The Sopranos creator David Chase believes the golden age of television is over as studios and executives strive to 'dumb down' projects for a modern audience.
The HBO series is recognised as one of the greatest television shows of all time, if not the very best.
It told the story of Tony Soprano, his family and his colleagues in a New Jersey crime family. It won 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globes, with particular critical praise for the writing and the performances of actors like James Gandolfini and Edie Falco.
The Sopranos is credited with catalysing a golden era of television, as shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Wire would follow in its footsteps.
According to Chase, though, that era is over.
“A 25-year blip. And to be clear, I’m not talking only about The Sopranos, but a lot of other hugely talented people out there who I feel increasingly bad for," he told the Times in an interview about the 25rh anniversary of the first episode.
The Sopranos (1999-2007)
Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is the head of a mob family in New Jersey. Throughout the series, Tony struggles to deal with the pressures of providing for both families, both in crime and at home, all the while revealing details of his personal life to his therapist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) and attempting to keep his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) happy.
Developed by: David Chase
Stars:
James Gandolfini, Lorraine Bracco and Edie Falco
“This is the 25th anniversary, so of course it’s a celebration. But perhaps we shouldn’t look at it like that. Maybe we should look at it like a funeral. “We’re going back to where I was. They’re going to have commercials … and I’ve already been told to dumb it down.
“As the human race goes on, we are more into multitasking. Your phone is just one symptom, but who can really focus? Your mother could be dying and you are by her hospital bed taking calls.
“We seem to be confused and audiences can’t keep their minds on things, so we can’t make anything that makes too much sense, takes our attention and requires an audience to focus. And as for streaming executives? It is getting worse. We’re going back to where we were.”
Chase struggled to sell The Sopranos
It is widely known that Chase pitched The Sopranos to numerous TV studios with no success before it was picked up by HBO.
“Back then the networks were in an artistic pit. A shithole. The process was repulsive. In meetings these people would always ask to take out the one thing that made an episode worth doing. I should have quit,” he continued.
“I should have known that a real mafia wiseguy show would not happen on US TV. If you think your grandmother is risk adverse, you should meet network people.”
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