I think West Wing gets left off because the show consisted entirely of non-stop snappy dialogue. It was entertaining at times, but there isn't a ton of suspense when you know President Bartlet is the smartest man in the world and he's always right.
Does The Sopranos still hold up today?
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Last: 6 yr ago by BurnetAggie99
I'll preface this by saying I've seen The Shield, Justified, SoA (not a tier 1 drama), GoT, and I am on The Wire right now. However, I watched The Sopranos a few years ago in college and it is hands down my favorite show ever. I binge watched it like some other shows....which in hindsight I think was a mistake because there are certain parts in the series where I just got downright depressed.
The acting in the show is incredible. The dynamic between Tony/Carmela, Tony/Dr. Melfi, Tony/Livia, Tony/Christopher is incredible and, at times, emotionally taxing. If you watch the show you'll realize that James Gandolfini set the standard for your anti-hero, main character and he set that standard VERY high that few have reached it (Bryan Cranston). The writing is considered to be some of the best ever, if not the best, due to its ground breaking nature and it does a great job of epitomizing the word "Drama." It's not a show about the Italian-American Mafia but about a torn, sadistic, and conflicted man who tries to balance his life as the head of a crime family and the evils of the world he created, while trying to be a decent and yet failing father and husband. If you go into it thinking it's going to be a more violent version of "The Godfather" then you'll be disappointed.
Watch it and enjoy it, it's excellent. My favorite quote: "Who gives a sh** about what people say when they don't have the balls to say it to your face?"
The acting in the show is incredible. The dynamic between Tony/Carmela, Tony/Dr. Melfi, Tony/Livia, Tony/Christopher is incredible and, at times, emotionally taxing. If you watch the show you'll realize that James Gandolfini set the standard for your anti-hero, main character and he set that standard VERY high that few have reached it (Bryan Cranston). The writing is considered to be some of the best ever, if not the best, due to its ground breaking nature and it does a great job of epitomizing the word "Drama." It's not a show about the Italian-American Mafia but about a torn, sadistic, and conflicted man who tries to balance his life as the head of a crime family and the evils of the world he created, while trying to be a decent and yet failing father and husband. If you go into it thinking it's going to be a more violent version of "The Godfather" then you'll be disappointed.
Watch it and enjoy it, it's excellent. My favorite quote: "Who gives a sh** about what people say when they don't have the balls to say it to your face?"
my main problem with the sopranos was chase's overuse of trippy dream sequence episodes.
and anthony jr
it still belongs on a top 10 all time list.
and anthony jr
it still belongs on a top 10 all time list.
quote:I'm almost done with season 5 and I can recall only 2 or 3 episodes that were driven by dream sequences. Not sure what you're referring to unless the last season is chock full of them.
my main problem with the sopranos was chase's overuse of trippy dream sequence episodes.
so 2-3 of the first 40 isnt too many? you'll love the 3 more over the last season and a half, then.
most fans consider tony on peyote in las vegas to be the best episode. so you've got that to look forward to.
most fans consider tony on peyote in las vegas to be the best episode. so you've got that to look forward to.
I had never seen it and binged it over the course of a month or so.
The first season is really hard to watch. It has a very dated feel in that it was shot before HD, so in that sense it doesn't hold up well. Once you get past season 1, they started putting more money into it, and it flourished.
All in all, I'd say it definitely holds up as a series. Just don't let Season 1 hold you back.
The first season is really hard to watch. It has a very dated feel in that it was shot before HD, so in that sense it doesn't hold up well. Once you get past season 1, they started putting more money into it, and it flourished.
All in all, I'd say it definitely holds up as a series. Just don't let Season 1 hold you back.
quote:
so 2-3 of the first 40 isnt too many? you'll love the 3 more over the last season and a half, then.
most fans consider tony on peyote in las vegas to be the best episode. so you've got that to look forward to.
Well not to nitpick, but i'm on episode 64. No, that isn't too many. I would say a couple per season would be too many. But one every other season?
