David Chase’s “The Sopranos” gives audiences a glimpse into the differences between the pre-9/11 era and the world that followed. Featuring actors like James Gandolfini, Edie Falco and Lorraine Bracco, “The Sopranos” also portrays an modern-day image of the mob.
Taking place in Northern New Jersey, “The Sopranos” debuted in 1999, and to this day, fans around the world continue to watch it. Some even call it the greatest TV show of all time. Gandolfini plays the main character, Tony Soprano, a reputed mobster and waste management consultant. He is married to Carmela, his wife, played by Edie Falco. Tony also has two children, Anthony Junior, better known as AJ and Meadow Soprano. They are played by Robert Iller and Jamie Lynn Sigler, respectively.
One of the more interesting aspects of the show is Tony’s relationship with his psychotherapist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi who is played by Lorraine Bracco.
His uncle, his father’s brother, Corrado Soprano, better known as “Uncle Junior,” is older, but great age does not come with great wisdom in his case. Uncle Junior is played by “The Godfather Part II” alumni Dominic Chianese. Tony’s best friend and confidant, Silvio Dante, is played by none other than Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist, Steven Van Zandt. One of the show’s most popular characters, played by the late Tony Sirico, is Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri. With his colorful profanity and superstitions, he creates memorable moments in the show.
The show also has a lot of great uses of imagery and takes interesting social stances. As previously stated, Tony’s use of a therapist is hidden from his family. This can be seen as an commentary about masculinity and mental health. Tony hides Dr. Melfi from his mafia family as to avoid any issues stemming from him talking to a therapist. This can be seen as allegory to real life as men are less likely to receive or ask for help when it comes to mental health. Tony being less likely to get help from therapy sort of in a way is a comment on men’s mental health and what it means to “be manly.”
Another important bit of commentary is the appearance of traditions and customs that are uniformly followed for generations, only to have them crumble with the modern era. This is seen when the characters attend church, business meetings, or even dinner. Everyone wears formal dress clothes. Similarly, Tony and Carmela’s opinions on modern-day issues often conflict with their more traditional conservative beliefs.
These themes are exemplified by the highly realistic world “The Sopranos” is set in. Using real-life locations, and minimal sets allows this show to be hyper-realistic in showing a society like ours. Even after airing over 20 years ago, this show still holds true with memorable quotes, and an image of the world not seen in Hollywood.
