175 Fun Facts About The Sopranos

Which New Jersey town is home to Holsten's, the Sopranos' final-scene ice-cream shop?

Bloomfield's council voted to deny HBO a filming permit, calling the show offensive to Italian Americans, then found it had no power to refuse one and the scene went ahead.

In his first therapy session in The Sopranos, which film star does Tony hold up as 'the strong, silent type'?

Gary Cooper is Tony's model of a man who never talked about his feelings, a complaint he makes while paying Dr. Melfi to listen to his own.

Which antidepressant does Dr. Melfi prescribe for Tony Soprano after his panic attacks in the first episode?

Prozac is Melfi's answer to his panic attacks, and Tony is soon seen knocking one back with a drink at the bar of the Bada Bing.

The exterior of the Soprano family home is a real private house in which New Jersey town?

North Caldwell is David Chase's own hometown, and only the outside of the house is real: most scenes inside it were shot on studio sets.

Which musician and actor portrayed Silvio Dante, Tony Soprano's consigliere?

Steven Van Zandt had never acted: Chase saw the E Street Band guitarist give a funny speech inducting the Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and asked him to audition.

Which actor played Christopher Moltisanti, Tony Soprano's protégé?

Michael Imperioli shares his character's itch to write for the screen: he scripted several Sopranos episodes himself, 'The Telltale Moozadell' among them.

Which broadcasting award did The Sopranos win for each of its first two seasons?

The Peabody Award judges praised the show for lifting the mob story out of a shop-worn film genre into a study of the moral complexity of American life.

Which veteran actor played Corrado 'Junior' Soprano, Tony's uncle and initial boss?

Dominic Chianese played Corrado 'Junior' Soprano, Tony's uncle, who holds the nominal title of boss for much of the series while Tony wields the real power.

In The Sopranos, what is the well-known nickname of Peter Paul Gualtieri?

Paulie Walnuts was played by Tony Sirico, who had served prison time before he took up acting and was so convincing that people took him for a real made man.

Beyond loan sharking and bookmaking, what kind of business does Tony's consigliere run day to day?

A strip club: Silvio Dante manages the Bada Bing, and Tony's crew does so much of its business there that the club serves as the family's headquarters.

Tony Soprano calls Christopher Moltisanti his nephew, but how are the two actually related?

His wife's cousin, once removed: Carmela's father and Christopher's grandmother were siblings, and Tony took Christopher under his wing after the boy's father died.

For which Sopranos role was Lorraine Bracco first put forward before she was cast as Dr. Jennifer Melfi?

Carmela Soprano was the part her agents pushed; having already played a mob wife on film as Karen Hill, Bracco says she asked for Dr. Melfi instead.

Silvercup Studios, where most Sopranos interiors were shot, stands in which New York City borough?

Queens: Silvercup is a former bread bakery in Long Island City, and most of the show's New Jersey interiors were built there as sets.

On whom in David Chase's own life was Dr. Jennifer Melfi modelled?

His own psychiatrist: Chase said his last therapist, Lorraine Kaufman, was the model for Melfi because she had the same way of cutting through his evasions.

What was Tony Soprano's ostensible occupation to those outside his criminal life?

Waste management consultant is the job Tony gives Dr. Melfi in the pilot; she is not fooled, yet Barone Sanitation really does carry him on its books under that title.

Dr. Melfi's own therapist is played by which noted film director?

Peter Bogdanovich, director of The Last Picture Show, plays Melfi's own therapist, who spends most of his scenes urging her to drop her gangster patient.

The Bada Bing is located in which New Jersey town?

Lodi: the Bing was a working go-go bar on Route 17, already in business before the show arrived; only Tony's back office was a studio set.

In the final season of The Sopranos, which European city does Tony's wife visit with her friend Rosalie Aprile?

Paris overwhelms her: she broods there on life and death, and dreams that a gendarme tells her a vanished friend is dead.

What was the name of Tony Soprano's manipulative mother?

Livia Soprano, cagey and self-absorbed, was modelled on David Chase's own mother and in season one even conspires with Junior to have Tony killed.

Which actor portrayed the character Paulie Gualtieri in 'The Sopranos'?

Tony Sirico played Peter Paul 'Paulie Walnuts' Gualtieri, one of Tony Soprano's chief henchmen.

Tony Soprano recruits his enforcer Furio Giunta during a business trip to which Italian city?

Furio comes from Naples: Tony meets him there on the season 2 trip in 'Commendatori' and arranges with Camorra boss Annalisa Zucca to bring him to New Jersey.

What was the name of Tony Soprano's older sister?

Janice, played by Aida Turturro, drifts back into Tony's life in season 2 after years away under the name Parvati, and later marries one of his men.

What animals does Tony Soprano become concerned about in the very first episode?

