Posted on 03/08/2006 8:15:49 AM PST by SmithL
After a full 21 months in cobwebs, "The Sopranos" returns to HBO on Sunday with a viscerally stunning reminder: It's the best series on television, end of story.
The only series competing at the same creative height as "The Sopranos" are HBO stablemates "The Wire" and "Deadwood," but what creator David Chase has set in motion this season for his mob-and-family epic makes debating this trifecta a hollow exercise. Based on the first four episodes of Season 6, what we're witnessing here is the making of a magnificent bonfire of assured creativity, as Chase burns through episodes to the end of this landmark television series.
Knowing that the series will wrap-up (12 episodes this season, eight more beginning in January) helps forgive a nearly two-year layoff that's not only unheard of but would be completely unacceptable for an inferior series. And yet, within the first few minutes -- and then with an exclamation point at the end -- the first episode jump-starts your brain into remembering how truly great "The Sopranos" really is. From the intricate structure to the nuanced characters to the detail Chase captures in their emotions, there's so much to grab onto here.
(If you haven't already been watching HBO's rerunning of Season 5, then you should hit the Web site soon and recap episodes, because events move quickly after the opening.)
When we last saw Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) running through the snow as the feds nabbed Johnny Sack (Vincent Curatola), television's best drawn anti-hero was trying to put his life back together again. As Season 6 begins, Tony is off his anti-depressants and noticeably more upbeat after a tumultuous year in which he narrowly avoided a turf war, killed his cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi) and ... most famously, Adrianna
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
I agree with you totally in regards to the The Shield. That is one well written program, best police drama on TV.
ping
He got that nickname when they found out he was a Hilary supporter.
Someone on the thread I referenced in number 13 said that Gandolfini is a lib.
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