "not coming out of the toilet with only his cock in his hand", and we see Tony reach behind the cistern for a gun in the same way Michael does in The Godfather.

In the Season Six, Part I episode Mayham, Anthony Junior plans to avenge the shooting of his father by killing Uncle Junior. A.J. tells Bobby and Christopher that getting to Junior would be "difficult, not impossible" (Rocco Lampone made this identical remark to Michael Corleone concerning the assassination of Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part II). When A.J. does in fact get caught in Junior's mental institution-jail with a knife in his revenge attempt, he screams at Tony that Michael's restaurant revenge was always Tony's favorite, and Tony says "It's a movie, A.J." .

Social commentary

The show has been a vehicle for David Chase's views on life and the world at large since the first season. Many episodes reference real life events such as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, President Bill Clinton's impeachment, 9/11, the War in Iraq, the Danish Muhammed cartoons, and Hurricane Katrina. There have also been many plot devices and stories that offer a commentary on modern society. One example is when Tony realizes that Johnny Sack is lying to him about not stealing Vespa scooters from Port Newark when he sees a news story about the flaws of port security. Another example being the storyline of Tony selling the property leased by Caputo's Poultry Store, a small business, to Jamba Juice [2], a large corporate juice chain. In the same episode, the difficulty of applying the "old" ways of organised crime to the "new" capitalism of multinationals such as Starbucks is also explored.

Depiction of brands

The Sopranos has been consistent in the frequent depiction of actual brand names for products on the program - this practice is widely regarded as product placement in the media. HBO officially denies that it accepts product placement - paid or otherwise - and asserts that brands depicted are not a commercial decision, but a creative one made by the show's producers.

In terms of brands seen in the program, Soprano family members, for instance, typically drink Coca-Cola, Samuel Adams beer, Tropicana (PepsiCo), Rolling Rock, and Snapple (Cadbury Schweppes). Motorola and Nokia cellphones and Apple computers are sometimes seen. Some devices utilized include scene settings (scenes have taken place in OfficeMax, Home Depot, and Costco stores) and products directly incorporated into the storyline, such as luxury cars (the Chevrolet Suburban, Hummer H2, Cadillac Escalade (General Motors), Lexus LS (Toyota), Nissan Xterra, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo luxury SUVs, as well as a Maserati coupé, Ford Mustang sports cars, Lincoln Navigator and Continental, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class station wagon have all been plot devices) and the New Jersey newspaper, The Star Ledger, which is regularly seen reporting on the show's storyline. Many of the characters smoke, Christopher is seen to smoke Marlboro cigarettes, and Phil Leotardo and Silvio Dante are seen smoking Marlboro Lights. Most of the television sets on the show are made by Philips with several by Sony and Zenith.

Several of HBO's other shows have been used in The Sopranos episodes such as Curb Your Enthusiasm (in one reference, Junior, somewhat addled, sees a bald bespectacled Larry David and asks why he - Junior - is on tv) and Band of Brothers. On at least one occasion, reference was made by Tony to the Showtime series The L Word, though not by name. Other references are made to Goodfellas, starring Lorraine Bracco (Jennifer Melfi) and Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) as well as The Matrix, starring Joe Pantoliano (Ralph Cifaretto).

Criminality of cast members

As of the sixth season, there have been numerous arrests for many of the actors that appear on the series. Because of the popularity and subject matter of the show, these arrests were widely reported by the news media:

1. Tony Sirico - The actor who plays mob underboss Paulie Walnuts was charged with numerous criminal activities totaling 28 arrests before joining the cast. Some of his more notable arrests were for a chain of nightclub hold-ups.
2. Robert Iler - In July 2001, the actor who plays Anthony Soprano, Jr., was arrested for armed robbery of two Brazilian tourists and possession of marijuana. He pled guilty to a charge of larceny and received three years' probation.
3. Richard Maldone - The actor who played Acting Capo Albert Barese has previously been arrested and convicted for assault, grand larceny, forgery, and criminal possession of stolen property. In April 2003, he was arrested on a drug charge that could have landed him 15 years, but the case was dismissed.
4. Vincent Pastore - In April 2005, the actor who played mob soldier turned rat Big Pussy Bonpensiero was charged for assaulting his girlfriend during an argument in a car. He allegedly smacked her head around and slammed it into the auto's gear shift. He then yanked her out of the car. He received community service hours.
5. Lillo Brancato Jr. - In May 2005, the actor who played Soprano associate Matthew Bevilaqua in the second season, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs. In June 2005, he was arrested for possession of heroin. In December 2005, he was arrested and charged with second degree murder. He was an accomplice in a robbery which resulted in a police officer's death when Brancato's partner Steven Armento engaged in gunfire with the off-duty officer.
6. Louis Gross - Portrayed bodyguard Perry Annunziata in the sixth season. In May 2006, he was arrested and charged with criminal mischief after breaking into a woman's home claiming he was there to take back possession of his belongings.
7. John Ventimiglia - In May 2006, the day after Gross' arrest, the actor who plays Artie Bucco was charged with DWI and drunk driving with an alcohol level of 0.12. He was also carrying a bag that had cocaine residue.