A family of ducks nests in Tony's pool; Melfi's reading is that he projected his love for his family onto the ducks, so their departure triggers his panic attack.

In season 3 of The Sopranos, FBI agents bug the family's basement by planting a replica of which household object?

A reading lamp: agents photograph the old one and build a copy with a microphone inside, but a burst water heater floods the basement and delays the swap by a week.

In The Sopranos' season 6 premiere, what is Tony doing when his demented uncle shoots him?

Cooking dinner at Junior's house, Tony is mistaken for a long-dead mobster, Pussy Malanga, and shot in the stomach; he manages to dial 911 before passing out.

Which actor beat the star of The Sopranos to the drama lead-actor Emmy in 2004 and 2007?

James Spader won both times for the same character on two different shows: the lawyer Alan Shore, first in The Practice and then in Boston Legal.

While touring colleges with Meadow in The Sopranos' first season, Tony spots and kills an informant in which state?

Maine is where Tony recognises a man from witness protection at a gas station and garrottes him between campus visits, a killing HBO feared would turn viewers against him.

What was the name of the theme song for 'The Sopranos'?

Woke Up This Morning was not written about gangsters at all: it was inspired by Sara Thornton, an Englishwoman jailed for killing her violent husband.

Which basic-cable network began showing cleaned-up reruns of The Sopranos in January 2007?

A&E toned down the nudity and swearing for its advertisers, yet found it had to trim less than 30 seconds from the average episode.

In The Sopranos, what is the name of the restaurant run by Tony's chef friend from elementary school?

Vesuvio goes up in flames in the first episode, torched on Tony's orders so that a mob hit cannot be staged there; its owner later rebuilds as Nuovo Vesuvio.

Tony Sirico agreed to play Paulie Gualtieri in The Sopranos on one condition: his character would never do what?

Sirico's one condition was that Paulie would never become a rat, and the writers kept to it: Paulie survives all the way to the final episode.

Who played Tony Soprano's wife?

Edie Falco read the script sure she would never be cast, since she looked nothing like the actresses who usually played Italian-American wives; she went on to win Emmys in the role.

In The Sopranos, where is Big Pussy Bonpensiero executed after admitting he is an FBI informant?

On a boat at sea: lured aboard to look over a yacht Tony says he may buy, Pussy confesses in the cabin, is shot by all three men and is sunk in chains.

In the final scene of The Sopranos, what is Meadow struggling to do outside the diner while her family waits?

Park her car: it takes Meadow several tries, and moments later the bell on the diner door rings, Tony looks up and the screen cuts to black.

What is the name of the Russian Paulie and Christopher lose in 'Pine Barrens'?

Valery slips away into the snowy woods and is never seen again; so many viewers asked what became of the Russian that Chase admitted he had never expected the question.

What was the name of Tony Soprano's boat?

The Stugots is Tony's motor yacht and floating hideaway: several of his affairs play out on board, well away from the family home.

Which Journey song plays over the final scene of The Sopranos?

Don't Stop Believin' was cleared only three days before the finale aired: Steve Perry held out until he was sure it would not become the soundtrack to Tony's death.

Which Sopranos character, a friend of Tony's since elementary school, is a chef and restaurateur?

Artie Bucco learns from Tony's mother who really burned down his first restaurant and turns up with a rifle, only for Tony to talk him out of using it.

Where did Meadow Soprano go to college?

Columbia is where Meadow enrols at the start of season 3; she goes on to volunteer at a law centre and ends the series as a Columbia law student.

Which actor played the volatile capo Ralph Cifaretto in The Sopranos?

Joe Pantoliano won an Emmy as Ralph, a top earner for the family whose arrogance and sadistic violence steadily turn Tony against him.

What was the title of Christopher Moltisanti's ambitious, albeit troubled, film project?

Cleaver, the slasher film Christopher produced, has a mob-boss villain who looked uncomfortably like Tony, which did not go unnoticed at the screening.

What was the name of Dr. Melfi's own therapist, whom she often consulted about Tony's case?

Dr. Elliot Kupferberg keeps urging Melfi to drop her gangster patient, and it is the study he presses on her, claiming sociopaths exploit talk therapy, that finally makes her do it.

Which actor played Bobby Baccalieri in The Sopranos?

Steve Schirripa was put in a fat suit for his first two seasons as Bobby; then, he says, Chase decided he was big enough on his own.

What became of Christopher Moltisanti's girlfriend, Adriana La Cerva?

Adriana had been informing for the FBI; Christopher told Tony, and she was killed on Tony's orders when Silvio drove her into the woods in 'Long Term Parking'.

Which actress played Tony Soprano's mother in the first two seasons of The Sopranos?

Nancy Marchand died in 2000, so the show wrote her character out, pasting Marchand's face from old footage onto a body double for one last scene with Tony.

