What Made The Sopranos So Special? - Soprano Theories
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- Опубліковано 23 січ 2022
- #TheSopranos #Sopranos #TonySoprano
On January 10th 1999, a little television show called The Sopranos premiered. As the rest would evidently be history with The Sopranos being the greatest television series ever produced. On this anniversary of The Sopranos, I take a look back at what made the series so special, unique, and truly a once in lifetime television series.
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I do not own any of these clips, all clips are owned by HBO.This video contains footage from The Sopranos (HBO). All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them.Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use. - Фільми й анімація
What do you think makes The Sopranos so special? Let me know down below 👇🏻
@lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the 2 black guys lol
It starts with tony. It's the greatest performance in television history. Then we have chrissy, greatest supporting role performance in tv history.. What makes the show special isn't the arc of tony or the genius writing, it's the performances, and tony and Christopher set the bar so high on this show it elevated all and even amateur actors gave legendary performances . The show has incredible performances all around like the way Tarantino gets out of his actors. The weak point of the show is AJ. Both the actor and his character. We did get the pool scene tho from him. tony became an acting God in this show and somehow Michael Interpol was able to act at that level, that denzel or Daniel day Lewis level. We had a taste of this with breaking bad. With Walter white and jessie. Soprano is far superior show but it's interesting to compare. After a certain character was killed, the show felt rushed towards its ending
And I regret not enough screen time was given too many deserving so much more. The sopranos movie was an abomination, I don't consider it canon or anything, I stopped half way in. It was like a Netflix film made by a student at rutgers... Sopranos starts with tony and Christopher, what's makes it so special maybe is how much more there is than that, that being the best acting I will ever see in film or television. Michael imperoli wears his character like a 2nd skin, and James.... Is as great as any actor ever, he's up there with the all time legends, his death is a heartbreaking tragedy, he was way too young.
@@cosmicskates7721 oh yeah, those guys.
Watched it and enjoyed it, more so towards the end (season 6 was amazing)
But honestly i didnt see what all the hype was about, imo the wire is far superior
It has elements of fantasy like Big Pussy's ghost appearing in a mirror or Phil Leotardo turning into a house.
I love how sopranos covered so many philosophical concepts without beating you over the head with it.
That Phil never mention what he did the 20 past years, hes the ultimate mistery man, not even a hint, what he did all that years, what he eat, a total enigma.
Who knows what the Shah got up to?
He compromised
I still don’t understand how all these relatively unknown actors (at the time) were able to pull off such perfect acting. Yet they’ve barely been heard from or seen since. Every single character was acted perfectly. It conveyed exactly what the directors wanted 100% of time. Literally 0% error. It’s a miracle how a show with that many episodes, in that period of time, with that many layers was able to come into fruition and be flawless.
It's because a pint of blood cost more than a gallon of gold.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 Charles Schwab over here
Even sil was great with no acting experience
I’m just going to assume the actors realized early on how lucky they were. Most of the actors worked their share of crappy roles, struggled to make ends meet, and didn’t want to blow this opportunity so they gave it all they had and created this pop culture monster. After it was over, the actors probably fell into some kind of typecast situation where directors only wanted to use these guys for villain roles. James, Imperioli, Bracco, and a few others played mob characters in the past and it seemed they could never really break from those roles and it all culminated with The Sopranos. They all dabbled in other projects but likely this show was their “one hit wonder.”
@flightofthebumblebee9529 no it was bc the guys in real life were from Jersey and actually pretty close to there roles without the mafia stuff
Currently rewatching for my 5th time. I think what makes this special is the rewatchibilty factor. Even tho I’ve watched in 5 times over in 2 years , im still noticing different themes, different foreshadowing, etc. It gets better as you watch it too , I didn’t really understand EVERY storyline but watching it through again and again really makes you understand what they were going for
Ty and I just realized pre and post 9/11 production of the series that I love so so much!!!
I did 20 fucking years!
Exactly
The comedy is so prevalent in every episode but it's subtle enough that you might even miss it even on a rewatch or three. I recently finished my ninth time watching the series and I found myself laughing at things I never picked up on in the previous eight viewings it's amazing how well the show was written
those old Tarzan movies?
The subtly genius comedy is what makes this show amazing 💯.
It’s one of the funniest shows of all time and it’s a drama. That’s how great this show was.
