History of The Sopranos in Timeline

The Sopranos, created by David Chase, centers on Tony Soprano, a New Jersey mob boss grappling with panic attacks. He seeks therapy with Dr. Jennifer Melfi, exploring the challenges of balancing his criminal enterprise and family life. Key relationships include his wife Carmela, his volatile protégé Christopher Moltisanti, and his scheming uncle Junior. The series delves into the psychological complexities of Tony and those around him, offering a dark and often humorous look at organized crime and suburban life.

1977: Upstairs, Downstairs Emmy Award Win

In 1977, Upstairs, Downstairs wins the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.

1978: David Chase Wins First Emmy Award

In 1978, David Chase won his first Emmy Award for his work on "The Rockford Files", shared with fellow producers.

Loading Video...

1988: Lawrence Konner Co-Creates Almost Grown with Chase

In 1988, Lawrence Konner co-created "Almost Grown" with David Chase.

Loading Video...

1990: Actors in Common with Goodfellas

In 1990, 27 actors, including Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico, starred in the film Goodfellas, prior to working on The Sopranos.

Loading Video...

1991: Northern Exposure Peabody Award

In 1991, Northern Exposure won a George Foster Peabody Award.

1992: Northern Exposure Peabody Award

In 1992, Northern Exposure won a George Foster Peabody Award.

1993: Gandolfini Invited to Audition

In 1993, James Gandolfini was invited to audition for the role of Tony Soprano after Susan Fitzgerald saw a short clip of his performance in the film True Romance.

Loading Video...

1995: Development Deal Signed

In 1995, David Chase signed a development deal with Brillstein-Grey and wrote the original pilot script for The Sopranos.

December 1997: HBO Orders The Sopranos Series

In December 1997, HBO decided to produce The Sopranos series and ordered 12 more episodes, resulting in a 13-episode first season.

1997: Steven Van Zandt Invited to Audition

In 1997, David Chase, impressed with Steven Van Zandt's appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, invited him to audition for The Sopranos, leading to Van Zandt's casting as Silvio Dante.

1997: HBO Finances The Sopranos Pilot

In 1997, after being pitched to various networks, Chris Albrecht at HBO decided to finance a pilot episode of The Sopranos, which was then directed by David Chase.

January 10, 1999: The Sopranos series premiere on HBO

On January 10, 1999, The Sopranos premiered on HBO with the pilot episode, marking the beginning of its six-season run.

1999: Positive Reviews for First Season

Following its initial airing in 1999, The New York Times stated, "[The Sopranos] just may be the greatest work of American popular culture of the last quarter century."

1999: George Foster Peabody Award

In 1999, The Sopranos earned a George Foster Peabody Award.

1999: Primetime Emmy Award Nomination

In 1999, The Sopranos was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, marking the first time a cable TV series received such a nomination, though it lost to The Practice.

1999: First Soundtrack Album Released

In 1999, the first soundtrack album, "The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series", was released, featuring selections from the show's first two seasons.

2000: Weiner Writes Script for Mad Men

In 2000, Matthew Weiner wrote a script for Mad Men, which impressed David Chase and led to Weiner's job as a writer for The Sopranos.

Loading Video...

2000: George Foster Peabody Award and Golden Globe Award

In 2000, The Sopranos earned a George Foster Peabody Award and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series.

2000: Primetime Emmy Award Nomination

In 2000, The Sopranos received another nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series but lost to The West Wing.

2000: Filming Permit Denied in Essex County

In 2000, officials in Essex County, New Jersey, denied producers permission to film scenes in the South Mountain Reservation due to concerns about stereotypical portrayals of Italian Americans.

August 2001: PublicMind National Survey

In August 2001, Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind conducted a national survey that polled 800 people regarding their views on the show's portrayal of Italian Americans.

2001: Primetime Emmy Award Nomination and AFI Award

In 2001, The Sopranos was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series but lost to The West Wing. The show also won the American Film Institute's Drama Series of the Year Award.