Criticism and praise

The Sopranos is one of the most critically acclaimed shows of its time. It has been consistently hailed as one of the best shows on television and has been judged the top drama series of all time by TV Guide and appears as the fifth highest show on their Top 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time list (behind only Seinfeld, I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners and All in the Family). The show topped virtually every "Best TV Show" list in its debut season in 1999, with the New York Times calling it "the greatest work of American popular culture in the last 25 years." Newsweek has said in the past that it was "far and away, the best show on television."

The Sopranos is the most successful cable series of all time, reaching a peak of 13.4 million viewers for the fourth season premiere. As a sign of its popularity, advertisements for the show starting with the fourth season feature just a promotional shot of the regular cast with the title of the show omitted from the advertisement. This perhaps signifies that the characters are so recognizable that people viewing the advertisement don't need to see the words "The Sopranos" to know what it is. Early sixth season promotional posters just had the premiere date of "March 12" with a hand holding a gun replacing the "r" in March. Despite diminished ratings for the sixth season due to competition from the hit ABC series, Desperate Housewives, The Sopranos was the #1 cable series for the season.

However, the show has faced a variety of criticisms. It has been called anti-Italian, with discrimination directly aimed at Italian-Americans due to a certain mob stereotype. The discrimination claim, which has occurred throughout the show's entire run, resulted in an event where the cast was banned from participating in the Columbus Day Parade weeks after "Christopher", an episode that revolved around the threat of mob violence when local Native Americans threatened to protest a Columbus Day parade, aired.

The National Italian-American Foundation, a frequent critic of The Sopranos, and what it views as negative depictions of Italian-Americans on the series, supported the decision made by The Columbus Citizens Foundation to exclude cast members from the parade. The NIAF also expressed dismay at Mayor Bloomberg's decision to include cast members from the series in New York City's annual Columbus Day Parade. The show has referenced these criticisms, including a satirical portrayal of an organization similar in nature to the NIAF, in various episodes, particularly those written by Michael Imperioli.

Perhaps due to its 'anti-Italian' nature, the show has never been successful in Italy: it was initially broadcasted as a Saturday late night show on Canale 5, it achieved low ratings and then it moved to SKY Italia's Fox and became an élite show.

The first part of the sixth season, in particular, has been criticized for being slow-moving and unfocused. The meandering nature of the season left many fans and critics unsatisfied about the lack of resolution in many episodes. HBO and David Chase have maintained that the sixth season is an extended 21 episode season split into two parts, not two separate seasons of 12 and 9 episodes. The practice of separating a long season into two parts has been used for the final season of HBO's Sex and the City (which also split its 20-episode final season into 12- and 8-episode parts), the second season of the Sci Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica, the first season of the FOX drama Prison Break and the USA Network series Monk. Still, the sixth season was acclaimed for the most part by the critics (but certainly not all), tying for top show of the 2006 season in the TelevisionWeek Critics Poll with Lost. It was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Award at the Emmys; Season 6 (Part 1) received fewer nominations than the previous five seasons.

Awards

Main article: List of The Sopranos awards and nominations

After being nominated for and losing the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003 (losing to The Practice once and The West Wing three times), The Sopranos finally won the award in 2004, becoming the first and only cable series to win the award. The show has dominated the writing categories at the Emmys, picking up 17 nominations over five seasons and winning the award four times. It is also a perennial nominee at the Golden Globes (winning the Best Drama Series in 2000) and the major guild awards (Directors, Producers, Writers, and Actors).

