The Sopranos-the greatest TV show ever?

musicismylife78 · February 2008

Well is it? And I looked in previous threads, and there wasn’t a serious discussion of the final episode. What happened to Tony and his family? If nothing happened, why did the camera linger on the African American kids and that “members only” guy? Whats the use of showing that if the family is gonna have a nice evening where nothing happens? And additionally, why did the camera linger on Meadow parking her car for so long?

I came late to the Sopranos party, only last year did I finally pick up the Season One DVD set. I fell in love immediately. What was hilarious was that I am of Italian heritage, my mother and her side of the family grew up and lived in Jersey, and I took 2 years of Italian to fill my language requirement in college. Problem was, not once did my professor or classmates ever mention The Sopranos. I hated that class, instead of going to class 2 or 3 times a week, you had class every day, and it was intense. If I had known about the show back then, I most likely would have majored in Italian, or had that as a double major. I would have relished going to class as opposed to how I really felt.

I love the language and terms used on the Sopranos-madone, gabagool, proscuit, baked ziti, moozadell, rigott. I never used to put sauce on my pasta in the past, but because of the show, I now put the “Sunday gravy” on it.

I love the locations-satriales, the bada bing, the downstairs meeting place next to the furnace or the water heater or whatever that was, vesuvios. It makes me want to visit Jersey

I love the characters and their relationships Paulie Walnuts, Johnny Sack, Uncle June, Silvio, bobby bacala, Janice, the apriles, carm, meadow, AJ

Quite simply I do think it is the best show ever created. No other show has that kind of strength. How many other shows portray cold blooded killers as conflicted beings? By and large in society, movies and life, people seem to think if you are a killer you are a killer, that that is your entire identity.

People were surprised in a previous thread when I suggested the mafia wasn’t all that bad. In many ways this ties in here. This show makes me proud of my Italian heritage. David Chase isn’t using stereotypes and trying to demean Italians, he provided a worthwhile and masterpiece of a show.

Although I didn’t start watching the show in 1999 or whenever it started it still feels like the fact that the show isn’t on anymore leaves a big hole in the television world, that I don’t see being filled for quite a long time to come.

pjoasisrule · February 2008

The Simpsons is the best ever

pearljam0000 · February 2008

I also think the Sopranos is the best television show ever. It never gets old watching any episode of the series.

cuyler41 · February 2008

Being on HBO they can have/use content that regular TV shows cannot. So comparison to historical tv shows is tough.

Its a good show, but not the best imo. Too many greasy dudes in track suits for my taste.

MasterFramer · February 2008

The Wire is above and beyond the great show that The Sorpranos was.

South of Seattle · February 2008

MasterFramer wrote:

The Wire is above and beyond the great show that The Sorpranos was.

+1

1STmammal2wearPants · February 2008

It's certainly up there. Never had seen an episode, then watched the first season this year and went back and bought all the box sets after. Such rich writing and performances, you forget this is TV sometimes and think you're watching one long, extended movie.

Stone Is God · February 2008

1STmammal2wearPants wrote:

It's certainly up there. Never had seen an episode, then watched the first season this year and went back and bought all the box sets after. Such rich writing and performances, you forget this is TV sometimes and think you're watching one long, extended movie.

Be prepared to be disappointed with everything after season 3.

I used to love that show and I guess waiting a year and a half to see garbage episodes really turned me off. It went from a great show to horse shit.

I don't watch TV shows for artistic merit. I watch then to be entertained.

1STmammal2wearPants · February 2008

Stone Is God wrote:

Be prepared to be disappointed with everything after season 3.

I used to love that show and I guess waiting a year and a half to see garbage episodes really turned me off. It went from a great show to horse shit.

I don't watch TV shows for artistic merit. I watch then to be entertained.

No, I've seen em all. While I thought season 4 was their weakest, the show at its weakest was still better than 90 percent of the shit on TV. Season Five was pretty stellar, imo. I didn't feel at all that the show turned to shit, although the first three seasons were the best.

inmyrvm · February 2008

Stone Is God wrote:

Be prepared to be disappointed with everything after season 3.

I used to love that show and I guess waiting a year and a half to see garbage episodes really turned me off. It went from a great show to horse shit.

I don't watch TV shows for artistic merit. I watch then to be entertained.

ha i hated it after the 2nd season. it was complete garbage after the 2nd season. steve buschemi was the only redeeming part of the show from there on out. deadwood completely owned the sopranos. hbo sucks.

1STmammal2wearPants · February 2008

inmyrvm wrote:

ha i hated it after the 2nd season. it was complete garbage after the 2nd season. steve buschemi was the only redeeming part of the show from there on out. deadwood completely owned the sopranos. hbo sucks.

someone's been smoking too much of the herb.

Brain of J.Lo · February 2008

Six Feet Under is the best show ever, actually. But The Sopranos was pretty good, too.

mole1985 · February 2008

Not sure about the best (if there can ever be one) but defo up there. Haven't seen the last series yet tho so can't comment on the end altho i heard it's not exactley clear cut.

inmyrvm · February 2008

1STmammal2wearPants wrote:

someone's been smoking too much of the herb.

never touched it. no one in my family liked it after then. i don't see what people saw in the later seasons. it was not entertaining. we all kept watching it thinking thinking it would improve. the ending was fitting for how boring the show was for years.

intodeep · February 2008

I don't have and have never had hbo so it is hard for me to say.

My favs i guess though would have been

seinfield
fraser
simpsons

But by far the best show in it's hayday a few years back was Baseball Tonight

Get_Right · February 2008

pjoasisrule wrote:

The Simpsons is the best ever

EXACTLY

thunderDAN · February 2008

Big Sopranos fan, but I like The Office better. I'm not sure if it's the best, but I enjoy it more

inmyrvm · February 2008

simpsons for sure. arrested development second possibly. deadwood should be at the top too.

Anon · February 2008

i think that the sopranos is the best tv show ever. its so addicting. i was actually watching some of season 2 on demand today and man is that good. the episode when janice kills richie is one of my favorite ever. the pine barrens is one of the best episodes of any television show ever, in my opinion. best fucking show ever. i wish the dvds werent so expensive and i cant wait for them to release a box set of all the seasons like they recently did for seinfeld.

Zoso · February 2008

I have been obsessed with it as of late. I recently recieved seasons 1 & 2 (thanks my girl

) and have to say it's the best drama series of all-time. As far as writing goes and the rich language used it's unmatchable in it's category. The only other show I thought topped it was The Office UK version.

elmer · February 2008

I think Tony got whacked by the guy who had been sitting at the counter and then drifts to the toilet, I had initially thought that he was the guy from College-season1, it'd have been pretty fucked up if it was but no, it wasn't.

Bobby: " you probably don't ever see anything when it happens"

Stevie Van Zandt said on an audio commentary that there were in fact NOT three endings filmed, and that it was the end of the Sopranos, y'know, there s been these film rumours.

The Sopranos-the greatest TV show ever?

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