2001: American Psychoanalytic Association Award

In 2001, the American Psychoanalytic Association presented the producers and writers of The Sopranos with an award for "the artistic depiction of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy." Lorraine Bracco also received an award.

2001: Second Soundtrack Album Released

In 2001, the second soundtrack album, "The Sopranos – Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Series", a double-disc compilation, was released featuring songs and selected dialogue from the first three seasons.

2002: TV Guide Ranks The Sopranos Fifth

In 2002, TV Guide ranked The Sopranos fifth on their list of the "Top 50 TV Shows of All Time", while the series was only in its fourth season.

2002: Injunction Against Sopranos Cast in Columbus Day Parade

In 2002, organizers of the New York City Columbus Day Parade won an injunction preventing Mayor Michael Bloomberg from inviting cast members of The Sopranos to participate.

2003: Joe Pantoliano wins Emmy

In 2003, Joe Pantoliano won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role in The Sopranos.

2003: Primetime Emmy Award Nomination

In 2003, The Sopranos was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series but lost to The West Wing.

January 2004: Nielsen Ratings Change

Prior to January 2004, Nielsen reported aggregate numbers for cable networks, making ratings for the first four seasons of The Sopranos not entirely accurate.

October 2, 2004: James Gandolfini on Saturday Night Live

On October 2, 2004, James Gandolfini appeared on Weekend Update as a "New Jersey Resident" on Saturday Night Live, commenting on the resignation of New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey.

2004: Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo win Emmys

In 2004, Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo won Emmys for their supporting roles on The Sopranos.

2004: Primetime Emmy Award Win

In 2004, The Sopranos won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, becoming the first series on a cable network to win the award.

2005: Sopranos Pinball Machine Release

In 2005, Stern Pinball released a Sopranos pinball machine designed by George Gomez.

November 2006: The Sopranos: Road to Respect Release

In November 2006, The Sopranos: Road to Respect, a video game based on the series, was released by THQ for the PlayStation 2.

2006: No Acting Emmy Award

In 2006, The Sopranos did not win an Emmy Award for acting.

2006: Sixth Season Released on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

In 2006, the sixth season of The Sopranos was released on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.

December 19, 2007: Robert Baer Loses Lawsuit

On December 19, 2007, a federal jury found against Robert Baer, dismissing all his claims in a breach of contract lawsuit against David Chase, regarding the creation of The Sopranos.

2007: Channel 4 Names The Sopranos Greatest TV Series

In 2007, Channel 4 (UK) named The Sopranos the greatest television series of all time.

2007: Series is deemed "widely influential"

In 2007, Hal Boedeker stated in PopMatters that The Sopranos was "widely influential for revealing that cable would accommodate complex series about dark characters."

2007: Roger Holland Praises Debut Season

In 2007, Roger Holland of PopMatters wrote, "the debut season of The Sopranos remains the crowning achievement of American television."

2007: No Acting Emmy Award

In 2007, The Sopranos did not win an Emmy Award for acting.

2007: Time Magazine Praises The Sopranos

In 2007, Time Magazine editor James Poniewozik acknowledges the influence of The Sopranos and its impact on television storytelling.

2007: Sixth Season Released on HD DVD

In 2007, the sixth season of The Sopranos was released on HD DVD.

2008: Complete Series DVD Box Set Release

In 2008, a complete series box set of The Sopranos was released on DVD.

December 2009: Critics Name The Sopranos Best Series of Decade

In November and December 2009, many television critics named The Sopranos the best series of the decade and all time in articles summarizing the decade in television.

2009: First Season Released on Blu-ray

In 2009, the first season of The Sopranos was released on Blu-ray.

2010: Opening Title Sequence Ranked Highly

In a 2010 issue of TV Guide, the show's opening title sequence ranked No. 10 on a list of TV's top 10 credits sequences, as selected by readers.

2013: James Gandolfini Death

In 2013, James Gandolfini passed away which ended the chance of a Sopranos reboot according to Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa.

