Reply With QuoteI'd rate Sopranos above Breaking Bad. I'd rate Better call Saul above the latter too.
The only shows that compete with The Sopranos for my top spot would be The Wire and Mad Men.
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As per title. This week, 25 yrs ago, the first episode of The Sopranos aired on HBO. Until this day, I'm not sure what was a better tv show: The Sopranos or Breaking Bad.
I am (still) a big fan and we did a Sopranos bus tour last year. Absolutely amazing day out. And I've learned a lot. Two small facts:
Denise Quinn, the lady who plays mob boss Johnny Sack's wife, wasn't an actress, she used to work at a legal office. The production crew did an audition-day in a small tow in New Jersey. The idea was to find someone with a genuine NJ accent. They couldn't find a proper actress for the role Quinn was there to support a friend who was trying to get the role. The producers sent everybody home and asked Quinn to play Gini Sacramoni.
The final scene was shot in Holsten's Confectionary. The production crew didn't change anything to the interior! What you see in the show is 'the real deal'. Tony's 'final seating' is in normal use during opening hours. Producer David Chase had chosen that location because he used to hang out there with his friends when he was young. It was a tribute to his younger days.
Last edited by thieuster; 11th January 2024 at 19:47.
I'd rate Sopranos above Breaking Bad. I'd rate Better call Saul above the latter too.
The only shows that compete with The Sopranos for my top spot would be The Wire and Mad Men.
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I’d agree with all of that.Originally Posted by stefmcd
Need to rewatch The Sopranos through again.
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Sopranos / breaking bad / the wire
Not much to choose between the three imo
I have never seen The Sopranos.I will give it a go.
Can't believe Breaking Bad even gets mentioned in a conversation about the Sopranos (!).
Big fan here, too, and part way through a re-watch.
Reminds me...... I have to watch The Many Saints of Newark still.
(As for the Breaking Bad El Camino thing.............. couldn't finish it!)
Then you're in for a treat.
The best thing I have ever watched on TV bar none.
I loved the Sopranos though for me it was rather slow at times - scenes with the shrink and I think there was an entire episode when Tony was having a strange turn (in Atlantic City IIRC).
Think I should watch the whole thing again some day - maybe when I retire
Took me a few attempts tbh. Kept stopping before it got going, once you’re in season 2 you’re good. It’s amazing, we only watched it last year or the one prior, I forget.
Same issue for Mad Men & The Wire, so guess I need to revisit those also.
The Sopranos is absolutely peak TV. Better Call Saul is up there as a near perfect series as well but Breaking Bad, for as good as it was, had a few too many duff episodes.
Funny to see this mentioned as I've been watching some "best bits" on YouTube today. Paulie Walnuts is my hero haha, some of the best lines of the show.
I'm trying to decide if I should get rid of my DVDs. I'm a huge fan of physical media, but with a few subscriptions on the go there isn't much we can't find already streaming somewhere. Hundreds of DVDs taking up space but I'm very reluctant to let them go. Once Judgement Day comes and Skynet take over there will be no more Netflix... a man with a physical collection of DVDs will be king.
I’d love to beable to binge watch it all again,need a week off work.
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agree with you, i don't think even breaking bad is in the same league. it's a little too cartoonish in some moments.
the sopranos is a whole universe. tony's family life, his mother, the betrayal of friends, the way minor characters are given their own lives, depth and complexity, its like a great novel. i was thinking recently of that final half-series arc where it veers off into the story of the guy who is secretly gay going on the run. just brilliant.
My number one show of all time.
I’ve watched it about 5/6 times and each time you watch you get into more things.
The first season is a little dated but as soon as you are passed that it’s just unbelievable tv.
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What always amazed me was the way the story was told when it came to the difference of every-day life and the violence 'because it has noting personal'. But when the years went by, it became more and more 'personal'. I found (and find) that shift of character interesting. We see the same in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
When doing the tour, I found out that the scenes during the opening song are not geographically linked. You don't drive to 'Tony's house' with the outside scenery in that sequence! And the spot where the Muffler Man is located is a very 'gritty' neighborhood! Other parts of NJ are very nice, with nice houses and lots of trees. The pork shop where Tony and his mates sat on the pavement, is gone. It's a parking lot. Sad. And it was in a location with nice houses, nice streets.
The Bada Bing is a fully functional 'Men's Social Club'. We were welcomed in and were politely asked not to take pics of the customers and staff. The guy who asked that was built like Blenheim Palace. Make no mistake.