Yessssss. Most fans of the show will throw out obscure quotes and they’re always the funniest lines.
Tony isn’t an anti-hero. He’s a villain protagonist.
Yes, that's what an anti hero is lol
@@-ivan-1378by definition it is not
@@-ivan-1378naw that’s not what an anti hero is to be anti hero in some form you have to be HEROIC tony is anything but
I was instantly hooked on the characters and story, of The Sopranos. But, being mostly Italian, for me it also brought back a lot of memories such as Italian slang words I hadn't heard since my nan died, foods like gabagool, etc, and characters that occasionally made me think of my own family members.
For me it's the people. Ive lived my entire life in DFW Texas, and yet I can relate to every single one of the characters on a personal level, because they were written, casted, and acted PERFECTLY!
I have lived and worked in north Jersey my whole life. I saw them shooting scenes in Kearny, Harrison , Montclair, and Lyndhurst New Jersey prior to the airing of season one. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but when I saw the show for the first time and saw the background scenes , I realized it was the Sopranos they were shooting in all those locations.
What I loved so much about The Sopranos was the pacing. The show wasn’t total thrill or total action all of the time. It has plenty of quiet and slow paced episodes where you can settle in and really just observe the characters going about their day to day lives.
I don't think the clothes are out of style, at least for the men. For the same reason the clothes worn in Se7en (1995) don't look dated. Suit coats, slacks, and collared shirts rarely go out of style and is hard to date like women's fashion, music or cars.
Chrissy is the only one who occasionally dates himself in regards to his clothing style. With his slender build, his suits/slacks look way too baggy/oversized, but Paulie (in particular) manages to look timeless because his “style” was already kinda dated by the 90s.
@@ChatterboxFM Paulie dresses better than Fonzie
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 these are facts.
The Sopranos is a masterpiece. There is absolutely no show better than the Sopranos. When the Sopranos ended, you were sad, because it showed that you will never see a series on this level again
Sopranos is definitely a masterpiece show one of the greatest ever hands down. However the best show of all time is the wire
For me the Sopranos gave me a sense of comfort which made it so addicting to watch. Coming from a big Italian family in Boston (Minus the murder lol), every episode felt like I was visiting old relatives and the character growth from season to season really hooked me. Finished the series last night and found myself feeling sad that it was over. Not many series have left me feeling like that.
It was the writing (great malapropisms!), the directing, the acting. But mostly the acting. The charisma and humor of James Gandolfini carried the whole thing; and made the audience do the impossible: root for an evil psychopath.
I think one reason the show is having a new surge in popularity is its theme of decline. Tony believes he's part of something special, but the good old days are over. That's how I feel living in America right now.
Omg your right
I can relate to this so much
Eventually, everyone has this moment of realization in their lives.
It seemed to cover nearly every aspect of society deeply
This was great. You could've said more about 90s television. Sepinwall's book mentions Oz as an earlier HBO show that experimented with form, lacked conventional heroes, and had discussions of religion and philosophy. It wasn't just Friends.
I think that The Sopranos also did something new with mobster stories. If Michael Corleone was idealistic and Henry Hill was fascinated by gangster life, Tony Soprano understands that he "came in at the end" and wants to be a good soldier. This proves impossible. And it's incredibly tragic.
Looking back, it’s crazy how they had a character visit a theorist and deal with mental illnesses like anxiety depression etc .
The Sopranos shows you a complex, non-linear world incredibly similar to real life. This is the true miracle.
Apart from it's magnificent artistry, it was my mom and dad's favorite tv show, he's gone now but my mom and I watch the series a few times a year and think of how much he loved it as well.
I grew up with these guys in Queens. I'm not Italian, but they treated me like a friend. Hitters and loan sharks, outside of business, they were all decent people. You never would have guessed their line of work.
Same I grew up around Italians all my life my best friend is a brother to me and I grew up around his family got adopted into the culture.
The best show ever. It is timeless.
I watched the Sopranos from the beginning when it started. Knowing the final season was the last one I didn't wanna watch it. Never watched a series like the Sopranos before and have watch the complete series a few times. Never gets old!
For me it was the classic dark Italian comedic aspect
I watched this every year since it finished. So around 14-15 times in full and I still learn things about this show every single time. It’s a masterpiece
It is so good because it was raw in the areas that called for it.