What was the name of the prequel film to 'The Sopranos'?

The Many Saints of Newark (2021) is set during the Newark riots of Tony's boyhood and cast Michael Gandolfini, James Gandolfini's son, as the teenage Tony.

Which actor played Tony Blundetto, Tony's cousin released from prison at the start of season 5?

Steve Buscemi already knew the set from the other side of the camera: he had directed the season 3 episode 'Pine Barrens' before joining the cast.

Which Sopranos capo gets engaged to Tony's sister soon after leaving prison and then plots against him?

Richie Aprile never gets to carry out his plot: after he punches his fiancee in an argument at home, she fetches a gun and shoots him dead.

How many episodes of The Sopranos were made across its six seasons?

The Sopranos made 86 episodes across six seasons, running on HBO from January 10, 1999, to June 10, 2007.

What is the name of the New Jersey crime organisation Tony Soprano runs?

DiMeo is the name of the family's jailed boss, Ercole DiMeo; with him in prison, Junior holds the title while Tony actually runs things.

Which New York crime organisation is Tony's main rival?

The Lupertazzi family, run by Carmine Lupertazzi and then Johnny Sack and Phil Leotardo, is the New York rival whose feuds with Tony's crew drive the later seasons.

On which night of the week did HBO premiere new episodes of The Sopranos?

Sunday night was its slot for all six seasons, and the show's success turned HBO from a channel known for boxing and films into the home of ambitious drama.

David Chase first imagined The Sopranos as a film starring which actor?

Robert De Niro went on to play the part anyway: Analyze This, with De Niro as a mob boss seeing a therapist, reached cinemas weeks after The Sopranos began.

Which Oscar-winning actress did David Chase first picture as Tony Soprano's formidable mother?

Anne Bancroft was the face Chase kept seeing; at the auditions, he recalled, one actress after another played a crazy Italian mama until one simply channelled his own mother.

Which HBO executive agreed to finance the pilot in 1997?

Chris Albrecht, then HBO's head of original programming, agreed to finance the pilot in 1997; Chase directed it himself, then waited months before HBO ordered 12 more episodes.

Which Italian director did David Chase cite as a key influence on the cinematic style of The Sopranos?

Federico Fellini made 8½, which Chase counts among the ambiguous films he loved: the opposite, he said, of network television's world of certainties.

Where did David Chase get the surname Soprano for his mob family?

High school friends of Chase carried the surname, and it caused confusion from the start: one future cast member assumed a script called The Sopranos had to be about singers.

Which 1990 film shares 27 actors with The Sopranos?

Goodfellas supplied 27 Sopranos actors in all, and one of them even turns up playing Martin Scorsese himself, hailed outside a club by a starstruck Christopher.

A clip from which film got James Gandolfini invited to audition for Tony?

True Romance showed Gandolfini as a brutal hitman, and the tape won him a reading; he then walked out halfway through his first audition, saying he wasn't doing it right.

Which role did Tony Sirico originally audition for?

Uncle Junior was the part Sirico read for; Chase phoned to say he hadn't got it, but had another character in mind for him instead.

Silvio Dante's party piece in The Sopranos is an impression of which actor?

Al Pacino, as the ageing Michael Corleone of The Godfather Part III: the crew never tires of calling on Silvio to do it.

Which Sopranos writer went on to create Mad Men?

Matthew Weiner's unsold Mad Men pilot was his calling card: HBO kept turning the script down, but it persuaded Chase to hire him for The Sopranos' fifth season.

What did Terence Winter do for two years before becoming a screenwriter?

Practised law undersells it: by his own account he was on the partnership track at a Manhattan firm when he quit and moved to Los Angeles, a city he had never seen, to write scripts.

Which actor played both Philly Parisi and his twin brother Patsy?

Dan Grimaldi played Philly Parisi, killed in the season 2 opener, and then Philly's twin Patsy, who joined Tony's crew and stayed through the finale.

Who directed the most episodes of The Sopranos, with 20?

Tim Van Patten directed 20 episodes, the most of any director on the show; Chase himself directed only the pilot and the finale.

Which British band performs The Sopranos' opening theme?

Alabama 3 come from Brixton in south London, not the American South; their singer wrote the theme after reading about Sara Thornton, jailed in England for killing a husband she said had abused her.

Which Andrea Bocelli song recurs in connection with Carmela?

'Con te partirò' plays three times in season 2's 'Commendatori', first as Carmela lunches with the other mob wives while Tony is in Italy without her, and it returns for her in later episodes.

What was the title of the 2001 double-disc soundtrack?

'Peppers & Eggs' was the 2001 double-disc soundtrack, a follow-up to 1999's 'Music from The Sopranos', mixing songs from the show with dialogue clips.

In which New Jersey town was the Satriale's Pork Store storefront located?

