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 from Dr. Jennifer Melfi, divulging the challenges of managing his criminal enterprise and family. Key figures include his wife Carmela and his protege, Christopher Moltisanti, along with various Mafia associates and adversaries. The series explores themes of family, identity, violence, and the American Dream through the lens of organized crime.
1977: Upstairs, Downstairs Emmy Award Win
In 1977, Upstairs, Downstairs won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, it was mentioned as context for The Sopranos winning the award in 2007.
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 Almost Grown with Lawrence Konner. Konner would later write for The Sopranos.
1990: Goodfellas Film Release
In 1990, Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas was released, a film that shares 27 actors with The Sopranos, including Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico.
1991: Northern Exposure wins George Foster Peabody Award
In 1991, Northern Exposure won a George Foster Peabody Award, it was mentioned as context for the George Foster Peabody Awards that The Sopranos won.
1992: Directing I'll Fly Away Episode
In 1992, David Chase directed an episode of I'll Fly Away, adding to his directorial credits.
1992: Northern Exposure wins George Foster Peabody Award
In 1992, Northern Exposure won a George Foster Peabody Award, it was mentioned as context for the George Foster Peabody Awards that The Sopranos won.
1993: Gandolfini Auditions for Tony Soprano
In 1993, James Gandolfini was invited to audition for the part of Tony Soprano after a casting director saw a clip of his performance in the film True Romance.
1995: Development Deal Signed
In 1995, David Chase signed a development deal with production company Brillstein-Grey and wrote the original pilot script for The Sopranos, which he initially conceived as a film.
1996: Writing and Directing The Rockford Files Film
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, resulting in a 13-episode first season.
1997: Steven Van Zandt Invited to Audition
In 1997, David Chase, impressed by Steven Van Zandt's appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of The Rascals, invited him to audition for The Sopranos. Though Van Zandt auditioned for Tony Soprano, HBO created the role of Silvio Dante for him instead.
1997: The Sopranos Greenlit
In 1997, The Sopranos was greenlit for production, marking the start of its journey to becoming a television series.
1997: HBO Finances The Sopranos Pilot
In 1997, after pitches to other networks, Chris Albrecht, president of HBO Original Programming, decided to finance a pilot episode of The Sopranos, which was directed by David Chase.
January 10, 1999: The Sopranos Premiere on HBO
On January 10, 1999, The Sopranos premiered on HBO, marking the beginning of its six-season run. The initial episode was the pilot titled "The Sopranos".
1999: Positive Reviews for Season One
In 1999, The New York Times stated that The Sopranos "just may be the greatest work of American popular culture of the last quarter century," following the initial airing of the first season.
1999: George Foster Peabody Award
In 1999, The Sopranos earned a George Foster Peabody Award.
1999: Nomination for Primetime Emmy Award
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 Soundtrack
In 1999, The Sopranos: Music from the HBO Original Series soundtrack was released, featuring music from the show's first two seasons.
2000: Weiner Joins The Sopranos Writing Staff
In 2000, Matthew Weiner joined the writing staff of The Sopranos after Chase was impressed by Weiner's script for Mad Men.
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: Nomination for Primetime Emmy Award
In 2000, The Sopranos was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series but lost to The West Wing.
2000: Filming Permission Denied
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 a stereotypical fashion.
August 2001: PublicMind Survey Results
In August 2001, a Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind national survey revealed that 37% of respondents watched The Sopranos regularly, and 65% of this group disagreed that the show negatively portrayed Italian Americans. The survey results were released in August 2001.
2001: Nomination for Primetime Emmy Award and AFI Award
In 2001, The Sopranos was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series but lost to The West Wing. Also in 2001, The Sopranos won American Film Institute's Drama Series of the Year Award.
2001: Release of The Sopranos – Peppers & Eggs Soundtrack
In 2001, The Sopranos – Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Series, a double-disc album featuring songs and dialogue from the show's first three seasons, was released.
2001: American Psychoanalytic Association Award
In 2001, the American Psychoanalytic Association presented awards to the producers, writers, and Lorraine Bracco for their work on The Sopranos.