I feel like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue made it possible for a show like The Sopranos. The Sopranos just took it to a different level.
I was seriously obsessed with the sopranos lol 😂
Great videos man, thanks for all the work you put into them.
Just so good and I know it's good when you think about it once you stop finishing an episode. The humour also. Just brilliant
I watched this for the first time this year, it’s full of symbolism, comedy, esotericism, layers and layers of brilliance. I don’t know why I took so long to watch it and it’s completely unique. Blew me away tbh.
People may forget but the real ones know that Phil was in the can for 20 years.
He wanted manicotti but he compromised. He ate grilled cheese off the radiator instead.
A drama the first time a comedy every other time
love the videos keep it up brother!
one thing you forgot is the great music each episode featured..
Just the thing of them being so so close and the love you feel from one another makes the show beautiful. But within an instant the hand who shakes on one deal is also the hand who kills the next hand. Family or not
Some of the big takeaways for me are how the show overlapped the pre-9/11 and post 9/11 eras. By the end of the series Tony was talking to Agent Harris about possible terror ties to the calling card scam they ran a few years prior. Also, you can see why the millenials turned out the way they did, as Tony and Carmela are case studies in boomer parenting. Finally, espisodes like "Christopher" are so far ahead of thei time that they are as relevant today as they were 20+ years ago. The Sopranos, in general, always felt ahead of its time culturally
Any other show would’ve beated the audience in the face with it. They would’ve started an episode with Tony go get the paper and seeing Bin Laden on the front page. Then all the guys at the pork store would be like “oh madone! Have you heard of this 9/11?” The Sopranos never forced it or shoe-horned anything in.
Without "Oz", there's no Sopranos.
You should review that show, it really gives you the blueprint for non-formulaic episodic TV.
Exactly.
Beautifully explained
The deep sadness and loneliness tony felt is what did it for me
Like a sad clown. Laughing on the outside and crying on the inside.
1 minute in this is your best video
Matthew Weiner also stated that Mad Men would have been awful without its Sopranos influence.
The amount of entertaining characters. It has enough entertaining characters to fill like 5 shows. Each season new ones get introduced and they’re always great.
As soon as I saw College I immediately knew what this show was going after and immediately got hooked from there till the end of the show.
The show does not follow your typical TV formula nonsense... increasingly more unbelievable situations and cliff hangers every episode, fat, balding - middle aged main characters (the cops and crooks feel and look real... no washboard abs here), the episodes feel like a day out of someone's life and not hyper-exaggerated TV reality version of the person's life, a mobster's family and personal life.. not just a show about killing your enemies, etc. It is really something unique that still feels special today.
the sopranos is still one of my favorite shows because it had truly unique, complex and multilayered characters it was dark and, disturbing but also hilarious
I love love love this show.
For me personally, what makes the sopranos so special for me is just how fucking relatable it is. There’s certain moments in the show where I watch it and I go damn that’s exactly like my family or that’s exactly like me or that’s exactly like my father or that’s exactly like my mother, or that’s like somebody I know. Not that but this show was also huge part of my parents‘s life growing up back when the show was coming out I remember my parents would tune in to watch reruns and new episodes of the Sopranos but obviously I was too young to watch it, and I was too young to understand at the time I didn’t watch the entire series many years later? Not only that but the character of Meadow soprano she reminds me so much of my sister I mean the way she talks her mannerisms and her attitude her personality. Every time I watch the show and whenever Meadow is on screen, I go Jesus Christ that’s literally my sister. I mean both my sister and Meadow are a lot alike. I mean yeah my sister is a spoiled, entitled, self-righteous condescending sporadic bitch just like meadow was. But I was nothing like AJ, so I really couldn’t relate to him at all and honestly honestly just like everybody else he was my least favorite character.
Sopranos remind everyone of home, family, community. Anybody can relate to that.
For me, what made it so special was not just the characters and how good the writing was but, because I grew up around all the places in the show and in that era.
I was born and raised in Jersey City in the 90s.
In the episode Meadowland, when they’re at cemetery for Jackie’s funeral (Harsimus cemetery), there’s a poster for the movie Small Soldiers. I use to see that billboard everyday on my way to my grandparents house in Jersey City.
And then there’s the entire montage of landmarks around the Pulaski Skyway. The carpet lumberjack, the turnpike, etc. All things I fondly looked at whenever my parents drove me and my sister anywhere in Hudson county.
