Before the world became obsessed with Game of Thrones, there was another HBO series that transfixed pop culture: The Sopranos. The crime drama ran for eight years and lasted six seasons. Actress Edie Falco starred on the show throughout its entire run as Carmela, the wife of mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). It's been just over ten years since the series ended in a controversial finale, and Falco says she can still not bring herself to watch the series in its entirety.
No. Me, and Aida Turturro, who's one of my dearest friends, who played Janice Soprano, she and I decided, because many episodes I never saw of that show, to sit down and watch [The Sopranos] from beginning to end over a summer. We got four episodes into the first season and I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. It was just too evocative. And of course, the fact that Jim [Gandolfini]'s gone was part of it, but also just we were such kids. And what it was like in the beginning, it was too much. It was too much. It was just too turbulent. I mean, fun and all that stuff, but it's... I don't know.
Edie Falco provided the insight in an interview with Uproxx when she was asked if she had any desire to re-watch her earlier work to relive the experiences that went into them. Falco went on to say that she would be willing to watch the recently announced Sopranos prequel, which will be written by the original series' creator, David Chase. She added that she is not a fan of "mob shows" due to the violence. Being a fan of Chase, she seems ready to give it a shot. The good news for her is that it is not a show; it is a movie.
Edie Falco shot to fame alongside the rest of The Sopranos cast when the series premiered in January 1999. The critics were not far behind the premiere. She won three of the six Emmys she was nominated for in the role. In a rare turn for actors who emerge from a popular series, Falco went on to find success in another series, Nurse Jackie. That series premiered in 2009, only two years after The Sopranos came to an end. She earned six nominations and won once for her role in the dark Showtime comedy.
Many can probably relate to Edie Falco's mixed feelings towards watching The Sopranos. Despite being widely considered one of the greatest series of all time, the series finale's cliffhanger ending resulted in tremendous controversy from fans. It is also one of the most talked-about endings of all-time, so it was not a complete loss.
The open ending of the series has never been settled. Sadly for fans that want a resolution, there is unlikely ever to be one. Creator David Chase has said that he would only consider revisiting the show in a prequel and not a sequel. He is going through with the former, leaving fans to continue wondering what happened after Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" finished playing at the end of the finale.
While Edie Falco explained why she could not watch The Sopranos beyond the first four episodes of Season 1, she did not offer any thoughts on the ending of the series. Speaking of finales, you cannot have one without having a premiere first. For the latest on upcoming TV premieres, head over to our midseason premiere guide and summer TV schedule to get the latest.