Muffler Man
The area near Muffler Man
Pizzaland (opening credits)
Holsten's interior. It's worth buying an ice cream from them. Tastes good. In the last scene, Tony sits in the back, with his face to the door (where I took the picture). The mural at the back is different from the one in the series.
The BadaBing/Satin Dolls
Last edited by thieuster; 11th January 2024 at 23:06.
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I REALLY enjoyed Mad Men, but did not like how they advanced the time frame in the final years. I was part of corporate America in the '60s and got a kick out of that setting.
My wife, middle son, and I just finished binge watching the whole series again a week ago.
The Sopranos The Many Saints of Newark was not worth the time.
Just watching it for the 3rd time. Half way through season 6. The trouble is that I know how it ends. Brilliant show.
Probably my favourite show of all time. Watched the whole series multiple times and never gets old.
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I have lived in a bit of a bubble and have not watched a great deal of popular TV over the last few years as for most of it, I haven't had any paid for subscription TV.
However, I got a Sky Stream box just before Christmas, which comes with Netflix.
As you can imagine. I have a lot of catching up to do, and I have now almost finished Series 1 of The Sopranos. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, but is it just me who struggles to follow the dialogue and watches it with sub titles?
I have seen Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, which were both brilliant.
I will put The Wire and Mad Men in the list - any other recommendations for me to catch up on?
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Band of Brothers
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The Sopranos is my favourite ever series.
The acting, writing, casting, music and cinematography are all top-notch.
On re-watch you can idly enjoy the action, humour and plotting on a surface level or dig a bit deeper to notice new things even after several times around. It’s a rewarding show with a lot of symbolism and big themes.
The ‘Talking Sopranos’ podcast with cast members Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirippa analyses each episode individually and is an excellent companion on re-watch.
The Wire is next best for me, although at times it has been higher than The Sopranos in my estimation. I think I’ve finally cemented The Sopranos at No.1 by considering which of the two series I’d bring to a desert island, if I could have only one - on the basis that whilst The Wire can be hilarious, The Sopranos is the more purely enjoyable/fun of the two.
Mad Men is also a phenomenal piece of work, I don’t think I’ve watched a film or TV series that was a more fascinating human character study.
Gomorrah (Italian language), about the Camorra in Naples, is also a devastating and utterly brilliant show, and makes the mafia of The Sopranos look almost cuddly by comparison.
Notable mentions to: Succession, Band of Brothers, Breaking Bad, The Shield, Blackbird, Narcos, Game of Thrones, Chernobyl, Boardwalk Empire, Andor, Deadwood & Father Ted.
Sometimes, 'artistic highlights' (as I would call them; perhaps there's another term I don't know of) tend to be with us, even when they get older. I mean, who would have thought that The Sopranos aired a quarter of century ago! It's still good as new! Bohemian Rhapsody (1975), Terminator (1984), Back to the Future (1985) are -for me- other examples of 'artistic highlights'.
Good list ''T'', little nod to the Sopranos' there capeesh...I'd also suggest The Matrix in '99 as an artistic highlight, one that reset the bar.
Loved The Sopranos, wonderfully detailed series and probably my favourite show of all time.
Couldn't get into Breaking Bad and far inferior to my mind.
Cheers,
Neil.
That's a nice one. Indeed, the Matrix should be on the list as well. Good that you mention that. I remember going to the cinema with my wife and we looked at each other after the opening scene with the Trinity character and we both said "Wow!" at the same time.
I discussed these 'highlights' with my wife and she noted that nothing looks outdated. Fashion/clothing perhaps, an old model phone too, but all the highlights I mentioned are 'timeless' for that matter. That's why the opening credits of the Sopranos I posted are still there, even today. I know that Chevrolet did an electric car commercial in that style too. All tv shows mentioned here as highlights try to capture the development of characters. 'Round characters' is the phrase we use in Dutch - translated into English.
Yes I loved the Sopranos credits and that fabulous theme tune, a Brixton band iirc. I worked in commercial/ industrial real estate in Philly and definitely recall the look of S. Philly, pizza and hoagie shops, the Italian market also. Got down to the Jersey shore on weekends so know the look of that area, the boardwalk, how abandoned it feels out of season and drove past those pine barrens, one place you sure don't wanna stop.
I think the Sopranos had the time, bandwidth, writing and sheer acting talent to allow virtually all the characters to become well rounded, to have their own story arcs. Remains the best for me.
He killed 16 Czechoslovakians. Guy was an interior decorator…….
Huh…His house looked like shit !
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The Pine Barrens, their funniest episode!
Do you smell beef?
I got half way through the 1st series (are there more?) of Better Call Saul
I need to get back to it.