The Sopranos has also won at least one Emmy Award for Acting in every season. Edie Falco and James Gandolfini have each been nominated five times at the Emmys for the leading roles in the show, each winning a total of three awards. Joe Pantoliano won an Emmy in 2003, and Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo also won Emmys in 2004 for their supporting roles on the show. Other actors who have received Emmy nominations include Lorraine Bracco, Dominic Chianese, Nancy Marchand, Aida Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Annabella Sciorra.

In 2006, The Sopranos received its sixth Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, but lost the award to 24. The show has been nominated in the category for every season. While three-time Emmy winners, James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, were snubbed in the Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series category, Michael Imperioli received his fifth nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

References in other media

File:Simpsopranos.jpg

Chris Moltisanti, Simpsons character Johnny Tightlips, Silvio Dante, and Paulie Walnuts in The Simpsons

The show has been referenced by many other television programs. The opening sequence was parodied in an episode of The Simpsons in 2002, with Fat Tony standing in for Tony Soprano in "Papa's Got a Brand New Badge", followed by a sequence in which characters similar in appearance to Silvio Dante, Paulie Walnuts and Christopher Moltisanti appear as the "Jersey Muscle", though without speaking. The first episode of The Simpsons' eighteenth season called "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer" has several references to The Sopranos and also The Godfather. Actors Joe Pantoliano and Michael Imperioli appear on the same episode as the voices of Dante and Dante Jr.

The Sopranos was also parodied in the Adult Swim show Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, in 2003, in an episode where Fred Flintstone is a mob boss. During the 2001 Fox NASCAR coverage of the Coca-Cola 600, a segment called "The Pit Reporters" was played where Chris Myers is Tony Soprano and Jeanne Zelasko is Dr. Melfi. It was inspired by an incident where FOX NASCAR studio host Chris Myers and analyst Jeff Hammond were attacked by Super Soaker water gun-wielding pit reporters Pussy Berggren and Matt Yocum during a rain delay at The Winston. Myers commented, "They should appear in The Sopranos". For the 600, Tony Soprano (Myers) makes an appearance at Dr. Melfi's (Jeanne Zelasko) office previewing the 600. The show has many other references in a wide variety of media resources. Arthur also did a parody of it once, in the episode "Bleep" but it was called "The Altos". Attack of the Show! did a parody called "The Marios" where Mario and Luigi acted out scenes from The Sopranos and other mafia movies/series. In the second season episode of Prison Break, entitled "First Down", when one of the escapees, John Abruzzi, is informed of the location of a witness that he plans to kill, he is told "Fish-Head Tony from Jersey is looking to help out," a plain reference to The Sopranos.

The Sopranos had a cameo appearance in Michael Jackson's music video for "You Rock My World" (2001). The series is also referenced in the novel The Watchmen (2004, G.P. Putnam's Sons) by John Altman, in which an Italian-American character wryly reflects that the TV series encourages negative stereotypes of Italians.

The character of Christopher Moltisanti is referenced in the animated show Family Guy, where he helps Stewie to dig a hole in the season four episode "Sibling Rivalry". The cartoon also makes a reference to the show in "Patriot Games", where Stewie and Brian exchange a series of incredibly violent beatings over gambling debts. MADtv also featured a sketch where an edited-for-content version of The Sopranos airs on PAX and lasts only three minutes.

Production notes

Pre-production

The show was originally to air on the FOX network and a pilot had already been made. However, FOX rejected the show and HBO picked up the series. When the show was a FOX project, it was known as Made in Jersey. Other titles that were considered included The Family Guy and Red Sauce. The character of Tony Soprano was originally named Tommy. HBO was concerned about the title The Sopranos because they did not want viewers to think it was about music. The show's logo therefore features a gun in place of the letter "r".

The tumultuous relationship between Tony Soprano and his mother, Livia Soprano, is based partially on David Chase's relationship with his own mother, Norma.

The show has become notorious for its long hiatuses. Whereas most TV programs are off air for 3–5 months in between seasons, The Sopranos' production breaks have been consistently longer. This is mainly because of scheduling conflicts for the actors and David Chase's requests to HBO for time to develop storylines. Chase has said in the past that he intended the show to last only one or two seasons (hence the shorter gap between the first two seasons as compared to later ones), but its success led to a lengthier run, and thus he had to write most of the later episodes from scratch.

