History of The Sopranos in Timeline
The Sopranos, created by David Chase, centers on Tony Soprano, a New Jersey Mafia boss struggling with panic attacks. He seeks therapy from Dr. Jennifer Melfi, revealing the challenges of managing his criminal enterprise alongside his family. Key relationships include his wife Carmela, whose values clash with Tony's world, and his volatile protégé Christopher Moltisanti. The series explores themes of family, loyalty, identity, and the psychological toll of violence within the context of organized crime in contemporary America.
1977: Upstairs, Downstairs Emmy Win
In 1977, Upstairs, Downstairs won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
1978: First Emmy Award for The Rockford Files
In 1978, David Chase won his first Emmy Award for his work on The Rockford Files, shared with fellow producers.
1980: Second Emmy Award for Off the Minnesota Strip
In 1980, David Chase won his second Emmy Award for writing the television film Off the Minnesota Strip.
1986: Television Directorial Debut
In 1986, David Chase made his television directorial debut with the "Enough Rope for Two" episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
1988: Co-creation of Almost Grown
In 1988, David Chase co-created the television series Almost Grown.
1988: Lawrence Konner co-created Almost Grown with Chase
In 1988, Lawrence Konner co-created Almost Grown with Chase.
1990: Actors in Common with Goodfellas
In 1990, the Martin Scorsese gangster film Goodfellas was released, and The Sopranos shares 27 actors with it, including main cast members Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico.
1991: Northern Exposure wins George Foster Peabody Award
In 1991, Northern Exposure earned a George Foster Peabody Award.
1992: Directed episodes of I'll Fly Away
In 1992, David Chase directed episodes of I'll Fly Away.
1992: Northern Exposure wins George Foster Peabody Award
In 1992, Northern Exposure earned a George Foster Peabody Award.
1993: Gandolfini invited to audition after True Romance
In 1993, James Gandolfini was invited to audition for the part of Tony Soprano after casting director Susan Fitzgerald saw a short clip of his performance in the film True Romance.
1995: Signed Development Deal with Brillstein-Grey
In 1995, David Chase signed a development deal with the production company Brillstein-Grey and wrote the original pilot script for The Sopranos.
1996: Wrote and Directed The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime
In 1996, David Chase wrote and directed the television film The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime.
December 1997: HBO Orders The Sopranos Series
In December 1997, HBO decided to produce The Sopranos series and ordered 12 more episodes for a 13-episode season.
1997: The Sopranos Greenlit
In 1997, The Sopranos was greenlit for production, marking the beginning of its journey to television.
1997: Pilot Episode Shot for HBO
In 1997, after pitching The Sopranos to several networks, Chris Albrecht, president of HBO Original Programming, financed a pilot episode directed by David Chase.
1997: Steven Van Zandt Invited to Audition
In 1997, after seeing Steven Van Zandt induct The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, David Chase was impressed with his humorous appearance and presence and invited him to audition for The Sopranos.
January 10, 1999: The Sopranos Series Broadcast Premiere on HBO
On January 10, 1999, The Sopranos premiered on HBO, marking the beginning of its six-season run.
1999: Overwhelmingly Positive Reviews for the 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: Emmy Nomination
In 1999, The Sopranos was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series but lost to The Practice.
1999: Release of The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series
In 1999, The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series was released. The soundtrack album contained selections from the show's first two seasons and reached No. 54 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
2000: Matthew Weiner Hired as Writer for The Sopranos
In 2000, Matthew Weiner wrote a script for the series Mad Men, which was passed on to Chase, who was so impressed that he immediately offered Weiner a job as a writer for The Sopranos.
2000: George Foster Peabody Award and Golden Globe Win
In 2000, The Sopranos earned a George Foster Peabody Award and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series.
2000: Emmy Nomination
In 2000, The Sopranos was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series but lost to The West Wing.
2000: Filming Denied in Essex County
In 2000, officials in Essex County, New Jersey, denied producers permission to film scenes in the South Mountain Reservation, arguing that the show depicts Italian Americans "in stereotypical fashion".
August 2001: Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll
In August 2001, Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind conducted a national survey regarding the show's portrayal of Italian Americans.
2001: American Psychoanalytic Association Award
In 2001, The American Psychoanalytic Association presented The Sopranos producers and writers with an award for "the artistic depiction of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy" and also presented Lorraine Bracco with an award for creating "the most credible psychoanalyst ever to appear in the cinema or on television."
