The Sopranos is one of the greatest TV shows of all time, and one critical change to real-life mafia life contributed to that excellence.
The Sopranos dramatized real-life mob life for the purpose of entertaining television, and one change stands out in its value to the TV series. Regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time, The Sopranos is known for its authenticity, with dozens of characters with distinct, true-to-life personalities. While great mafia films offered a glimpse into the crime world, HBO’s masterpiece allowed for a level of long-term engagement to the point where each character felt like they had a life of their own, with precisely crafted personalities.
The characters in The Sopranos felt incredibly real, but not every aspect of the show was as authentic. Recently, show creator David Chase and members of the Sopranos cast gathered for the show’s 25th anniversary, and Chase revealed a vital element of the fiction that tied the series together. He explained, in reference to violence on The Sopranos, “If you look at the real Mob, I think there were a grand total of nine Mob homicides from ’99 to 2007 in the New York metropolitan area. We were doing nine a season.”
The Sopranos Was Right To Inflate Its Violence Compared To Real Life
David Chase is entirely right about his approach to violence on The Sopranos. The possibility of death and brutality added a thrilling balance to the more normal scenes of family life and therapy. Some Sopranos character deaths felt like the only possible conclusion to carefully established arcs, and they allowed the series to continuously maintain a vast ensemble cast. Characters like Chris, Bobby, Silvio, and possibly Tony dying in the final season also contributed to the show’s lasting legacy, ending the series with a sense of dread consistent with The Sopranos’ themes.
With the added pressure of modern technology cracking down on the Mob comes a natural intensity, and characters dying off in excess seems like an appropriate ending.
The deaths on The Sopranos also contributed to one of the show’s main concepts. Unlike most mafia media set in specific 20th-century time periods, The Sopranos defied norms by being set in the modern age. Characters on The Sopranos were threatened by the potential of wiretaps, video camera footage, and other 21st-century technology that’s reduced the mafia threat. With the added pressure of modern technology cracking down on the Mob comes a natural intensity, and characters dying off in excess seems like an appropriate ending.
How Accurate The Sopranos Was Compared To Real Life
David Chase established a sense of realism with The Sopranos, creating characters who may act like contemporary individuals from the show’s era. Real-life events consistently impacted the show, contributing to that candidness. The portrayals of mafia members have been praised for their realism, with actors like Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts) played by ex-mobsters. The Sopranos captured the culture and personalities of mafia life well, and it’s clear the required research was done to maintain near-perfection.
