The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), an Italian-American mobster, as he struggles with various personal and professional obstacles. It also explores Tony's relationships with members of his biological and criminal families, most notably his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and his protégé, Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli). The show begins when Tony begins therapy with Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) after suffering a panic attack.
The series premiered on January 10, 1999, on HBO and concluded on June 10, 2007.[2] Broadcast syndication followed in the United States and internationally.[3] The first five seasons of the series each consisted of 13 episodes, while the final season consisted of twenty-one episodes aired in two parts. Unlike most American shows at the time, which typically took a four-month hiatus between seasons, The Sopranos took longer hiatuses between its seasons.[4][5] Season four, for example, premiered 16 months after the third season finale, and the sixth season returned almost two years after the end of season five.[6][7] Episodes were broadcast on Sundays at 9:00 pm Eastern Time with an average length of 55 minutes per episode.[8][9] All six seasons are available on DVD and Blu-ray, with the sixth season being sold in two parts.[10][11] During the course of the series, 86 episodes of The Sopranos aired over six seasons.[12]
The series was released to widespread critical acclaim and received numerous accolades. It is often credited with ushering in the Second Golden Age of Television and is considered among the most influential series ever.[13] Since its conclusion, The Sopranos has been cited by some as the greatest television series of all time, with TV Guide and Rolling Stone naming it the best series of all time in 2013 and 2022 respectively.[14][15]
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- Thapa, Shaurya (December 22, 2021). "The Sopranos: 10 Characters Who Appear The Most In The Series". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- St. James, Emily (October 5, 2011). "The Sopranos: "Where's Johnny"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ Biskind, Peter (April 2007). "An American Family". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Publications. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
- ^ Steinberg, Jacques (May 9, 2006). "Sopranos Undergoes Cosmetic Surgery for Basic Cable". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
- ^ Graham, Renee (March 22, 2005). "Wait for new 'Sopranos' season is criminal". Boston.com. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
- ^ St. James, Emily (August 9, 2018). "Why your favorite TV shows are off the air for so long between seasons". Vox. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ Goodman, Tim (September 13, 2002). "High Drama - HBO's Sopranos, returning after a 16-month hiatus, doesn't miss a beat". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
- ^ Bonko, Larry (March 9, 2006). "When The Sopranos returns Sunday night, expect an earthquake". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ Collins, Scott (March 5, 2004). "HBO is Sunday schooled". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ Lindbergh, Ben (November 8, 2022). "When Was HBO's Best Sunday Night?". The Ringer. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ Chaney, Jen (November 16, 2008). "Bada big!: "Sopranos" complete series now on DVD". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (June 2, 2014). "'The Sopranos' Coming to Blu-ray for First Time (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ^ Murray, Noel (January 9, 2019). "'The Sopranos' 20th Anniversary: Here's Your Complete Guide to Rewatching It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
- ^ The Sopranos Golden Age of Television
- Cooney, Jenny (December 18, 2022). "2000: "The Sopranos" Welcomes the Golden Age of TV". Golden Globes. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- Lowry, Brian (July 3, 2018). "How The Sopranos and The Wire paved the way for peak TV". CNN. CNN Global. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- Lynskey, Dorian (July 13, 2019). "The Sopranos, glorious pioneer of today's TV golden age". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- Keishin Armstrong, Jennifer (January 10, 2019). "The Sopranos: A revolutionary show we'll talk about forever". BBC Online. BBC. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- Della Fera, Samantha (March 12, 2019). "'The best is over': Tracking the rise and fall of TV's golden age". The Michigan Daily. University of Michigan. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ Roush, Matt; Fretts, Bruce (December 23, 2013). "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (September 26, 2022). "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.