Line #356 Series/TheSopranos


1	%%
2	%%
3	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1604285719007747400
4	%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
5	%%
6	%%
7	[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/083c11f1e15f8c99acdfb39f494c8d880.png]]
8	[[caption-width-right:325:[[BigScrewedUpFamily Wouldn't you need therapy?]] [[labelnote:Characters]] From left to right: [[TheLoad Janice Soprano]], [[DistractedByTheLuxury Carmela Soprano]], [[PsychopathicManchild Paulie Gualtieri]], [[TheDragon Silvio Dante]], [[SoapboxSadie Meadow Soprano]], [[MafiaPrincess Adriana La Cerva]], [[WellDoneSonGuy Christopher Moltisanti]], [[DumbassTeenageSon A.J. Soprano]], [[AuthorityInNameOnly Junior Soprano]], [[TheDon Tony Soprano]], [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Ralph Cifaretto]], [[TheShrink Jennifer Melfi]].[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:Not Pictured]][[EvilMatriarch Livia Soprano]], [[ButtMonkey Artie Bucco]], [[EnigmaticMinion Big Pussy]], [[KnightInSourArmor Dwight Harris]], [[AxCrazy Richie Aprile]], [[BewareTheQuietOnes Bobby Baccalieri]], [[ChronicVillainy Tony Blundetto]], [[MouthOfSauron Johnny Sack]], [[ArmoredClosetGay Vito Spatafore]], [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Carmine Lupertazzi]], [[InadequateInheritor Little Carmine]], [[FinalBoss Phil Leotardo]].[[/labelnote]]]]
9
10	->'''Dr. Jennifer Melfi''': [...] But, who said that after getting out of the dirt and the poverty, do we have to stop looking for pain and truth?\
11	'''Tony Soprano''': Pain and truth? Come on, I'm a fat fucking crook from New Jersey.
12
13	''The Sopranos'' is a [[GenreDeconstruction deconstructive]] CriminalProcedural series created by Creator/DavidChase aired as SundayEveningDramaSeries. Its PilotEpisode was shot in 1997, and the show premiered on {{Creator/HBO}} in the United States on January 10, 1999, concluding its original run of six seasons and 86 episodes on June 10, 2007 with one of the most infamous endings in American television history.
14
15	The series is centered around [[UsefulNotes/NewJersey North Jersey]] [[TheMafia mob]] [[TheDon boss]] Tony Soprano (Creator/JamesGandolfini), who secretly begins seeing a therapist after a panic attack. {{Hilarity\|Ensues}} and [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Reality Ensues]] as his therapy coincides with him sending his troublesome, sociopathic mother Livia into a nursing home when it becomes apparent that she's no longer able to take care of herself.
16
17	From there, the series focuses on Tony's problematic dual families: his biological family -- long-suffering wife Carmela, straight-A student daughter Meadow, underachiever son A.J., and equally morally bankrupt sister Janice -- and the organized crime family he is involved in, who include his bitter uncle Junior, his 'nephew' (actually his wife's cousin) Christopher, and more.
18
19	''The Sopranos'' was a major ratings success throughout its run, despite being aired on premium cable network HBO, which at the time of the show's premiere had been available in significantly fewer American homes than regular networks. The show frequently attracted equal or larger audiences than most popular network shows of the time.
20
21	The show had a significant impact on the American television industry. It is commonly credited with ushering in the (current) [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Television_(2000s%E2%80%93present) Golden Age of Television]], is considered one of the most influential artistic works of the 2000s, and served as a turning point for the legitimization of serial television as an art form on the same level as feature films, literature, and theater. [[FollowTheLeader In the show's wake]], TV entered an age of complex, no-handholding storytelling centered around morally dark protagonists; examples include ''Series/{{Breaking Bad}}'', ''Series/{{Mad Men}}'' and ''Series/{{Boardwalk Empire}}'', all of which were directly inspired by ''The Sopranos'', with the latter two programs having showrunners that also worked on ''The Sopranos''. The series helped establish HBO as producers of critically acclaimed and commercially successful original television series, and became the first cable program to be both nominated for and win an MediaNotes/EmmyAward.
22
23	A LicensedGame called ''VideoGame/TheSopranosRoadToRespect'', set between seasons five and six, was released in 2006.
24
25	A prequel film, ''{{Film/The Many Saints of Newark}}'' written by David Chase, was released in 2021. Taking place during the Newark riots in the 1960s, the film stars Creator/JonBernthal as Tony's father Johnny Boy Soprano, Creator/VeraFarmiga as his mother Livia Soprano, Alessandro Nivola as Christopher's father Dickie Moltisanti, and Gandolfini's son {{Creator/Michael\|Gandolfini}} as a young Tony. Chase and series writer Terence Winter have [[https://deadline.com/2021/09/terence-winter-sparks-to-david-chases-invitation-to-script-another-formative-film-on-the-sopranos-to-follow-the-many-saints-of-newark-1234828355/ discussed the possibilty of additional prequels to the show]], contingent upon the success of ''Many Saints''.
26
27	The film-within-the-show ''JustForFun/{{Cleaver}}'' has its own work page.
28	----
29	!!This show provides examples of:
30	[[index]]
31	* TheSopranos/TropesAToJ
32	* TheSopranos/TropesKToZ
33	[[/index]]
34	----
35	->''[[Music/JourneyBand ♫ Don't]] [[TheStinger stop— ♫]]''

Context Series / TheSopranos