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For me, it's:
5. The Sopranos
4. The Wire
3. Band Of Brothers
2. Breaking Bad
1. Better Call Saul
Was laughing my arse off at that. What a piece of writing.
I need to get into this tv series!
Yes you should. The great thing about BCS is that the writers/producers went all out on developing characters. You get the idea that 'Saul' changes during the whole 5 seasons, but less visible is the character development of his partner/wife. We, the viewers, receive signals so to speak. But these are easily overlooked.
Season 2 had a big, big easter egg (or spoiler if you want). The writers had put an anagram in the season's episode titles: 'Fringe 's Back'
Yes, that's a good list. About Band of Brothers: one episode is in the Netherlands. The level of detail is amazing. Roadsigns, civilian cars with license plates, brand names on shops and even Dutch actors playing Dutch roles. Everything is spot-on.
5. The Sopranos
4. The Wire
3. Band Of Brothers
2. Breaking Bad
1. Better Call Saul
I read this thread and having never watched any Sopranos at all, I decided to hook up with the first series which I'm currently about half way though.
It's very good I will say and I don't know how I missed it years ago.
Point to note : Carmela dresses up just fine and has the kind of body I REALLY appreciate so I will keep watching.
Last edited by reggie747; 17th January 2024 at 11:14.
The analysis and Tony's mental health issues take an increasingly smaller role through the later series, and the series is better for it, imo.
I'm thinking I'll stick with it for sure.
Last edited by reggie747; 17th January 2024 at 15:46.
I notice no mention of Boardwalk Empire in the thread.
Both it and Mad Men are right up there for me.(excusing the last couple of series right enough)
I'm a huge fan of the Sopranos, which would be number 1 for me. Have seen it five times and it bears repeated viewings. Love the other programmes on the thread except never got into Breaking Bad. Is Better Caul Saul really that good compared to the Sopranos?! Do I need to have watched Breaking Bad to see it?
Am really enjoying Suburrae at the moment.
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You don't need to have watched BB to enjoy BCS, but you'd miss out on loads. BB just gets better as the series progress. BCS has two of the greatest TV episodes ever.
I tried twice to get into BB... Could give it another go I suppose. Thanks.
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If you haven't seen Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, an interesting question comes up: which sequence?
We know that BCS was a spin-off from BB and that the writers of BCS steered the plot towards BB. But there's a lot to say for the chronological sequence: Better Call Saul first and Breaking Bad second. It's really a Star Wars-sequence-problem.
All series mentioned here are really big when it comes to character development. And the way the writers -causually- present the changes of the character to the audience. A good example are the books by the Swedish couple Sjöwall and Wahlöö. Martin Beck's character changes over time. Quite a few Scandinavian writers are heroes when it comes to observations of mankind. *)
There's a book by a Dutch writer, Leon de Winter, that tells the story of a Russian Jew living in Israel. His name is Sokolov. In Russia he was a rocket scientist. But pacifism and remorse made that he wanted to emigrate to Israel. There, he cannot find a proper job, due to his pacifistic believes. One day he sees a man he knew from Russia, committing a murder. And the murderer starts to threaten Sokolov because he was a witness. In the book, the pacifist slowly but surely drops his 'believes of pacifism' to protect his loved ones. In the end, Sokolov blows up a complete apartment building with the pre mentioned murderer in it. The rocket scientist gets away with it because it happened during the period that S. Hussein dropped SCUD rockets on Israel and many think it was a rocket that hit the building. (It was, but not a SCUD...).
The interesting part is that every time Sokolov moves up on the scale of violence, the audience (readers) move along with him. "Well yeah, I would do the same!" (...).
Last edited by thieuster; 17th January 2024 at 15:42.
If Sopranos is 100% peak, I'd rate BCS a 93%, Succession 93%, Mad Men 95% and The Wire 97%. Ozark I'd put at 91%.
Just started Yellowstone and it looks like a certainty to be in my top 10.
From what I've read, West Wing is superb and I've regularly meant to get into it.
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Last edited by stefmcd; 17th January 2024 at 17:13.
Speaking for myself PB's not really in the same league. Ozarks too while good at times just isn't up there with The Soprano's, The Wire...I can't imagine myself rewatching PB, Ozarks...that's the simplest way to explain it.
Last edited by Passenger; 17th January 2024 at 17:43.
Nearly finished season 1 of The Sopranos.Glad I started it, loads more to view.The best series I can think of is six feet under,( I only watched this last year) Ozark is good, couldn't get into Peaky Blinders, it reminded me of a British gangs of New York, which I thought was disappointing,too.
I envy you as you're in for a treat! I'd put it at the top of list also.
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