In the opening credits of The Sopranos, it takes around 90 seconds for Tony to get from the Lincoln Tunnel to his New Jersey driveway. And in that time, you could bang out three episodes of the HBO series — provided you catch them on TikTok. To celebrate 25th years since the groundbreaking show hit the air, forever changing the face of television, HBO is releasing each episode of The Sopranos…in 25-second chunks. That means you can binge-watch the mob drama in just over 35 minutes!
Of course, this is just about the worst way for potential viewers to experience The Sopranos for first-time, but it is a nice nostalgic recap for fans. Granted, at such short runtimes, major details — and even notable deaths, as (not) seen in the TikTok for season two finale “Funhouse” — are lacking. But it is sort of a fun and generationally friendly promotion if you want to give HBO the benefit of the doubt. And if you don’t? Perhaps Paulie Walnuts would like a word…
As one rep explained, “The Sopranos left an indelible imprint on the global entertainment culture and was instrumental in defining HBO as the destination for groundbreaking, award-winning programming…The many ways we will honor this 25-year milestone will allow fans to celebrate the Soprano legacy and pay tribute to the characters that have had such an enduring impact.”
The 25th anniversary is no doubt a significant one for the cast, crew and fans of The Sopranos. Some of the key players, whether they were whacked or survived all six seasons, turned up for a special event in New York this week, while the show will also be recognized at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards. There, too, is even a Satriale’s pop up shop in Los Angeles, but we all know that if you want the authentic Sopranos feel, you’ve got to go to New Jersey. For those that can’t make the trek, there is a wealth of bonus content on Max — and you can keep believin’ that.
The Sopranos reigns supreme in the realm of television. Sure, antihero-led shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, not to mention fellow HBO fare like The Wire, are near the peak of the Golden Age of Television, but it has always felt like The Sopranos had the edge. For me, that might come down to the memories, as I still remember the cable guy coming to my house because I had just binged the first four seasons and needed to know what “Two Tonys” meant at the same time as everybody else.
Where does The Sopranos rank in the all-time greatest shows for you? What is your favorite episode of the series? On that end, I’m going with “Pine Barrens”, followed closely by “The Blue Comet” and “Long Term Parking”.