During the first week of isolation, I decided now was as good a time as any to finally watch The Sopranos. Then something strange happened. My social media feeds were overflowing with others doing the same thing—all Chicago-based millennials who were diving into the world of Tony Soprano and Dr. Melfi and the Bada Bing! for the very first time. It’s a prestige show often cited as the greatest of all time, a road map for all prestige dramas and other beloved series since. And its last episode aired 13 years ago. We’ve had plenty of time to catch up, so why now? I Google chatted with my friend and Reader contributor KT Hawbaker, who also is watching fresh, about the appeal of the series, its importance to feminism, and our mob-movie-loving midwestern dads.
KH: I have a deep, almost creepy love for her work. Why are you watching?
BW: And for all the sexism that exists in the world of the show, they manage to create some very complex female characters.
KH: It really does. I also think about how this show is peak Boomer. They are still relatively young parents of teens, they are the target audience. My dad has literally made the same comment about Gary Cooper.
BW: It’s interesting how instilled it is even in Carmela who is in so many respects the “good parent.”
KH: YES. We’re going towards what is safe and certain—in this case, a show from our childhood that people ASSURE us will be good.