I think for me, the show had more jokes that people wouldn’t get unless you lived in the area.
There’s a scene in one of the episodes where Tony and Chris are driving and chatting on the drawbridge alongside the Pulaski and they actual reuse the same sections of the highway so many times to fit in the entire conversation that it looks as though they’re driving back and forth (U-turning multiple times) in order to hold their whole discussion on that one stretch of road. As in they literally have a cut where Tony is talking and they’re driving westbound to Newark then cut to Chris and they’re suddenly driving eastbound back to Jersey City and then back again. 😂
And the whole College episode where they go to “Colby”. They never went to Maine. They actually zoomed in shots around North Jersey to hide any landmarks and even have a plywood sign that says Colby College and at the end of the episode they don’t credit anything in Maine but instead Drew University. They even throw in a subtle joke to NJ natives where Chris and Tony are on the phone and Tony mentions he’s on Route 201. 201 is actually the area code for Jersey City.
There’s also the jokes about selling patio furniture on Route 22. That’s a really local joke. If you’ve ever driven on Route 22 (which is never seen in the show), 90% of the stores in that area are either car dealers or furniture stores.
There’s even the scene with the bakery in Nutley with Gino/Vito. I use to do stage shows with a theatre company two blocks from there.
What I’m getting at here is that the show felt grounded in a reality that New Jersey natives knew and it added an extra bit more charm to the show (especially in a media landscape where everything is either New York or California).
And looking back at the show now, it’s like a time capsule into the 90s-2000s New Jersey I grew up in ♥️
the acting by everyone in the cast, you can tell they put their all into the roles they had.
the storytelling, you can relate to in some way or another.
The show also helped me recognize my own mental health shortcomings. There would be things going on in my head as a teenager at the time that I just did not understand & the show helped me recognize those things & seek professional help for in my adulthood. Who knows where I would be now if it was not for that....
Wdym storytelling what made the sopranos storytelling unique
Eight seconds in and… Really? No TV series with long story arc and character development pre-Sopranos? Are you kidding me? You guys never heard of Hill Street Blues?
I paused it a minute I’m still bewildered he hadn’t mentioned Twin Peaks. Also he specifically listed Seinfeld as a show that resets every week, when that show literally has continuity/season-long story arcs. Ridiculous.
It’s was also during the boom of mental health research. Anti depressants where starting to become normalized . Psychiatry and drug commercials where blasted on tv throughout the 90’s. So naturally it’s was common dinner table discussion and even more so when this show made it even more relatable.
“…mayonnaise…MAYONNAISE!”
This show is awesome All time greats
I love The Sopranos! I'm watching every episode for the second time. The Shield is also great.
Superbly cast; every actor perfect for their part. David Proval was amazing.
Agreed. David Proval is amazing in The Sopranos and was even considered to play the role of Tony. I just re-watched Hey Good Lookin’. It stars Richie and Melfi’s ex as the main voices. ❤️
@@DaveLeperre Ritchie "Da Jacket" Aprile. He would have made a great Tony.
The depth of the characters, the mundane nature of things that lead to sh1tstorms, a superb cast, excellent editing, etc.
"Taste the wares, Email"
It's amazing how you all don't realize it was "OZ" that changed television forever. And it came out TWO YEARS BEFORE The Sopranos.
All the characters had great personalities. Tony was a guy you loved at times, hated at times, but always knew he would push into a fire if it meant saving his own neck lol
I always loved how this show was shot, but my heart is always in season one and two probably, there's something about shooting in 35mm film...and from than on it's still incredibly good just shot with something else. You get a ton of ominous signs all throughout the show's run most of it connecting to the ending there. You really didn't need to see Tony shot all the signs are there already. I'm glad Chase chose to go with history in that ending. Sopranos really is the greatest show ever.
It's the intro theme song for sure
Rarely did I disagree with Tony’s actions. Probably the only time I disagreed with him was when he killed Ralph over the horse. Personally it made perfect sense to burn the horse to death for the insurance money. Ralph produced the highest monetary gain for Tony, but Tony got too emotional. It was in character but a stupid move. Aside from that, every decision he made especially in killing or ordering a kill I agreed with. That is why I thought it was great. It follows a clear line of business logic.