Kearny supplied only the building: the pork store never existed, its sign and rooftop pig went up just for filming, and the site was cleared for redevelopment after the show ended.

What is the real name of the New Jersey bar that plays the Bada Bing?

Satin Dolls, a go-go bar on Route 17, kept trading under its own name between shoots and became a regular stop for busloads of Sopranos fans.

Which Manhattan crossing does Tony take at the start of the title sequence?

The Lincoln Tunnel puts Tony on the New Jersey side, and the sequence follows him through the Turnpike tollbooth and past Newark and Jersey City landmarks to his own driveway.

What was removed from The Sopranos' opening credits from Season 4 onward?

A shot of the World Trade Center's twin towers in Tony's side mirror was cut from the credits after the September 11 attacks, starting with season 4 in 2002.

Which associate does Junior have murdered in Season 1 over repeated truck hijackings?

Brendan Filone is shot through the eye in his bathtub on Junior's orders after the truck hijackings; Christopher gets a mock execution in the same reprisal.

Which boss's death from cancer lets Junior be installed as boss in Season 1?

Jackie Aprile Sr. dies of cancer in season 1, and Tony lets Junior take the title of boss while keeping real control himself, which Junior later discovers.

Tony's sister arrives from which city in Season 2 to care for Livia?

Janice arrives from Seattle, where she had been living as a Buddhist convert under the name Parvati, and moves into Livia's house.

Which two low-level associates try to kill Christopher in Season 2?

Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte shoot Christopher in 'Full Leather Jacket'; Chris kills Sean on the spot, and Tony and Pussy later execute Matthew.

What is the name of Tony's Russian mistress in the early seasons?

Irina Peltsin is Tony's Russian mistress through the first two seasons; she later phones Carmela in 'Whitecaps' to reveal Tony's affair with her cousin Svetlana.

What triggers Tony's vivid dreams in 'Funhouse', which closes Season 2?

Food poisoning lays Tony low after an evening of restaurant meals, and in one fever dream a talking fish on a slab tells him the truth he has been avoiding about an old friend.

Ralph Cifaretto returns in Season 3 after an extended stay in which city?

Miami is why Ralph is missing from the first two seasons: he comes back from a long stay there, takes up with Rosalie Aprile and starts pushing for a captain's job.

Whom does Tony promote to capo over Ralph, prompting resentment?

Gigi Cestone gets the captain's job, but he soon dies of a heart attack on the toilet, which leaves Ralph as the obvious man for the post after all.

Which pregnant Bada Bing dancer does Ralph beat to death in Season 3?

Tracee, a young dancer carrying Ralph's child, is beaten to death behind the Bing in 'University'; Tony breaks mafia code by beating Ralph in front of the crew over it.

Which fellow patient of Dr. Melfi has an affair with Tony in Season 3?

Gloria Trillo, a Mercedes saleswoman, catches Tony's eye in Melfi's waiting room; when the affair turns volatile he sends Patsy Parisi to frighten her off at gunpoint.

What do Jackie Jr. and his friends try to rob in Season 3 to make their names?

A mob card game is the target: Ralph had told them Tony and Jackie's father made their names with a similar heist, but Jackie panics and shoots the dealer dead.

What is the name of Ralph's racehorse, which Tony comes to treat as his own?

Pie-O-My wins races and Tony's affection before dying in a stable fire; Tony suspects Ralph set it for the $200,000 insurance and kills him in the fight that follows.

Which undercover FBI agent befriends Adriana under the name 'Danielle'?

Deborah Ciccerone poses as 'Danielle Ciccolella from Whippany' and strikes up a friendship with Adriana at a mall, all to learn how close Christopher is to Tony.

Which released capo does Tony send back to prison by planting stolen property?

Feech La Manna is set up rather than killed: Tony has him talked into storing a truckload of stolen televisions in his garage, then lets a parole officer walk in on them.

Whom does Tony Blundetto shoot dead, sparking Phil's vendetta against him?

Tony Blundetto shoots Billy Leotardo dead and wounds Phil to avenge Angelo Garepe; Tony later shotguns his cousin himself at Uncle Pat's farm rather than leave him to Phil.

With whom does Carmela have a brief affair in Season 5 while separated from Tony?

Robert Wegler, A.J.'s guidance counsellor, ends the affair himself, accusing Carmela of using him to get her son better grades.

Which of Meadow's boyfriends catches Vito with a security guard at a building site?

Finn DeTrolio sees it when he turns up early for his construction job; two years on, Tony has him repeat the story to the crew in the back room of Satriale's.

Under what pretence does Silvio collect Adriana in 'Long Term Parking'?

A hospital visit to Christopher is the story: Tony phones to say Christopher has attempted suicide and that Silvio is on his way to drive her there.

In his coma dream, Tony swaps identities with a man of what name?

