The Sopranos
Sep. 14th, 2021 10:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerThis week I started watching The Sopranos. I know, I know, it's like, "*ring* *ring* It's 1999 calling!" The show debuted a long time ago now— 1999! The pilot episode aired closer to the late 1970s than to today. 😧
I'm watching The Sopranos now because, well, better late than never. I considered subscribing to HBO for it back in the 00s but didn't want to pay the $12/month or whatever for a pay-TV channel. Plus, I don't think there was a way to get the old episodes back then until they came out on DVD— and then pay for the DVDs, too. Now, of course, there's a cost to stream HBO Max, but streaming is a better deal than traditional pay-TV because I can watch shows on my own schedule. And catch up on old episodes without buying them separately.
As an aside, there are other past series I'd like to catch up on, too. We're not paying for Netflix yet, so I can't catch up on Breaking Bad. With HBO Max I considered starting Game of Thrones now— while it's still fresh enough that people are barely still making memes about it. But I figured I should catch up on The Sopranos first before it gets as far out of date as The Wire.😅
I had a moment of second thoughts before plunging in to the pilot episode Monday night. The Sopranos is 86 episodes. If I watch one a day it'll take almost 3 months. That's a big commitment! Could I binge it faster? Sure, but I'd rather pace myself. I do have a full time job, plus I have leisure activities other than watching TV I'd like to keep up with. Even 7 hours of TV per week is a lot for me. UPDATE: It turns out I watched it even faster than that!
I also hesitated to dive into the show, worrying that it might not measure up to modern TV standards. What if the tropes are too hackneyed and dated in 2021? What if it were a cynical turd created by a showrunner whose idea was little more sophisticated than, "Hey, what if a mob boss had anxiety and needed to see a shrink?"
Well, even 15 minutes into the pilot episode that originally aired in 1999 I saw that the show is amazing. The writing is solid, the actors really portray their roles, and the sets, costuming, and cinematography show great production values. Even 22 years later The Sopranos rocks.
I'm watching The Sopranos now because, well, better late than never. I considered subscribing to HBO for it back in the 00s but didn't want to pay the $12/month or whatever for a pay-TV channel. Plus, I don't think there was a way to get the old episodes back then until they came out on DVD— and then pay for the DVDs, too. Now, of course, there's a cost to stream HBO Max, but streaming is a better deal than traditional pay-TV because I can watch shows on my own schedule. And catch up on old episodes without buying them separately.
As an aside, there are other past series I'd like to catch up on, too. We're not paying for Netflix yet, so I can't catch up on Breaking Bad. With HBO Max I considered starting Game of Thrones now— while it's still fresh enough that people are barely still making memes about it. But I figured I should catch up on The Sopranos first before it gets as far out of date as The Wire.😅
I had a moment of second thoughts before plunging in to the pilot episode Monday night. The Sopranos is 86 episodes. If I watch one a day it'll take almost 3 months. That's a big commitment! Could I binge it faster? Sure, but I'd rather pace myself. I do have a full time job, plus I have leisure activities other than watching TV I'd like to keep up with. Even 7 hours of TV per week is a lot for me. UPDATE: It turns out I watched it even faster than that!
I also hesitated to dive into the show, worrying that it might not measure up to modern TV standards. What if the tropes are too hackneyed and dated in 2021? What if it were a cynical turd created by a showrunner whose idea was little more sophisticated than, "Hey, what if a mob boss had anxiety and needed to see a shrink?"
Well, even 15 minutes into the pilot episode that originally aired in 1999 I saw that the show is amazing. The writing is solid, the actors really portray their roles, and the sets, costuming, and cinematography show great production values. Even 22 years later The Sopranos rocks.
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Date: 2023-01-17 11:00 pm (UTC)