The Sopranos has often been regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. It ushered in a new direction in which serial programming was viewed by audiences and networks alike. The HBO show was extremely influential to many of the dramatic shows that are part of pop culture now.
The James Gandolfini starrer has even gained celebrities as fans, with actors like Brad Pitt and John Turturro expressing their adoration for the series. In fact, The Departed actor Alec Baldwin had actually tried to be included in the show in a pivotal scene of the series. He was fortunately unsuccessful.
The Legacy Of The Sopranos
When Alec Baldwin pitched himself to be on The Sopranos to the creators, they said that they would add him to the long list of Irish actors who want to be on the show. Such was the popularity of the crime drama. Creator David Chase was a huge fan of gangster films such as Goodfellas, The Untouchables, The Public Enemy, and The Sopranos was his homage to them.
Chase initially conceived the story of a mafia head visiting therapy to deal with issues with his mother as a feature film. After he pitched it to several executives and networks, one executive financed the pilot of the show and it was kept on hold for several months. Chase thought of asking money to extend the pilot by a few more minutes so he could release it as a feature film, but HBO picked up the show by then.
The Sopranos was constantly rated high and received increased viewership during its six-season run. It was lauded for its portrayal of the everyday life of the mafia as well as the Italian-American culture. It transformed the image of HBO into a serious network that was capable of producing high-quality drama shows. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series twice and was the first cable TV show to win the award. Lead actors James Gandolfini and Edie Falco won the Emmy for Best Actor and Actress thrice.
What Was Alec Baldwin’s Pitch To The Sopranos Creators?
The Sopranos also influenced many more shows to come such as Six Feet Under, Mad Men, and Rescue Me. It even influenced Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, who claimed that there would be no Walter White without Tony Soprano. Many stars were huge fans of the show and with the final season on the horizon, had expressed their desire to be a part of it.
The Departed actor Alec Baldwin had particularly requested to be an important part in the series finale. In the podcast Talking Sopranos, Baldwin mentions,
“I called up whoever it was, I forget, and I said, ‘Tell them when it’s time to kill Jimmy’ — this was early before you get to the end — ‘there’s only one man in this business who should come in, whack Jimmy, and ride off with Edie [Falco], and I am that man.’ I am the guy who needs to blow Jimmy away and take Edie, who I’m madly in love with, away.”
Fortunately for the world, the actor’s request was denied and The Sopranos ended without a rogue Alec Baldwin shooting someone. The final season of the show was released in two parts. Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano has a near-death experience and undergoes a spiritual awakening after it.
The real ending of the TV show was quite controversial and is still debated to this day. The final season of The Sopranos won Primetime Emmys for both Outstanding Drama Series as well as Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The show also spawned a prequel feature film called The Many Saints of Newark, which starred James Gandolfini’s son Michael Gandolfini as a younger Tony Soprano.
Source: Talking Sopranos