Kevin Finnerty of Kingman, Arizona, owns the wallet and briefcase Tony finds himself carrying in the dream, in which he is a precision optics salesman staying at a Costa Mesa hotel.

Where is Bobby Baccalieri shot dead in 'The Blue Comet'?

A model train shop is where the gunmen find Bobby, who is buying a vintage Blue Comet set and has left his phone ringing in the car, so the warning never reaches him.

Why do the crews lose respect for Johnny Sack at his daughter's wedding?

He cries as marshals re-cuff him and haul him back to prison in front of the guests; Phil leads the mockery afterwards, sneering that even Cinderella didn't cry.

In which state does Vito hide out, posing as an author, after being outed?

New Hampshire is where Vito ends up stranded after wrecking his car; calling himself Vince, he grows close to Jim from the local diner before heading back to New Jersey.

Which Oscar-winning actor turns down Christopher and Little Carmine's pitch in 'Luxury Lounge'?

Ben Kingsley, playing himself, hears their pitch poolside in Los Angeles, shows no interest and breaks off mid-meeting to greet another star.

Christopher's movie is pitched to investors as a cross between which two films?

The Godfather and Saw: the movie is sold as 'Saw meets Godfather II', and Carmela later reads its murder of a mob boss as Christopher's revenge fantasy against Tony.

Which screenwriter friend from rehab does a drunk Christopher shoot dead?

J. T. Dolan, a TV writer Christopher met in rehab, is shot when Christopher turns up drunk and J. T. says it is too dangerous for him to hear any more mob talk.

How does Tony kill Christopher?

Suffocates him after a car crash: Tony pinches the bleeding Christopher's nose shut in 'Kennedy and Heidi', having seen the branch that speared the infant seat in the back.

Where does A.J. Soprano attempt suicide in 'The Second Coming'?

The backyard pool: A.J. jumps in with a cinder block tied to his leg, but the rope is too long to hold him under, and Tony comes home in time to pull him out.

Who tips Tony Soprano off to Phil Leotardo's hiding place?

Dwight Harris is an FBI agent, long assigned to Tony's crew, yet he passes word that Phil has been using gas-station payphones in Oyster Bay, Long Island.

Which capo does Tony fear has turned informant after the capo's son is arrested on a drug charge?

Carlo Gervasi goes missing once his son Jason is arrested, and in the final scene Tony tells Carmela that Carlo is going to testify.

Which show beat The Sopranos to the Outstanding Drama Emmy in 2000, 2001 and 2003?

The West Wing won four years running, 2000 to 2003; The Sopranos lost on each of its first four nominations before finally taking the prize in 2004.

Which actor plays Hesh Rabkin, Tony's Jewish adviser and loan shark?

Hesh Rabkin is played by Jerry Adler, who spent decades as a Broadway stage manager and director before turning to acting in his sixties.

Which comedy ranked above The Sopranos in Sepinwall and Seitz's book TV (The Book)?

The Simpsons won on a tie-break: five shows, The Sopranos among them, scored an identical 112 points, so the two critics argued out the final order between themselves.

Which creator said that without Tony Soprano his own series' antihero would not exist?

Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, wrote that without Tony Soprano there would be no Walter White, in a 2013 tribute to the show's late star, whose warmth in person had startled him.

Which two cast members returned for Chevrolet's 2022 Super Bowl ad?

Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler played the Soprano children again in Chevrolet's 2022 Super Bowl ad; Chase directed, with Sigler driving a Silverado EV along the opening-credits route.

Which diner speciality gives Vito's lover Jim his nickname?

Johnnycakes are the dish Vito keeps coming back for at the diner where Jim works; one evening he watches Jim, a volunteer firefighter, rescue a young child from a fire.

Which two cast members host the rewatch podcast Talking Sopranos?

Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa launched Talking Sopranos in April 2020, recording remotely in the first weeks of the pandemic, and turned it into an oral-history book the following year.

Which actor plays the New York boss Johnny Sack?

Johnny Sack is played by Vincent Curatola; the character rises from New York underboss to boss before dying of lung cancer in federal prison in season 6.

Who plays Dickie Moltisanti in the 2021 Sopranos prequel film?

Alessandro Nivola plays Dickie Moltisanti, the uncle young Tony looks up to; the story is narrated by Dickie's son Christopher, speaking from beyond the grave.

Who directed the 2021 Sopranos prequel film?

Alan Taylor, who had directed nine episodes of the series and won an Emmy for 'Kennedy and Heidi', took the job; Chase co-wrote and produced the film but did not direct it.

In which city did James Gandolfini die in June 2013?

Gandolfini died in Rome on June 19, 2013, of a heart attack at 51, while on holiday with his family on the way to a Sicilian film festival.

How much per episode was Gandolfini paid for the final season of The Sopranos?