• Seasons 1–2: 9 months
• Seasons 2–3: 11 months
• Seasons 3–4: 16 months
• Seasons 4–5: 16 months
• Seasons 5–6: 21 months
• Seasons 6p1-6p2 10 months

Casting

Tony Sirico signed on to play Paulie Walnuts as long as his character was not to be a "rat."

Lorraine Bracco, who had previously played the role of mob wife Karen Hill in Goodfellas, was originally asked to play the role of Carmela Soprano. She took the role as Dr. Melfi because she felt that would be more of a challenge for her. Coincidentally, Suzanne Shepherd, who played Karen Hill's mother in Goodfellas, now plays Carmela's mother in The Sopranos.

David Chase loved Drea de Matteo's acting and enthusiasm as a maitre d' in the pilot so much that he made her a series regular in "Denial, Anger, Acceptance".

Steve Van Zandt (Silvio Dante) and David Proval (Richie Aprile) auditioned to play Tony Soprano. Ray Liotta was a prime candidate for the role of Tony Soprano ahead of James Gandolfini.

Seven members of the cast of The Sopranos appeared in Mickey Blue Eyes in the same year that The Sopranos began: Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts), John Ventimiglia (Artie Bucco), Aida Turturro (Janice Soprano), Vincent Pastore (Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero), Frank Pellegrino (Bureau Chief Frank Cubitoso), and Joseph R. Gannascoli (Vito Spatafore), and Tony Darrow (Larry Barese).

Title sequence

One of the most recognizable parts of The Sopranos is the program's opening, which is accompanied by the theme song "Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)" by the British band Alabama 3 (the band are known as A3 in the U.S. for legal reasons). Tony Soprano is seen emerging from the Lincoln Tunnel and entering the New Jersey Turnpike. Numerous landmarks in and around Newark, New Jersey are shown. The sequence ends with Tony pulling into the driveway of his suburban home.

Between Tony leaving the tunnel and entering the New Jersey Turnpike, an image of the World Trade Center towers can be seen in his rear view mirror. Just prior to the start of the fourth season, HBO and Sopranos creator, David Chase, removed this shot in response to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

The opening sequence has been parodied many times, most notably in The Simpsons, mostly in scenes with the local mafioso, Fat Tony.

Sets and locations

The house used as the Sopranos residence.

Though filmed on location in New Jersey, a majority of the interior filming is done at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens, New York. The Sopranos live at 633 Stag Trail Road in North Caldwell, New Jersey. The actual address of the house used for filming is 14 Aspen Drive, North Caldwell, NJ.

The show often uses actual businesses as filming locations. In "The Sopranos" the pork store is Centanni's, an actual operating butcher in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The original Vesuvio was a genuine restaurant in Elizabeth. Pizzaland, also depicted in the opening episode, is located on the Belleville Turnpike in North Arlington, NJ. All Bada Bing interior and exteriors are filmed on location at Satin Dolls, an actual go-go bar in Lodi, New Jersey. Adriana's club, The Crazy Horse, was once known in real life as The Lollipop Club and was previously owned by cast member Vincent Pastore. Most of the hospital scenes were filmed in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The exterior shots of the hospital used in season 6 were filmed at NJIT in Newark, NJ.

The final scene of the series was reportedly filmed in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

Music

Main article: Music on The Sopranos

The show has been noted for its fitting and eclectic music selections. David Chase, producer Martin Bruestle, and music editor Kathryn Dayak handpick every song, sometimes with the seal of approval from Steven Van Zandt. Many songs are repeated multiple times through an episode, such as "Living on a Thin Line" by The Kinks in "University" and "Glad Tidings" by Van Morrison in "All Due Respect" or "Sposa son disprezzata" by Vivaldi, performed by Cecilia Bartoli, also "World Destruction" by Time Zone, the duo of John Lydon and Afrika Bambaata. Other songs are heard several times throughout the series, such as "Con te partiro" performed by Andrea Bocelli. The creators of the show have also used several artists more than once, including: Dean Martin, Annie Lennox, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Deep Purple, and Frank Sinatra.

An original aspect of the show is its sparse, often minimalist use of incidental music. While most TV series rely on musical scores to emphasize tension or dramatic moments, The Sopranos rarely uses this resource. The most brutal scenes are often unaccompanied by any sort of background music.

