Television Finally Watched the Sopranos

[rivera]

Season 5 of The Wire is actively bad. The first 3 seasons are incredible. Season 4 is very good but no on the level of 1-3.

Sopranos is amazing for all 6 seasons.

Valid… they should have definitely leaned into S4 storylines harder for S5. We didn’t need the serial killer storyline/any of the news stuff.

S5 Wire is weakest of all 11 seasons between the two shows, but 1, 2 & 3 are all better than any Sopranos season IMO.

 

[TribalDrumz]

 

[HHJ]

You know, if I have one complaint about the show it’s that they never made it clear if Phil ever served time in prison, and if he did, then we were definitely left wondering for how long.

20 fuckin' years!

 

[pugilistico]

The Sopranos was the first major show that I know of that had the sympathetic bad guy that we complain about now. The difference is that it was actually good. I watched the entire series like 3 times I think.

 

[jeff7b9]

Random thought here.

I think Fargo series on FX really belongs in the conversation with the elite TV shows like Sopranos, Breaking Bad, etc.

I guess the anthology thing maybe makes people view it as a separate category, but personally I think it nails the "long form TV format with cinema quality" thing (which is what I think folks tend to like about BB, BCS, TWD etc) as well as any of them.

 

[Hog-train]

Goes with everything else, you gotta consume and fast, and then go onto the next one, fuckin' binge watching.

The Wire and The Sopranos, you wanted to watch the next episode but at the same time you wanted to give it time to digest what you've just seen and think about it.
Everything was so damn good, writing, acting, dialogues etc. GOAT shows.

Is the Wire really that good? I've always heard how epic it was so attempted to watched two separate times, but it seemed so dated, I tapped out after 1 episode.

 

[HHJ]

Is the Wire really that good? I've always heard how epic it was so attempted to watched two separate times, but it seemed so dated, I tapped out after 1 episode.

GOAT level

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

Is the Wire really that good? I've always heard how epic it was so attempted to watched two separate times, but it seemed so dated, I tapped out after 1 episode.

As I mentioned in my OP it’s in my top 3.

I read an apt description of the Sopranos and the Wire. The Wire is about broken systems. Sopranos is about broken people.

 

[Gutter Chris]

Sopranos was literally the first movie quality TV drama on TV.

This isn't true. Hbo figured it out with oz

 

[Hog-train]

This isn't true. Hbo figured it out with oz

Ahh forgot that show. You're right - I loved that show.

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

This isn't true. Hbo figured it out with oz

Oz really is the OG of HBO dramas. I just wish they hadn’t gone off the rails in seasons 5 and 6. Seasons 2-4 were incredible imo. In fact, Oz was in my top 3 with the Wire and Better Call Saul until Sopranos knocked it off the podium after completing my watch through of that.

 

[TribalDrumz]

Craziest shit was how Furio could have killed Tony easily but don’t think he could have not been whacked even if he escaped back to Italy

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

Craziest shit was how Furio could have killed Tony easily but don’t think he could have not been whacked even if he escaped back to Italy

Frankly I think he could have gotten away with throwing him into the chopper blades. They’re extremely dangerous, Tony was very drunk, no one was watching. I think people could have believed Furio if he said Tony was careless and got too close. I think he hesitated out of loyalty to “this thing of ours” (ie it’s wrong to just kill the Boss) combined with probably thinking as much as he loved Carmella she would nonetheless be a fucking wreck if Tony got blended by chopper blades.

 

[Brampton_Boy]

For years the Sopranos has been pretty high on my list of shows that I hadn’t seen but wanted to check out. It’s perpetually thrown around in the conversation concerning GOAT tv drama, along with the likes of Breaking Bad, the Wire and a few others, but I just never got around to trying to find the time for it.

Well, that finally changed in mid-November as my wife and I started watching it, with us finishing season 6 last week. And I have to say, it exceeded my expectations. I’d put it right up with the Wire and Better Call Saul as my personal “holy trinity” of GOAT drama tv shows. The characters are all so memorable and both well written and acted. Tony especially is such a miserable piece of shit but at the same time extremely charismatic such that I simultaneously loved and hated him. Horrible husband, horrible father, horrible friend, yet you still route for him constantly.

What a great show. 10/10

Really? I recently started watching it (currently on Season 4) and it feels like a slog at times. I loved Breaking Bad and The Wire, but I find the Sopranos to be awkwardly paced with extremely unlikable characters. The editing also seems really off at times. It's not a bad show by any means, but it just doesn't captivate me in the same way that the Wire did. I know I'm in the minority, so the issue is probably with me.

 

[HHJ]

The editing also seems really off at times.

I have noticed one episode where that happens that is really weird.

That redhead in the film industry that Christopher sleeps with. (Alicia Witt)

I dunno what it was but something about her performance that the director must have hated cos it looks like he quick cuts alot of her scenes in a really odd way in some scenes in that episode.

 

[HHJ]

This isn't true. Hbo figured it out with oz

Yeah but Oz was REALLY LOW BUDGET compared to Sopranos

Still, when Sopranos came out, I could only think of Oz and how HBO dont be givin two single fucks about nothing, and fuckin ANYTHING can happen when you turn these shows on.

 

[puppybird]

They said Tony Sirico was basically real life Paulie... so dude basically acted like himself. Which was fucking awesome.

This scene still gives me chills many years after I watched the first time. the writing, the acting, everything... Imperioli is so fucking underrated as an actor. I wish he would have done more movies.



BTW this is Tony Sirico years before the Sopranos:

White lotus season 2 was decent, he’s great in that (imperioli)

 

[ufcfan4]

Frankly I think he could have gotten away with throwing him into the chopper blades. They’re extremely dangerous, Tony was very drunk, no one was watching. I think people could have believed Furio if he said Tony was careless and got too close. I think he hesitated out of loyalty to “this thing of ours” (ie it’s wrong to just kill the Boss) combined with probably thinking as much as he loved Carmella she would nonetheless be a fucking wreck if Tony got blended by chopper blades.

That’s how I read it, too. He felt compelled by the sense of honor similar to the way Frank Pentangeli changes his testimony when he sees his brother in the Godfather Part II.

Furio was another really good character on the show. Lot of memorable lines and scenes. “You got a bee on your hat…”

The scene leading up to the aforementioned one where he almost takes out Tony, when he attends his father’s funeral and speaks with his uncle is great. Guy certainly made the most of his scene.

“Soprano?? All the crazy things I’ve done in my life, I never was crazy enough to sleep with the boss’ wife!”

 

[method115]

I've watched it 3 times over my life and I love the shit out of that show.

The Wire is one that I missed out on and people praise. I personally wish I would have never wasted my time on that show. Season 1 was the only good season and after that it fell off so hard. Season 2 is so bad I don't even understand how people can consider that show the GOAT.

The gang bangers in the rest of the seasons are boring and have no personality. Then you have the unkillable gay thug who everyone is so afraid of. Omar's character took a serious show and made it comical. When I saw crack dealers just throwing the crack out the window because they were so scared of Omar I almost stopped right there. I was almost done with it so I just finished it.

 

[Krimzon]

watched Wire on numerous friend recommendations. I get that it's hyper-realistic, with great performances, and a neat structure, but that does not an entertaining show make. Maybe if I wasn't repeatedly told about how awesome it was, i would've enjoyed it more.

Sopranos was great. I remember feeling like it had a bunch of fillers, which in the age of Breaking Bad/GOT, kinda stood out like a sore thumb. I really wanted the crazy freezing Russian solider to come back..but alas