About $1 million an episode was hard won: before the fifth season Gandolfini had held out against HBO for a raise, with filming only weeks away.

How does Tony Soprano's mother die early in Season 3?

A stroke in her sleep takes her off screen; the actress who played her had died, so her last scene with Tony was built by computer from earlier footage.

Which HBO miniseries was Gandolfini set to star in before his death?

The Night Of began with Gandolfini playing the defence lawyer in its pilot; after his death the part eventually went to John Turturro, and Gandolfini kept a posthumous producer credit.

Which Sopranos episode drew 11.9 million viewers, its biggest audience in three years?

'Made in America', the finale, drew 11.9 million viewers, the most since early 2004; many of them thought their cable had failed when the screen cut to black.

What is the suspicious man in the diner wearing in The Sopranos' finale?

The man who eyes Tony and heads for the restroom wears a Members Only jacket; 'Members Only' was also the title of the season 6 opener in which Tony is shot.

Which dish is on the family's table when The Sopranos' final scene cuts to black?

Onion rings are on the table when the screen goes dark; Chase later said the ending meant more than Tony face down in a bowl of them with a bullet in his head.

Who wrote the teleplay for the episode 'Pine Barrens'?

Terence Winter wrote the 'Pine Barrens' teleplay from a story he shares with Tim Van Patten, who said the idea of two mobsters lost in the woods came to him in a dream.

Which actor plays Phil Leotardo, the New York boss killed in The Sopranos' finale?

Phil Leotardo is played by Frank Vincent; Phil is shot at a gas station in the finale, and his own SUV, left in drive, rolls over his head.

Where were the snowy woods of 'Pine Barrens' filmed?

Harriman State Park, New York, stood in after an Essex County official refused a permit for South Mountain Reservation, objecting to the show's portrayal of Italian Americans.

Before The Sopranos in 2007, which British series was the last to win the Outstanding Drama Emmy after its run ended?

Upstairs, Downstairs took the prize in 1977 after leaving the air; voters did not reward another finished drama until The Sopranos won three months after its June 2007 finale.

Which UK broadcaster named The Sopranos the greatest television series of all time in 2007?

Channel 4's 2007 poll 'The 50 Greatest TV Dramas' put The Sopranos first; back in 2002 TV Guide had already ranked it fifth among the top 50 shows ever.

What is 'Whitecaps', which gives The Sopranos' fourth season finale its title?

A Jersey Shore house called Whitecaps is Tony's surprise for Carmela; when the marriage collapses and the seller keeps his deposit, Tony's men anchor his boat offshore and blast music at the place.

Which two Sopranos actors play Bert and Ernie in Elmo's Christmas Countdown?

Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa are hired for the parts by the real Bert and Ernie, who direct the sketch and keep stopping it as the two actors fluff their lines.

Which future pop superstar, then 15, plays a teenage girl in The Sopranos episode 'The Telltale Moozadell'?

Lady Gaga was credited under her real name, Stefani Germanotta. Interest in the episode jumped nine years later, when a clip of her scene spread online.

How does the final scene of The Sopranos end, leaving many viewers convinced their cable had failed?

A sudden cut to black, then several seconds of silence, stops the series mid-scene. David Chase wanted the dark screen to run with no credits at all, but the Directors Guild would not grant a waiver.

The actor who plays Tony Soprano's consigliere in The Sopranos is the longtime guitarist for which rock star?

Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band guitarist had never acted before. David Chase invited him to audition after watching him induct The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In The Sopranos, 'gabagool' is how Tony's crew pronounce the name of which Italian cold cut?

Capicola became 'gabagool' by way of the Neapolitan word capecuollo, brought to the Northeast by working-class immigrants more than a century ago.

What recurring medical problem first sends mob boss Tony Soprano to a psychiatrist in The Sopranos?

Panic attacks make him black out, so his physician sends him to Dr. Melfi, who also treats his depression with Prozac.

Which magazine ranked The Sopranos first on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows in both 2016 and 2022?

Rolling Stone gave it the top spot twice. In 2013 the Writers Guild of America had already named it the best-written series in television history.

Which wild animal starts wandering into the Soprano family's yard at the start of season five of The Sopranos?

A black bear terrifies A.J. in the yard until Carmela drives it off. Tony, separated from her and living elsewhere, posts two of his men in the garden as guards.

Which two relatives conspire to have Tony Soprano killed during the first season of The Sopranos?

His mother and uncle were caught by an FBI bug in her retirement home, and agents played Tony the recordings. She was taking revenge on him for moving her there and putting her house up for sale.

The teenage Tony Soprano in the prequel film to The Sopranos is played by which relative of the original star?

His son Michael got the part only after auditioning, and prepared by watching the whole series for the first time.

Which Hollywood legend, playing herself, is mugged for her awards gift bag by Christopher in The Sopranos?