In an episode during the 4th season, Tony's son A.J. is listening to the death metal band Deicide (band), Tony pounds on the wall and tells A.J. to turn it down.

Rapper Nas used The Sopranos' theme song (performed by Alabama 3) as a sample in his song "Got Ur Self A..." from his album Stillmatic in 2001.

In 2006, HBO.com and iTunes began offering a Sopranos "iMix", a playlists of songs featured in Season Six episodes. The website also features playlists of actors who star on the show, such as Robert Iler and Joe Gannascoli.

Broadcasting

HBO broadcasting history

• Season 1 - Sunday January 10, 1999 – Sunday April 4, 1999 at 9:00 PM
• Season 2 - Sunday January 16, 2000 – Sunday April 9, 2000 at 9:00 PM
• Season 3 - Sunday March 4, 2001 – Sunday May 20, 2001 at 9:00 PM
• Season 4 - Sunday September 15, 2002 – Sunday December 8, 2002 at 9:00 PM
• Season 5 - Sunday March 7, 2004 – Sunday June 6, 2004 at 9:00 PM
• Season 6 (Part One) - Sunday March 12, 2006 – Sunday June 4, 2006 at 9:00 PM
• Season 6 (Part Two) - Sunday April 8, 2007 -

International broadcasting

The Sopranos is broadcast on the following channels around the world.

• USA: January 10, 1999 on HBO
  • Syndication: Edited versions began airing January 10 2007 at 9PM on on [3] A&E.
• Albania: 2001 on Top Channel
• Arab World: on One TV and Al Rai
• Australia: began screening in 2000 on the free-to-air Nine Network. Broadcast schedule frequently changes. Avid fans usually prefer DVDs or internet downloads. Also reruns on the cable channel Arena. Broadcast is uncut.(See also: Six Feet Under - similar broadcast schedule)
• Austria: July 3, 2002 on ORF (Seasons 1-3, 3rd season twice)
• Belgium: November 20, 2000
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: on Mreza Plus
• Canada: September 17, 2000 on The Movie Network/Movie Central and CTV. Both The Movie Network and Movie Central air the program uncut, while CTV airs the show cut but unedited (to made suitable for network TV) with commercials. June 5, 2006 Telelatino began airing the show nightly starting from the first season.
• Croatia: HRT
• Denmark: on TV2
• Dubai and the rest of the Middle East: One TV.
• Estonia: December 20, 1999 on ETV
• Finland: October 2, 2000 on Nelonen
• France: September 5, 1999 on Jimmy and France 2
• Germany: March 12, 2000 on ZDF (Season 1-3), 2004 on pay-TV channel Premiere (Seasons 1-5) and 2005 on Kabel 1
• Hong Kong: on TVB Pearl and HBO Asia
• Hungary: February 9, 2000 on RTL Klub
• Iceland: October 2, 2000
• India: on Zee Cafe
• Ireland: on RTÉ2 and syndicated on Channel 6
• Israel: on HOT 3, Channel 2 and Channel 10 and Channel 12 Satellite (YES +) and it can be ordered on HBO-on-demand (channel 1- HOT CABLE)
• Italy: May 23, 2001 on FOX
• Kenya: STV, Kenya Television Network (KTN), M-net
• Korea: SBS Drama
• Latin America: on HBO Latin America. Note: due to licensing restrictions, some countries refused to air the show.
• Lithuania: on LNK
• Republic of Macedonia: on A1 TV
• the Netherlands: public broadcaster VARA on Nederland 3
• New Zealand: on TVNZ
• Norway: on NRK1
• Pakistan: on TV ONE
• Poland: on HBO and TVN (Poland) (rebroadcasts)
• Portugal: on RTP2 and Hollywood.
• Russia: October 27, 2002 on NTV; August 14, 2006 on TV3 with Goblin's translation
• Serbia: on HBO
• South Africa: on m-net and e.tv
• Spain: on Canal + and La Sexta
• Sweden: October 6, 2000 on SVT
• Switzerland: October 27, 1999
• Turkey: December 7, 2000 on TV8, March 1, 2006 on CNBC-e
• UK: July 15, 1999 on E4 (first run) Channel 4 (second run), and More4 (repeats). E4 broadcasts Season 6

DVD release

The first five seasons and the first part of the sixth season of The Sopranos have been released on DVD. The first half of Season 6 was released on November 7 2006.

