Ths Sopranos.....overrated? (1 Viewer)

[Brent_H]

Well, I'm ready to get flamed.


Anyways, I think this show is WAY overhyped. All I heard since its inception is that its the greatest show ever on TV...Wins all the awards and etc...Well, I purchased the first season a month ago, and its been agonizing getting through it all. I have gone through all of Buffy S3 and Six Feet Under and I still have 2 eps. of the Sopranos left. I just find it so...boring. Can someone please try to explain to me what the appeal to this show is?? I think James Gandolfini is a great actor tho...thats one thing I've gotten out of it.

 

[Jeff Kohn]

I've enjoyed renting the DVD's as they come out, but I would tend to agree that the show is overrated. I certainly wouldn't put it in my top 10 of all time list or anything.

 

[todd stone]

To each their own. That is all

 

[CharlesD]

Well I certainly thought the show was one of the best TV shows I'd ever seen before the hype came When my S1 DVDs came I had the opposite problem, I had to stop myself from ripping through 3 shows a night, I didn't want to blow through the whole set too quickly. Maybe it has been hyped too much and set expectations too high, but I think it is genuinely great show.

 

[Brent_H]

ok, maybe I should ask then: What makes it so great/sucky? Why do you like/dislike it so much?

 

[Modena]

This is very simple. If you like Buffy the Vampire slayer, you will hate the Sopranos. It's horrific acting, vs. some of the best on television. That's it. It's a drama. It depicts a different side to the mafia that isn't always fun and games. It doesn't have loud shiny things to keep people's attention. If you watch the season finale of this past season, and tell me that Edie Falco did not do one of the greatest female performances in acting, let me know. That will be why you don't like the Sopranos, good acting = not your thing.

 

[Brent_H]

Modena....I said I recognize that James Gandolfini is a great actor. I believe also that its possible to like Buffy AND the Sopranos...gimme a break.

 

[Richard Travale]

If you like Buffy the Vampire slayer, you will hate the Sopranos

I love both.

 

[Diallo B]

Most successful shows end up falling into the success trap. The Sopranos is no exception. I remember all of the first season hype and at that point I was not watching the show. Then when the second season came on I was right in front of the TV ready for an interesting show and it did not happen for me at all.

After the first season came out on DVD I was hooked.... To the first season. Since then I simply want to see what has happened. Meadow annoys the hell out of me and I am glad that Tony Jr. finally stopped being a whiny little boy. If I were the parents of these kids their backsides would be made of the finest leather. Anyway I digress....

There have been a few gem episodes like the 'lost in the forest episode' and last season's finale but they are few and far between. I actually like the acting of the show but I think that the direction needs to be clarified. There are so many dangling plot threads that are never resolved season after season. It is beginning to irk the hell out of me.

(BTW, Where in the hell is the Russian???!!!????)

Here is the sad part though. Next season I will be right in front of the TV anxiously awaiting the next episodes. That is the trap. A great TV show hooks you and although the TV show does not live up to its initial expectations it is still good enough to attract a large enough audience to maintain its hit status.

I just want to see what ends up happening.

In Sopranos limbo,

djb

 

[LennyP]

There are 4 greatest show in the world, 24, Shield, Sopranos, and Oz, all in the same vein.

Oh and I did hate Buffy, only Giles is interesting enough, but I couldn't get through the first season, though I hear it gets better, maybe now that I don't have to buy R4 sets and go for half priced R1s, I'll acquire it again.

Oh yeah, and where the hell is that Russian Rambo from Pine Barrens, the Best Sopranos Episode of All Time?

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Lenny, I'd have to modify the list to 3 for me. Sopranos, Six Feet Under and 24.

I was mostly kidding, but it would be kinda neat if somewhere in the last episode we see Paulie and Chris driving somewhere when they are in a traffic jam. As they get up to the scene of the wreck it's Paulie's stolen Caddy with that Russian dude dead behind the wheel.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Honestly, I think the allure of Sopranos for most people is having a show where they say the F word

 

[Andrew Chong]

It's a peek into the (fictional) life and times of the Italian Mafia and marginally other organized crime groups. Some of us may fantasize about how great it would be to be in such a 'family' and have so much power and money.

Besides, it is photographed beautifully, the writing is sharp, the ensemble acting is cohesive, and the source music choices are brilliant.

Many enjoy the show's no holds barred approach to television with its spirit to not sugarcoat or shy away from 'going all the way' in depicting many mafia themes thanks in great part to its broadcast on HBO.

 

[Jalil]

This is very simple. If you like Buffy the Vampire slayer, you will hate the Sopranos. It's horrific acting, vs. some of the best on television. That's it. It's a drama. It depicts a different side to the mafia that isn't always fun and games. It doesn't have loud shiny things to keep people's attention. If you watch the season finale of this past season, and tell me that Edie Falco did not do one of the greatest female performances in acting, let me know. That will be why you don't like the Sopranos, good acting = not your thing.

agreed,
How can you even put buffy and The Sopranos in the same sentence?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

How can you even put buffy and The Sopranos in the same sentence?

Both well written, well acted dramatic programming?

 

[Michael*K]

This is very simple. If you like Buffy the Vampire slayer, you will hate the Sopranos.

Actually, I dislike both. Quite frankly, I think every series that HBO airs is monsterously overhyped. I've seen several episodes of The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Six Feet Under and all three are terribly boring. Couldn't find a single redeeming character or a compelling storyline in any of them.

 

[Michael Reuben]

Can someone please try to explain to me what the appeal to this show is??

No one will ever be able to explain it to your satisfaction. If the show doesn't capture your interest, no amount of explanation will change that. This is just another demonstration of the fact that there is no movie or show that appeals to everyone. It's also a great example of why blind purchases are always a risk.

M.

 

[Brent_H]

Michael....point taken. Of course, I will still watch the show, and buy subsequent seasons eventually. I am still interested to see what happens.

Jeff....I think you have a good point with the F word.....heh.

Anyways, halfway through episode 12 of Season 1...Tony just got shot in the ear. That was fun.

 

[Robin Warren]

The "Pine Barrens" was the greatest episode of all time and I can't see why you would call it a plot thread left dangling in regards to the Russian. It is likely that he succumbed to his wounds and the animals got him. I feel they left it open to point out that no one really knows what the hell happened.
Oh and I am pretty sure I don't tune in to hear the F word. I hear it plenty at work.

 

[mike martin]

I can't believe that i'm falling for this trap; but I just can't hold back. No one can actually believe that people are tuning in (and dropping $80 a season!) to giggle when Tony says "fuck" can they? There is absolutely no doubt that being out from under the constraints of network television has allowed Chase and company to build a much more realistic and compelling version of mafia (and family) life than otherwise. But realy. I suppose people tune into Buffy in the hopes of getting to see what's her name's nipples through her shirt.