Although âThe Sopranosâ debuted on HBO 20 years ago today, its impact on television today is unmistakable.
The story of the New Jersey crime family and its boss Tony Soprano was groundbreaking for its examination of family, depression, and violence.
After spending two decades as a TV producer, creator David Chase developed the idea of a mafia family drama but initially envisioned it as a movie.
However, specialty channel HBO eventually aired it as a TV show on Jan. 10, 1999 and it went on to win critical acclaim and ran for six seasons.
Television columnist Bill Brioux called it âthe greatest drama everâ and said its impact on future storytelling is a large reason why.
Examination of the anti-hero
Actor James Gandolfini portrayed the sociopathic mobster in a way that had audiences rooting for him, Brioux said.
At the time, it was revolutionary to show a television character who had âgood qualities, despite the fact that he killed people.â
Richard Crouse, ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ film critic and host of Pop Life, agreed and said the show âtook characters who did terrible things and made them the star of the show.â
âThe Sopranosâ writers went to great lengths to show that Tony wasnât a one-dimensional, moustache-twirling villain: He struggled with being a husband and father; he felt inadequate and even had panic attacks.
This complex, character study format was taken up by show writers Matthew Weiner and Terence Winter, who went on to create the TV shows, âMad Menâ and âBoardwalk Empireâ respectively.
âThese guys came into it knowing that they could go into the darker places they couldnât on network TV,â Brioux said adding âThe Sopranosâ ushered in a new golden age for television.
Serialized storytelling
The mafia show introduced viewers to the slow-burn style to storytelling.
Crouse said the show was like a âbig puzzleâ and gave gravitas to serialized storytelling -- a format largely only seen in soap operas.
âBut what âThe Sopranosâ proved is you can show complex emotions and do it over the course of years and people will stay with you,â he said.
HBOâs âTrue Detectiveâ and âGame of Thrones,â as well as AMCâs âBreaking Badâ have flourished with the television format because writers can truly examine character, Crouse said.
âGame of Thronesâ creator George R.R. Martin even âThe Sopranosâ as the template in which his own characters could be fleshed out in a way that wasnât possible in film.
This gave way to shows like ABCâs âLostâ, HBOâs âDeadwoodâ and âThe Wireâ which could sometimes take years to pay off a storyline.
In fact, video-streaming platforms like Netflix have built entire business models around binge-able serials like âHouse of Cards,â âNarcosâ and âStranger Things.â
TV is not second-rate to films
Long-form, cinematic-level drama on television was a relatively new concept when âThe Sopranosâ aired in 1999.
Crouse said there used to be a âlowest common denominator feel to television ⌠with stories dumbed down, in a way to make everyone feel included.â
But the mob show made stories feel âmore grander, more epic, more cinematic.â He added that the show started the idea that seasons can feel like â10-hour movies.â
âThere was psychological underpinnings to everything which hadnât been explored on mainstream TV,â Crouse said.
Brioux gave credit to HBO which âjust ran with itâ and allowed the show to push the envelope in a way network channels like NBC, CBS or FOX wouldnât.
âDavid Chase took full advantage of that,â he said. âI don't think he would have gotten away with showing a guy this ruthless on network shows.â
Channels like Showtime, FX and AMC even began to specialize in unorthodox stories which couldnât be told on the silver screen.