Although the series was mastered in HDTV (High Definition Television, 16:9 widescreen from 35mm film negatives) from its inception (with the exception of the Pilot episode), the show wouldn't be broadcast in this format until the fourth season (2002). The DVDs are shown in widescreen.

The Sopranos were among the first television programs to be released on HD-DVD and the Blu-Ray format in late-2006. Other Sopranos Seasons are due to be released on HD-DVD in 2007.

Release dates

DVD Name	Region 1	Region 2	Region 3	Region 4
Complete Season 1	December 12 2000	November 24 2003	November 24 2003	November 24 2003
Complete Season 1 (Original UK Release)	N/A	April 16 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 1 Volume 1	N/A	April 16 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 1 Volume 2	N/A	April 16 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 1 Volume 3	N/A	April 16 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 1 Volume 4	N/A	April 16 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 1 Volume 5	N/A	April 16 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 1 Volume 6	N/A	April 16 2001	N/A	N/A
Complete Season 2	November 6 2001	November 24 2003	November 24 2003	November 24 2003
Complete Season 2 (Original UK Release)	N/A	June 25 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 2 Volume 1	N/A	May 21 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 2 Volume 2	N/A	May 21 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 2 Volume 3	N/A	May 21 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 2 Volume 4	N/A	June 25 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 2 Volume 5	N/A	June 25 2001	N/A	N/A
Season 2 Volume 6	N/A	June 25 2001	N/A	N/A
Complete Season 3	August 27 2002	November 24 2003	November 24 2003	November 24 2003
Complete Season 4	October 28 2003	November 3 2003	November 3 2003	November 3 2003
Complete Season 5	June 7 2005	June 20 2005	June 20 2005	June 20 2005
Season 6 Part 1 (Episodes 1 - 12)	November 7 2006	November 27 2006	TBA	March 7 2007
Season 6 Part 2 (Episodes 13 - 21)	TBA 2007 (4Q)	TBA 2007	TBA 2007	TBA 2007

Games

File:Sopranosgame.jpg

Paulie, Silvio, Tony, and Christopher in the Sopranos video game

In May 2006, The Sopranos videogame was announced titled The Sopranos: Road to Respect. The story was partly written by David Chase and was developed by 7 Studios and published by THQ Inc. Voice acting was contributed by the show's stars, including James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Sirico, Joseph Gannascoli, Vincent Pastore, and Robert Iler. The game was released around the Christmas period of 2006.

The game's storyline takes place between the fifth and sixth seasons and centers around Big Pussy's illegitimate son, Joey LaRocca, as he makes his way through the family business. The character is voiced by Christian Maelen, who was David Chase's second choice to play Christopher Moltisanti. The player is able to take missions from the main characters during this era. The Sopranos differs from other mob-influenced games in that it is in a linear, story driven action game as opposed to Grand Theft Auto's open-world type gameplay. However, players are able to play Texas Hold 'Em with members of the Family and visit the Bada Bing. Unlike the TV show, the game focuses almost exclusively on the Mafia aspect of The Sopranos rather than the blend of family/business/therapy that Sopranos fans have become accustomed to. The game was not well-received; as of January 2007, it had a Metacritic score of 46%, characterized as "generally negative reviews".. One chief complaint among gamers is that the game is very short and can be completed within four hours or less. Stern Pinball released a Sopranos pinball machine in 2005.

Additionally, a web-based game was created in 2006 in support of the broadcast of the first season of The Sopranos on A&E Network. Described as a "fantasy sports meets scavenger hunt" experience, The Sopranos A&E Connection combines real-world media – such as billboards, phone kiosks and magazine ads – with an online game board synched to A&E’s real-time broadcast of the show.

Film

There has been talk of a Sopranos feature film that was to be released after the series had ended. While this idea was reportedly scrapped in favor of "The Final Nine" episodes that are set to debut in April 2007, creator David Chase did not rule out the possibility of a Sopranos movie at a future date.

See also

• Mafia
• Analyze This

External links

• The Sopranos at IMDb
• Sopranos locations and sightings
• Mafia Lingo Defined
• The Sopranos at Curlie
• The Sopranos and the American Dream
• Cast of the Sopranos
• Editorial about allegations of negative stereotyping in "The Sopranos"