Watched it years ago and made it a priority this summer to RE watch in its entirety. It definitely holds up. You definitely see some "flaws" here and there but the show itself is just fantastic. Truly great.
Olivia and Junior are so incredibly strong the entire series. Want to get some dust in your eyes? Google Image the Gandolfini funeral and look at all the images from the cast there. It's just weird and sad to see "junior" outlast "Tony" in real life.
Sopranos is a firm #2 just behind the Wire for me.
Olivia and Junior are so incredibly strong the entire series. Want to get some dust in your eyes? Google Image the Gandolfini funeral and look at all the images from the cast there. It's just weird and sad to see "junior" outlast "Tony" in real life.
Sopranos is a firm #2 just behind the Wire for me.
Ok I totally just thought I read a major spoiler but then saw 'in real life'.
Either way I'm not coming in here any more!
Either way I'm not coming in here any more!
I'm watching for the first time (18 years late), currently a few episodes into season 5, and it's interesting because I've been trying to watch it with an open mind, but I can't help but to subconsciously compare it to shows like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones as I watch. Which is ironic because this show set the standard for the cinematic, sprawling narrative that shows like BB, GoT, Fargo, or even Lost seemed to embrace, nurture and expand upon. But what this show really provides is characters, characters trapped in complicated situations of their own designing, afflicted and ruthless, yet relatable and deserving of empathy. I think the staying power lies in the fact that whether you're a housewife or headstrong alpha male, aspiring college student or angsty high school rebel, new parent or patriarch, you can relate to the characters as their stories play out. And that type of storytelling transcends time.
My favorite Sopranos moment:
chechen interior ministryCajunAg97 said:
I finished it Sunday night and the show definitely still holds up. The Wire is my #1 but this show is great and I'm sad it is over.
It is still great and takes me back to the days of simpler communication like pay phones and landlines. The Wire holds up too. The two best shows ever.
Sopranos screwed up the ending. Not as bad as GoT to where it kills act chance of me rewatching the series again, but Soprano's failure is hard to overcome. Fortunately there is no begging question like "who is going to end up on the throne" to answer.
It is a fantastic show. Gandolfini and Falco give two of the best performances I've ever seen. Certainly deserves to be considered one of the best shows of all time.
But i think timing and influence plays a large part in critics always saying this is the greatest show of all time. As great as it is, I think The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men are greater overall shows
But i think timing and influence plays a large part in critics always saying this is the greatest show of all time. As great as it is, I think The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men are greater overall shows
It's hard for me to choose the specific rankings, they tend to fluctuate for me.
The Wire, Mad Men, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, West Wing, Justified, Lost, The Americans
Shows with a shorter run, but still great
Deadwood, Rome, Firefly,
Comedies
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Parks & Rec, The Office (us and uk), Brooklyn Nine Nine
The Wire, Mad Men, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, West Wing, Justified, Lost, The Americans
Shows with a shorter run, but still great
Deadwood, Rome, Firefly,
Comedies
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Parks & Rec, The Office (us and uk), Brooklyn Nine Nine
Now that GoT is over and it **** the bed on the ending, it's hard for me to have anything other than Breaking Bad as a true start-to-finish epic. The acting, the writing, the story, the filming... just everything about it.
The Shield is my #2 and The Wire is my #3. The Shield wins out over Wire because I felt like the ride was a lot more fun, and the ending was a lot more satisfactory. The Wire just loses too many points for that fake serial killer final season. Mind you that season was still better than most other things on TV, but it was just a significant dip from the rest of the series so a shame it came at the end.
The Americans and Justified slot in as a tie for #4. The former was just incredibly solid throughout it's entire run, the latter with the best dialogue ever to grace the TV, though I will concede it's stories could be a little flimsy and the whole Florida-Crowes season was just painful.
The Shield is my #2 and The Wire is my #3. The Shield wins out over Wire because I felt like the ride was a lot more fun, and the ending was a lot more satisfactory. The Wire just loses too many points for that fake serial killer final season. Mind you that season was still better than most other things on TV, but it was just a significant dip from the rest of the series so a shame it came at the end.