2013: Rankings of The Sopranos

In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Sopranos No. 2 in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time, the Writers Guild of America named it the best-written television series of all time and TV Guide ranked it as the greatest show of all time.

2013: Vince Gilligan comments on Tony Soprano's impact

In 2013, shortly after James Gandolfini's death, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan stated, "Without Tony Soprano, there would be no Walter White."

October 1, 2014: Blu-ray Release

On October 1, 2014, The Sopranos was released on Blu-ray.

2014: Complete Series Box Set Release

In 2014, a complete series box set of The Sopranos was released.

2015: Hollywood Reporter Survey

In 2015, a The Hollywood Reporter survey of 2,800 industry people named The Sopranos as their #6 favorite show.

2016: TV (The Book) Ranks Series

In 2016, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz included The Sopranos in their book, TV (The Book), as the 2nd greatest American television series of all time.

2016: Rolling Stone Ranks The Sopranos First

In 2016, Rolling Stone ranked The Sopranos first on the magazine's list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

March 2018: New Line Cinema Purchases Sopranos Background Story Film

In March 2018, New Line Cinema announced that they had purchased a film detailing The Sopranos background story, set in the 1960s and '70s during, and in the wake of, the Newark riots.

March 2018: New Line Cinema Purchases The Many Saints of Newark film

In March 2018, New Line Cinema purchased a film project detailing the background story of The Sopranos, set in the 1960s and 1970s during and after the Newark riots.

September 2019: The Guardian Ranks The Sopranos First

In September 2019, The Guardian ranked The Sopranos first on its list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.

March 13, 2020: Made Women Podcast Launch

On March 13, 2020, Drea de Matteo and Chris Kushner began hosting a re-watch podcast called Made Women.

April 6, 2020: Talking Sopranos Podcast Launch

On April 6, 2020, Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa began hosting a podcast called Talking Sopranos, where they discuss the series episode-by-episode.

September 2020: Talking Sopranos Podcast Downloads

By September 2020, the Talking Sopranos podcast had reached over five million downloads.

September 17, 2020: Book Deal Signed by Imperioli and Schirripa

On September 17, 2020, Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa signed a deal with HarperCollins book imprint William Morrow and Company to write an oral history of The Sopranos.

September 25, 2020: Initial Release Date of The Many Saints of Newark

On September 25, 2020, The Many Saints of Newark was initially scheduled to be released, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Loading Video...

May 2021: Talking Sopranos Wins Webby Award

In May 2021, the Talking Sopranos podcast won a Webby Award for Best Television & Film Podcast by method of "People's Voice Winner".

October 1, 2021: The Many Saints of Newark Release

On October 1, 2021, The Many Saints of Newark was released in theaters and on HBO Max after multiple delays.

Loading Video...

November 2, 2021: Woke Up This Morning Release

On November 2, 2021, "Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos" by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa was released.

Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos

Check it on Amazon

2021: Empire Ranks The Sopranos First

In 2021, Empire ranked The Sopranos at number one on their list of The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

2021: Release of The Many Saints of Newark

In 2021, The Many Saints of Newark, a film detailing The Sopranos background story, was released. The film was written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner and directed by Alan Taylor.

Loading Video...

2022: Chevrolet Commercial During Super Bowl LVI

In 2022, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler reprised their roles as Meadow and A.J. Soprano in a Chevrolet television commercial initially broadcast during Super Bowl LVI, directed by David Chase. The commercial recreated the opening-title sequence of The Sopranos.

2022: Rolling Stone Ranks The Sopranos First

In 2022, Rolling Stone ranked The Sopranos first on the magazine's list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

2023: Variety Ranks The Sopranos #3

In 2023, Variety ranked The Sopranos #3 on its own list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.

February 2026: Imperioli and Schirripa on James Gandolfini's death

In February 2026, Sopranos regulars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa conceded that James Gandolfini's death in 2013 ended the chance for a Sopranos reboot series.