I think you are ignoring NYPD Blue and E/R which both preceeded Sopranos but featured the same concept, albeit without the flexiblity afforded by HBO
Agree 💯. 👍
Let me tell you a couple off three things, there was once a shine box, “then there was a couple off shine box characters.”
As much as I love The sopranos,twin peaks paved the way for long-term story for TV
The soprano is a show that u can relate to
You were totally absorbed with the Sopranos. You put yourself in the characters as if they were real and went along with their lives even when you weren't watching.
it's watching a man try to cope with life when the rules seemingly don't apply to him.
Uh
James Gandolfini and the Bada Bing
Good and well written video, I just have some constructive criticism. A handful of brief pauses after sentences would help us absorb your information more easily and it won't feel like it's being given at full-force.
It's a bit like having a huge wall of text and no spaces to break them into paragraphs, haha.
Before the Sopranos, Cinema was far greater than Television in my opinion. Now, I'm an avid fan of a dozen different dramas and have maybe gone to the movies 3 times in the last 6 years. Tops.
The gabagool 🥩
I’m sorry but there were TV dramas before the Sopranos. Are you kidding me? It wasn’t all sitcoms like Fresh Prince and Seinfeld. Kojak, Dynasty, Law and Order, Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, 21 Jump street, NYPD Blue, Moonlighting, Knight Rider, and countless more.
I agree that Sopranos was ground breaking and perhaps introduced the protagonist as a conflicted “anti hero”, not necessarily the good guy, detective etc. Its probably my favorite drama series of all time. But your opening comments that there were nothing but comedies before Sopranos are just plain wrong.
It could also be argued that Tony is not an "anti-hero" but a villian as the main character. Also the The Wire is just as quality as The Sopranos, they just cover different things. Both great shows.
All I know is Junior never had the makings of a varsity gangster.
Could you do the show west wing
You’re the guy who broke into Stew Leonard’s that time and stole all those pork loins.
Yes....but, that’s not why we’re here.
Another killer vid....fuggedaboudit
We all have a mobster somewhere inside us.
If Season 2 and Season 5 weren't shit The Wire would be right up there with The Sopranos.
It's simple. What make it special is Tony's heavy breathing
is the best show ever, and the one that without it, we wouldnt have the others that came, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Succession... watching again Sopranos, i could see how much Succession was influenced by it, and even in some directly references.
The first anti hero character and Character development spot on
I kinda feel it's a big disservice and against the very things that make the show great to call Tony a "sociopathic murderer" though. Tony isn't a sociopath, at least not the way he's written.
He clearly has some sociopathic personality traits, but he's shown as a kid to be fairly normal, he's shown that most every murder and many other wrongs he commits haunt him, he's shown to have emotions for others, he experiences regret, he's full of emotions to the point that he can't handle them all, he doesn't seem to get off on hurting others unless they've done some wrong and he views it as revenge, among many other things that actually don't make him seem like a psychopath at all so much as someone who developed certain traits as a coping mechanism to emotionally survive life in the family business.
A person can have personality traits in line with sociopathy without having the proper cluster of traits to be a sociopath AND many of them can develop from external pressures rather than occur naturally in someone. Tony is written as a product of his environment, but an otherwise pretty normal guy. I don't understand why they took the turn into him being a psychopath at the end. It was either poor writing or we're supposed to know she's wrong about him, and I don't think it's poor writing. H does become more and more cold as time goes on but that's exactly what you'd expect from someone who wasn't a sociopath, not someone that is!
I would push back on one thing only. The Wire is arguably on the same level as the sopranos.
I never once thought, while they should’ve done another take of that, I was totally immersed start to finish. It never felt like acting, it felt like a real situation being filmed.
Except for one part, when driving back from the casino, Sil says “Columbus” but they had to redo it in post recording his line and dubbing it over his mouth and it sounds awful
Noti gang!!
The 90s started with Twin Peaks and ended with The Sopranos, but in between we got mostly weak tv (X-Files had good moments tho)
I think a show that is up there with sopranos but from a different genre is HBO's Silicon Valley
It was the fuckin gabagool
The Sopranos and Breaking Bad is at a another level
No love for vic mackey The Shield as an anti hero
Bro ya bugging. The existence of a anti hero was a thing long before tony soprano.
Always wanted to watch this show but it’s not on any services for free
vegeta is the first television antihero, then tony
The Sopranos is probably the funniest non-comedy I've ever seen