2001: Emmy 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 Sopranos also won the American Film Institute's Drama Series of the Year Award in 2001.
2001: Release of The Sopranos – Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Series
In 2001, The Sopranos – Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Series was released. This double-disc album contains songs and selected dialogue from the show's first three seasons and reached No. 38 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
2002: TV Guide Ranked 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: Columbus Day Parade Controversy
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 in the parade.
2003: Joe Pantoliano's Emmy Win
In 2003, Joe Pantoliano won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role in The Sopranos.
2003: Emmy 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 Aggregate Numbers for Cable Networks
Prior to January 2004, the Nielsen ratings for the first four seasons of The Sopranos are not entirely accurate, as Nielsen reported aggregate numbers for cable networks.
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 to comment on the resignation of New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, parodying his role as Tony Soprano.
2004: Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo's Emmy Win
In 2004, Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo won Emmys for their supporting roles on The Sopranos.
2004: Emmy Win
In 2004, The Sopranos won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, making it 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 Game 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
In 2006, The Sopranos did not win any Emmy Awards for acting.
2006: Sixth Season Blu-ray and HD DVD Release
In 2006, the sixth season of The Sopranos was released on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.
June 10, 2007: The Sopranos Series Finale
On June 10, 2007, The Sopranos concluded its sixth season and 86-episode run on HBO.
December 19, 2007: Federal Jury Rules Against Robert Baer
On December 19, 2007, a federal jury found against Robert Baer, dismissing all of his claims in a breach of contract lawsuit against David Chase regarding the creation of The Sopranos.
2007: Channel 4 Named The Sopranos the Greatest Television Series of All Time
In 2007, Channel 4 (UK) named The Sopranos the greatest television series of all time.
2007: Influence on Cable Television
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: PopMatters Claimed Debut Season Crowning Achievement
In 2007, Roger Holland of PopMatters wrote, "the debut season of The Sopranos remains the crowning achievement of American television."
2007: No Acting Emmy
In 2007, The Sopranos did not win any Emmy Awards for acting.
2007: Sixth Season Blu-ray and HD DVD Release
In 2007, the sixth season of The Sopranos was released on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.
2008: Complete Series DVD Box Set Release
In 2008, the complete series of The Sopranos was released as a DVD box set.
December 2009: Named Best Series of the Decade by Critics
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 Blu-ray Release
In 2009, the first season of The Sopranos was released on Blu-ray.
2010: Opening Title Sequence Ranked in TV Guide
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: Ranked Highly by TV Guide and Writers Guild of America
In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Sopranos No. 2 in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time. In the same year, 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: Breaking Bad Creator Statement
In 2013, shortly after James Gandolfini's death, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan said, "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 Ranks The Sopranos
In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people named The Sopranos as their #6 favorite show.
2016: TV (The Book) Ranks The Sopranos
In 2016, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz included The Sopranos in their book titled TV (The Book) as the 2nd greatest American television series of all time, behind only The Simpsons and ahead of The Wire, with Seitz considering the show's ending to be the greatest ending for any television show.
2016: Rolling Stone Ranked Sopranos #1
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 Film Detailing Sopranos Background Story
In March 2018, New Line Cinema announced its purchase of a film project detailing the background story of The Sopranos, set in the 1960s and 1970s during and after the Newark riots.
March 2018: New Line Cinema Purchases Prequel Film
In March 2018, New Line Cinema announced that they had purchased a film detailing The Sopranos background story.
September 2019: The Guardian Ranked Sopranos #1
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.
September 2020: Talking Sopranos Podcast Downloads
By September 2020, the Talking Sopranos podcast had reached over five million downloads.
September 17, 2020: Book Deal Announcement
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
The film The Many Saints of Newark was initially scheduled to be released on September 25, 2020.
May 2021: Talking Sopranos Podcast 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 Released
On October 1, 2021, The Many Saints of Newark was released in theaters and on HBO Max.
November 2, 2021: Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos Release
On November 2, 2021, the book "Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos" by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa was released.
2021: Empire Ranked Sopranos #1
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.
2022: Chevrolet Commercial
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.
2022: Rolling Stone Again Ranked Sopranos #1
In 2022, Rolling Stone again ranked The Sopranos first on the magazine's list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
2023: Variety Ranked Sopranos #3
In 2023, Variety ranked The Sopranos #3 on its own list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.
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