The Sopranos - what am I missing?

Osprey

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Feb 18, 2005
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I’ve shut so many shows off after 15 minutes. Usually pilots. Most shows crater and die, but some just keep rolling. Mostly cop shows, medical dramas, and lawyer shows. I bail hard on traditional American one hour dramas. But I bail on most superhero shows now too. I guess they’re not my thing. A lot of people obviously love them. They’re not all wrong, obviously.

I can't stand real life dramas (shows about cops, doctors, lawyers, firefighters, politicians, etc.). I don't want to watch those things when I'm trying to escape from the real world for a few hours every night. I don't understand why so many other people love spending their free time watching those types of shows, but everyone has different tastes.

That played a big role in me giving up on The Wire so early. I knew, going in, that it was the kind of show that I tend to hate. There was almost no way that I was going to like it, but it was HBO and I had been binge watching a lot of their shows that I really liked (Game of Thrones, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Rome), so I gave it a chance, albeit a very small one. Only 15 minutes in, I could tell that it was the kind of show that I don't like, so I didn't need to see any more. Naturally, if I liked real life dramas, I would've been much more patient with it, as I am with shows that are more the kind of thing that I like watching. Heck, I watched the entire first season of Star Trek: Discovery, even though it's terrible, simply because I like sci-fi.
 

chicagoskycam

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OP kind of lost me when the TWD was including on the list. I agree on the re-watch it hasn't held up in some places, especially season 1 if you're still on it. Press on, it's a great show. It's deeper than just the mob and one of the closest things to capturing the feel of it in this time period. James G is great in it. Like anything else the 1st season sometimes requires time for the characters to find a groove. Tony S is much different as the seasons progress and the show has some of the best moments ever in t.v.

This stuff is all subjective like while The Wire was a great show with incredible acting - it bored the piss out of me. Loved BB. Couldn't tolerate TWD after a couple seasons. BB was unique in that many of the secondary characters they brought in overshadowed the main cast.

and.... Dexter - I felt like the entire show was an acting disaster. SFU is a top five show for me.
 

Player big P

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I started to rewatch the entire series a couple months ago, but a few seasons in it just got to a point where I was skipping everything that wasn't mob related. I didn't care about Meadow and her dumb boyfriend, or AJ and anything he did, or Janice being horrible. I guess I should try again but just knowing those things from the first time I watched it, I wasn't really compelled to see them again.
 

Make

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Apr 15, 2004
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A bit surprised by the bad acting in Sopranos comments. That was never something that struck out to me or bothered me. Same for the picture quality. I can see that it's a bit fuzzy by today's standards, but picture quality in general is way down on my list for important aspects. I wouldn't hold it against any show unless it was done out of laziness or carelessness.

Another thing that I don't understand is how hated the annoying characters are in these threads (not just in Sopranos but in many other series threads). Sometimes it feels like people don't want any "difficult" characters on the shows they watch. Yes the kids can be annoying, but that's part of teenagers' family life and to me it seems realistic considering the way they were brought up in an unhealthy environment. Much of the show is about Tony making up his bad parenting by bribing his kids or and reflecting his own upbringing to what he tries to do with AJ.

I ended up liking pretty much all posts that praised the show so yeah, I do like it a lot. I especially enjoy the characters and the way we're made to struggle between liking Tony because of his good qualities and hating him because of his bad qualities. He's a very well written character.
 

Shareefruck

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Apr 2, 2005
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Six Feet Under is driven by a really nice sentiment and you gotta love the heart it has (the ending montage always gets me), but it feels messy as hell to me and starts to feel like a soap opera at some point, IMO.
 
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Voodoo Child

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Jun 16, 2009
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I love Breaking Bad but The Sopranos is indisputably miles better, I would even say Mad Men is better (that's just my stilo: I prefer deep, character driven pieces over 'it goes boom!').

But you have to love the lore (think the Godfather trilogy, Goodfellas, Casino etc.,) to love the show. Mafia movies aren't your thing, you probably won't dig it.

The 1st season is uneven because there was about a one year lag between filming the pilot and the rest of the season (you can read about it on the wiki page).

The series does a tremendous job juxtaposing suburban life and organized crime, that's where the appeal lies for some.

For me it's the performances. James Gandolfini knocked it out of the park, as did Tony Sirico as Paulie and Michael Impreoli as Christopher. Edie Falco was great as the 'mob wife' (especially when they divorce around s4), and yes I agree that AJ is a whiny emo p***y, Jamie Lynn's turn as a smart, sassy mob princess coming to terms with her father's way of life was great. Drea Di Matteo and Frank Vincent also killing it.

But the show fools you; it's not a crime drama about Jersey mobsters. It's a dark comedy about Jersey mobsters and their family life.

Season 1 is great but runs a little uneven. Seasons 2 through 6 are consistently excellent. Stay the course.
 
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Supermassive

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Feb 19, 2007
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I can't stand real life dramas (shows about cops, doctors, lawyers, firefighters, politicians, etc.). I don't want to watch those things when I'm trying to escape from the real world for a few hours every night. I don't understand why so many other people love spending their free time watching those types of shows, but everyone has different tastes.