2002: Ranked Among Top TV Shows
In 2002, TV Guide ranked The Sopranos fifth on their list of the "Top 50 TV Shows of All Time", even though the series was still 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 wins Emmy
In 2003, Joe Pantoliano won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role in The Sopranos.
2003: Nomination for Primetime Emmy Award
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 for Cable Networks
Prior to January 2004, Nielsen reported aggregate numbers for cable networks, which affected the accuracy of ratings for The Sopranos.
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. The character was clearly meant to be Tony Soprano.
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, marking the first time a cable network series won 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 Video Game Release
In November 2006, The Sopranos: Road to Respect, a video game developed by 7 Studios and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2, was released. The game features voices and likenesses of key Sopranos cast members.
2006: The Sopranos not awarded an acting Emmy
In 2006, The Sopranos did not win an Emmy Award 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 aired its series finale, concluding its six-season run of 86 episodes on HBO.
December 19, 2007: Jury Dismisses Claims Against Chase
On December 19, 2007, a federal jury dismissed all claims in a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Robert Baer against David Chase, regarding the creation of The Sopranos.
2007: Named Greatest Television Series
In 2007, Channel 4 (UK) named The Sopranos the greatest television series of all time.
2007: Influence on Cable TV
In 2007, Hal Boedeker stated in PopMatters that The Sopranos was widely influential for revealing that cable would accommodate complex series about dark characters, ushering in shows like Six Feet Under, The Shield, Rescue Me, and Big Love.
2007: Season One Called Crowning Achievement
In 2007, Roger Holland of PopMatters wrote that "the debut season of The Sopranos remains the crowning achievement of American television."
2007: The Sopranos not awarded an acting Emmy
In 2007, The Sopranos did not win an Emmy Award for acting.
2007: Primetime Emmy Award Win
In 2007, The Sopranos won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, the first drama series since Upstairs, Downstairs in 1977 to win the award after finishing its broadcast.
2007: Sixth Season HD DVD Release
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 DVD box set of all six seasons of The Sopranos was released.
December 2009: Named Best Series of the Decade
In 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: Ranked Among Top Title Sequences
In 2010, TV Guide ranked The Sopranos' opening title sequence as 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
In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Sopranos No. 2 in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time, and the Writers Guild of America named it the best-written television series of all time. TV Guide also ranked it as the greatest show of all time in the same year.
2013: Vince Gilligan comments on Tony Soprano's influence
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 Results
In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter survey of industry professionals named The Sopranos as their #6 favorite show.
2016: Rolling Stone Ranking
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 The Many Saints of Newark Film
In March 2018, New Line Cinema acquired 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 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.
September 2019: Ranked #1 by The Guardian
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 provide inside info and interview cast and crew from The Sopranos 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 Announced
On September 17, 2020, Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa signed a deal with HarperCollins imprint William Morrow and Company to write an oral history of The Sopranos.
September 25, 2020: Initial Release Date for The Many Saints of Newark
The film The Many Saints of Newark was initially scheduled to be released on September 25, 2020, but the release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 Release
On October 1, 2021, The Many Saints of Newark was released in theaters and on HBO Max.
November 2, 2021: Woke Up This Morning Book Release
On November 2, 2021, the book "Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos", written by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa, was released.
2021: Ranked #1 by Empire
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 exploring the background of The Sopranos and set in the 1960s and 1970s, was released. The film was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner and directed by Alan Taylor, starring Michael Gandolfini as a young Tony Soprano.
2021: The Many Saints of Newark film release
In 2021, the film The Many Saints of Newark, written by David Chase and Lawrence Konner and directed by Alan Taylor, was released.
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. The commercial was directed by David Chase and filmed by Phil Abraham, recreating the opening-title sequence of The Sopranos.
2022: Rolling Stone Ranking
In 2022, Rolling Stone again ranked The Sopranos first on the magazine's list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
2023: Ranked #3 by Variety
In 2023, Variety ranked The Sopranos #3 on its own list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.
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