Lauren Bacall was due to present at an awards show in the episode 'Luxury Lounge'. Christopher, astounded by the free luxury goods handed to film stars, puts on a mask and helps himself.

Which actress won a 2004 Emmy for playing the fiancée of Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos?

Drea de Matteo took the supporting actress award for the fifth season, then went straight on to play Joey Tribbiani's sister Gina in the Friends spin-off Joey.

Which Sopranos actress, who made her Broadway debut in A Streetcar Named Desire, plays Tony's older sister?

Aida Turturro was Eunice Hubbell in the 1992 Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. Her stage husband, Steve Hubbell, was played by the future Tony Soprano.

Which HBO period drama was created by a longtime writer and producer of The Sopranos?

Boardwalk Empire had its pilot directed by Martin Scorsese at a cost of $18 million, and the series won the Golden Globe for best television drama in 2011.

Carmela Soprano's actress in The Sopranos also played officer Diane Whittlesey in which HBO drama?

Oz began in 1997 and she kept the part until 2000, so for a time she was a prison officer and a mob boss's wife on the same channel.

In therapy in The Sopranos, Tony recalls first fainting as a boy after seeing his father do what to a butcher?

Cut off his finger: Tony, aged about eleven, watched his father take Mr. Satriale's pinkie over an unpaid gambling debt, and Dr. Melfi ties the memory to meat and his later collapses.

Which real newspaper does Tony Soprano collect from his driveway at the start of several Sopranos episodes?

The Star-Ledger also fed the writers' room: David Chase credited one of its news stories with inspiring the theme of the fifth season.

How did The Sopranos create a final scene for Tony Soprano's mother after the actress died in 2000?

CGI and old footage, with earlier sound clips, gave her one last scene in the third season. A planned story in which she testified against her son in court was never filmed.

Before creating The Sopranos, David Chase won his first Emmy as a producer on which 1970s detective series?

The Rockford Files brought him that Emmy in 1978, shared with his fellow producers. He worked on the series in various roles for more than four years.

Which New York City parade's organizers won a 2002 injunction to keep Sopranos cast members out?

Columbus Day organizers won their court order against Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Two years earlier a county executive had refused to let the series film on county-owned land, saying it stereotyped Italian Americans.

Which James Cagney gangster film does Tony Soprano watch after his mother's death in The Sopranos?

The Public Enemy, from 1931, is one of Tony's favorite films. He is overcome at the scene in which a mother happily prepares her home for a son she does not know is dead.

In The Sopranos, what is the job of Phil Intintola, whose cosy film nights with Carmela irritate Tony?

Priest at the family's local Catholic church, Father Phil bonds with Carmela over romance films. She later ends the friendship, accusing him of cultivating women parishioners for gifts and favors.

By the end of The Sopranos, Tony's daughter drops her plan to become a pediatrician and chooses which career?

Law wins out when her fiancé's passion for the subject persuades her not to apply to medical school. She had already volunteered at a legal center in the South Bronx.

Which organization does A.J. Soprano decide to join in the Sopranos finale before his parents steer him elsewhere?

The Army appeals to A.J. after a dressing-down from Tony, and he starts training hard. His parents head him off with a new BMW and a job at a film production company.

Which Russell Crowe film is volatile capo Ralph Cifaretto obsessed with in the third season of The Sopranos?

Gladiator references pepper Ralph's talk as he roughhouses around the Bada Bing. When Christopher recommends Spartacus as another arena epic, Ralph watches it and sneers.

In The Sopranos, Isabella, the Italian exchange student Tony meets in a neighbor's garden, turns out to be what?

A hallucination brought on by too much lithium, Isabella is simply gone one day. Dr. Melfi takes Tony off the drug and reads her as an idealized mother figure.

In The Sopranos, Paulie Gualtieri learns that which relative, a dying nun, is really his mother?

His aunt Dotty belonged to the Sisters of Christian Charity. Nucci, the woman Paulie had always called his mother, was the real aunt, who raised him as her own to hide the scandal.

In The Sopranos, what does Tony's sister steal from the Russian caretaker Svetlana during a feud over an inheritance?

Her artificial leg is taken in a fight over a record collection. Svetlana, who lost the limb to bone cancer as a child, runs a home nursing business.

In The Sopranos, New York underboss Johnny Sack orders Ralph Cifaretto killed over a joke about what?

His wife's weight was the target of Ralph's joke, which Paulie passed on to Johnny. Johnny calls off the hit at the last minute, after finding Ginny's hidden stash of junk food.

Tony Soprano's crew nickname the New York mobster Phil Leotardo after which Middle Eastern ruler he resembles?

The Shah of Iran, the last to hold that title, looked enough like Phil for Tony's crew to call him simply the Shah. Phil had served a 20-year sentence before rising to lead his family.