That played a big role in me giving up on The Wire so early. I knew, going in, that it was the kind of show that I tend to hate. There was almost no way that I was going to like it, but it was HBO and I had been binge watching a lot of their shows that I really liked (Game of Thrones, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Rome), so I gave it a chance, albeit a very small one. Only 15 minutes in, I could tell that it was the kind of show that I don't like, so I didn't need to see any more. Naturally, if I liked real life dramas, I would've been much more patient with it, as I am with shows that are more the kind of thing that I like watching. Heck, I watched the entire first season of Star Trek: Discovery, even though it's terrible, simply because I like sci-fi.

I was the same way with The Wire - I thought HBO's high quality would overrule the less interesting (to me) subject matter and I'd stick with it. I was kind of disappointed with myself for not liking it, lol.

The Sopranos, on the other hand, had me locked in on a binge watch, which may have been easier than if I had access to HBO when the show was originally airing. Some shows seem to work better on a week-to-week premiere viewing basis (Breaking Bad, The Shield and The Americans being among my favorites), whereas others don't keep you guessing as much from episode to episode perhaps, and flow a little better during binge-watching.
 

m9

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Recently binge-watched The Sopranos for the first time and thought it was excellent. By the 2nd or 3rd seasons I was completely hooked. I would have it behind Breaking Bad, but probably ahead of other great shows like Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire.
 

Shareefruck

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Apr 2, 2005
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What is this thread about again?
I'll never understand this need people have to police rigidly staying within a thread's appointed topic. I feel like the organic twists and turns and tangents that this thread has gone off on have been fun and perfectly reasonable, actually.

It doesn't prevent you from focusing on The Sopranos if you have something to say about it.
 
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Osprey

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Feb 18, 2005
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I'll never understand this need people have to police rigidly staying within a thread's appointed topic. I feel like the organic twists and turns and tangents that this thread has gone off on have been fun and perfectly reasonable, actually.

I agree. Organic conversation can be the most interesting. When it's policed too much, it starts to feel like a group therapy session, where someone leads the discussion and everyone gets a turn to address the topic and nothing else. Earlier in the week, a few of us started talking about The Last Jedi in the Solo thread and a moderator moved our posts to the 'Last Jedi' thread, necro-bumping it. We were talking about the last Star Wars film in a thread for the latest Star Wars film, yet that was too off topic, apparently. I understand steering things back on track if they're way too off topic, like if people were debating their favorite hamburger joints in a thread about the Sopranos, but I don't have any problem with tangents that might dead end soon or eventually loop back around to the topic.
 
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TheAngryHank

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May 28, 2008
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I'll never understand this need people have to police rigidly staying within a thread's appointed topic. I feel like the organic twists and turns and tangents that this thread has gone off on have been fun and perfectly reasonable, actually.

It doesn't prevent you from focusing on The Sopranos if you have something to say about it.
I'll never understand this need people have to police rigidly staying within a thread's appointed topic. I feel like the organic twists and turns and tangents that this thread has gone off on have been fun and perfectly reasonable, actually.

It doesn't prevent you from focusing on The Sopranos if you have something to say about it.
I thought i was reading a Wire thread.
 

Neutrinos

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Sep 23, 2016
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They've only had 3 seasons, but when all is said and done, I think Fargo will be on par with the likes of Breaking Bad, and The Sopranos

I enjoyed The Wire, but didn't love it the way so many others do

Perhaps I'll start a new thread: The Wire - What Am I Missing?
 

CokenoPepsi

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Oct 28, 2016
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Kind of late to this thread but.

1. Sopranos is a little bit dated but that is part of its charm now... It is a timepiece of the late 90s/ early 2000s.

2. Breaking Bad was simply ok...good and sometimes great but it couldn't hold up and really tanked the ending.

3. Walking dead? Seriously? Im a fan but cmon
 

Emperoreddy

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Apr 13, 2010
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Recently binge-watched The Sopranos for the first time and thought it was excellent. By the 2nd or 3rd seasons I was completely hooked. I would have it behind Breaking Bad, but probably ahead of other great shows like Mad Men or Boardwalk Empire.

A lot of the production staff of the Sopranos moved onto Mad Men before that also ended
 

Murzu

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I'm just watching Sopranos for the second time ever. Halfway through the last season, and I don't understand how it hasn't aged well in your guys opinions. It has aged just as well as The Wire.

The acting, the script, everything.. This is TV at its best. 10/10, best show in the world along with The Wire.
 

The Madrigal

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Apr 26, 2016
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Almost through season two. Still dont think its the greatest show ever or anything like that. Its gotten a lot better though and I think things started picking up late in season 1 with the plot to kill Tony.
 
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People keep saying that the Sopranos is or feels "dated". I watched the whole series in a short amount of time about 3-4 years ago and it didn't feel particularly dated to me at the time. Like, the clothes and everything were from that time it was made. There isn't anything dated about the production style or techniques, though.

To reply directly to OP, I'm not a huge fan of all the shows you mentioned there, and I think Breaking Bad in particular is not up to the level most people put it. However, what people look for in programming really depends on the person. It's possible you will watch 2-3 whole seasons and not get into the Sopranos. At that point I'd drop it if you're not enjoying it.

I personally will give any shows that people obsess over or that come highly recommended a minimum of two seasons. You need about that long to let the first season breathe and for the writers to get a full grasp on their characters. Same with the actors in some cases. I would give the Sopranos a solid 2 seasons or so, especially since it sounds like you're not terribly short on time.
 

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