The Americans and Justified slot in as a tie for #4. The former was just incredibly solid throughout it's entire run, the latter with the best dialogue ever to grace the TV, though I will concede it's stories could be a little flimsy and the whole Florida-Crowes season was just painful.
It feels like you're ignoring the 22 episode seasons full of filler in the shield. I enjoyed the hell out of it, but quality wise, the shield is closer to the FX soap opera shows of its era (like nip/tuck) rather than anything going on GOAT lists like breaking bad.
This thread makes me want to go back and catch some Soprano's episodes. Some of my favorites. Would love to hear other fan's as well.
Whitecaps (best acting of the show)
Pine Barrens
Employee of the Month (that "no." and cut to black was so well done and frustrating)
Whoever Did This
Blue Comet
Soprano Home Movies
Long Term Parking
Yea, this show holds up.
Whitecaps (best acting of the show)
Pine Barrens
Employee of the Month (that "no." and cut to black was so well done and frustrating)
Whoever Did This
Blue Comet
Soprano Home Movies
Long Term Parking
Yea, this show holds up.
I've never actually seen a single episode of the Sopranos and have wondered if it still holds up. I considered starting the series but it seems pretty daunting given the number of episodes. I've managed to avoid almost all spoilers for the show. I know its a story about organized crime, some people die (don't know which ones), and James Gandophini plays Tony Soprano. Thats about it.
I swear to Dog, my 64 year old mother started binge watching The Sopeanos on the Amazon Prime account I set up for her.
I think the show absolutely still holds up.
I think the show absolutely still holds up.
Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting.
Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
The ending is horrible. Not only is it lazy writing, it's condescending of David Chase to blame fans for not liking it. It's not that we want a bow wrapped around every story or for it to be a happy ending, we at least want AN ending of some sort. It's as if Chase couldn't decide how to end it, so he just didn't. And then pretended it was more sophisticated that way. Sorry. It wasn't.ac04 said:disagree completely, the end is perfect.aTmAg said:
Sopranos screwed up the ending. Not as bad as GoT to where it kills act chance of me rewatching the series again, but Soprano's failure is hard to overcome. Fortunately there is no begging question like "who is going to end up on the throne" to answer.
Rewatching The Wire. Damn that's a great show. So many great characters and stories. I think Succession is the next great series.
There is nothing to get. It wasn't "deep" or "sophisticated" or any of that. It was just a lazy copout.ac04 said:
why are you apologizing to me? you're the one who didn't get it
Some people want decent writing. That last episode fell way short. Too bad, because they could have gone down as the greatest show ever, but they screwed it up.
The show is mainly about trust relationships being tested over time, and that aspect of the show is timeless. Although I certainly agree with Harry Lime's insightful comment about the time period in which the show debuted, I really think those writers could have put those characters in just about any setting and had a good show.nai06 said:
I've never actually seen a single episode of the Sopranos and have wondered if it still holds up. I considered starting the series but it seems pretty daunting given the number of episodes. I've managed to avoid almost all spoilers for the show. I know its a story about organized crime, some people die (don't know which ones), and James Gandophini plays Tony Soprano. Thats about it.
I wouldn't try to binge it over a weekend or anything, but it's pretty easy to watch a few episodes at a time. I mainly got it through reruns after the original run ended, and never felt too lost. It's like Mad Men in that you'll know pretty quickly if you want to keep watching.
The Sopranos ending was complete ***** There was no ending. It was a lazy, disrespectful middle finger to the fans who followed the show all the way through. The ******* obviously had no idea how to wrap up the story, so he just said **** you to the fans and quit on us. I hope he gets hemorrhoids so badly that he can never sit comfortably again. **** him.
I loved the ending of Sopranos but thought the show went about 1.5 seasons too long. Season 5 and the first half of season 6 wasn't very good, but it's hard to blame the producers of the show. The show was at the beginning of the golden age of tv and was still in that mindset that shows had to run for years and years before ending.
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