2007 Top Moments: End Of An Era
Say what you want about contemporary American television.Personally, I think, overall, primetime programming is pretty terrible, across the board.
We've gone from superbly-produced sitcoms and dramas like "All In The Family," "Cheers," "Seinfeld," "The Cosby Show," and "L.A. Law," to reality series after reality series where, we, as the ultimate lazy society, can simply sit on our bums and watch people: get married to strangers, get ridiculous amounts of plastic surgery, and try to outsmart other TV star-wannabes.
But I digress.
In 1999, right at the beginning of the reality craze, a quiet, stern little man put a mob drama series on HBO, and television will never be the same.
To be truthful, I never started watching "The Sopranos" until season four, when I moved to Lumberton. But once I started watching, I was absolutely hooked.
It remains the only television series I have seen every episode of more than once.
Honestly.
The character of Tony Soprano is a man that could do wrong to no end, yet made you want to care about him, and took you right inside his head.
The people he was surrounded by: his wife Carmela, played perfectly by Edie Falco, his consigliere, played perfectly by rocker Steven Van Zandt, and his nephew Christopher, brought to life by Michael Imperioli, all added to the week-to-week--and year-to-year--drama that built a fan base so broad and so diverse that nothing else will top it.
But now it's gone.
I remember gathering with my parents and my wife to watch the finale, and as the screen jarred to black in the middle of the final scene, and in the middle of "Don't Stop Believing," all I could do was smile.
My family was incredulous.
"What happened?" they demanded.
But I knew. I knew immediately.
Tony Soprano, no matter how crass he could be, no matter how low he stooped, will live on.
Not all the bad guys get caught.
Not all the good guys are as good as they're made out to be.
That's true life.
Tony Soprano's life was better--light years better--than any reality TV series ever made.
Salud!
Posted by
on 12/19 at 10:41 PM
You bash all the reality shows talking how lazy we are as a society then turn around and glorify a mob show? You gathered with your family and wife to watch the final episode? Wow…quality family time watching who was going to get whacked. Hugs and kissed for everyone. Once again, you TV people are clueless.