After leaving prison in The Sopranos, Tony Blundetto tries to go straight by training for which career?

Massage therapist was the plan: Tony B turned down a place in his cousin's stolen airbag operation to earn a state license, and later fitted out a storefront for his own massage studio.

In The Sopranos, how did Tony's adviser and loan shark Hesh Rabkin make his first fortune in the 1950s and 1960s?

The record business made him rich: Hesh founded F-Note Records, promoted young black musicians and collected royalties by having himself credited as co-writer of their songs.

Which university did Tony Soprano of The Sopranos attend for a semester and a half before turning to crime?

Seton Hall kept Tony for only a semester and a half before he dropped out for a life of crime. At West Essex High School he had played baseball and football.

In The Sopranos, Christopher Moltisanti's fiancée runs a rock club under which name?

Crazy Horse is the name she gives the bar, which she turns into a successful venue for local alternative rock bands and a haunt for students from a nearby university.

In The Sopranos, what does the store that Tony's old classmate Davey Scatino loses to poker debts sell?

Sporting goods were his trade until Tony let him into a high-stakes game he could not afford, knowing the store could be gutted once Davey fell into debt.

In season one of The Sopranos, which Uncle Junior enforcer do Paulie and Christopher ambush in the woods?

Mikey Palmice had shot Christopher's friend in the eye and helped arrange the failed hit on Tony, so the ambush settled two scores at once.

Which name did Tony Soprano's older sister adopt after joining an ashram in Los Angeles, before The Sopranos begins?

Parvati Wasatch was the name she took at an ashram she joined straight after high school. The people around her regard her as a chronic malingerer with no work ethic.

In The Sopranos, Tony kills Ralph Cifaretto in a rage after suspecting him of being behind what?

A stable fire had killed the racehorse they shared, and the $200,000 insurance payout would have covered the medical bills of Ralph's injured son. The fire marshal ruled it an accident.

How does the New York boss Johnny Sack die in the final season of The Sopranos?

Lung cancer kills him in a prison hospital with his wife and two daughters at his side, not long after an oncologist gives him a grim prognosis.

After reuniting with Tony in The Sopranos, Carmela puts a $600,000 plot of land he bought her to what use?

A spec house was her bid for financial independence, built with her father. Work stopped when an inspector found materials that were not up to code, and Tony was slow to step in.

Where is the New York boss Phil Leotardo shot dead in the final episode of The Sopranos?

A gas station was where one of Tony's men shot him as he talked to his wife. She jumped out of their SUV leaving it in drive, and it rolled over his head.

The Sopranos episode 'The Blue Comet' opens with a traitor in Tony's crew being killed in which way?

Garrotted by Tony's consigliere, Burt had been negotiating with the New York family. A scene in which he admits as much was filmed to set up the murder, then cut.

After reading a study on criminals and therapy in 'The Blue Comet', what does The Sopranos' Dr. Melfi do?

Drops Tony as a patient, closing the door on him. The study is real: a three-volume work called The Criminal Personality, which David Chase came across at a psychiatric conference.

In the Sopranos episode 'The Blue Comet', whom do Tony's Italian hitmen kill after mistaking him for Phil Leotardo?

His mistress's father, a Ukrainian, was shot along with his daughter while Phil stayed in hiding. The job had gone to the Italian cousins who earlier carried out the hit on Rusty Millio.

In the final scene of the Sopranos episode 'The Blue Comet', Tony lies on a bed holding which birthday gift from Bobby?

A rifle, an AR-10 the two men had fired together in the woods near Bobby's cabin on Tony's birthday weekend, is in his arms as he lies down fully clothed.

Which member of Tony Soprano's inner circle is left comatose by gunmen outside the Bada Bing in 'The Blue Comet'?

Silvio Dante is shot several times as he leaves the club, and doctors say he may never regain consciousness. Patsy Parisi, walking out beside him, escapes unhurt.

The Blue Comet, which lends its name to a late Sopranos episode, was a Depression-era deluxe express to which resort?

Atlantic City was three hours from Manhattan by ferry and the Blue Comet, which ran from 1929 to 1941. Its cars were painted blue for the sea and cream for the sandy beaches.

Where does 'The Blue Comet', the Sopranos episode in which war with New York finally erupts, fall in the series run?

Second to last: it drew about eight million viewers, the best figure of the closing run of episodes apart from the finale that followed a week later.

Whose 1962 hit 'Ramblin' Rose' plays on a car radio during the shootout in the Sopranos episode 'The Blue Comet'?

Nat King Cole croons from Patsy Parisi's car radio as the gunmen close in. The episode ends on an extended instrumental version of 'Running Wild' by Tindersticks.

Where do Tony Soprano and his remaining men spend the night at the end of the Sopranos episode 'The Blue Comet'?

A safe house in an old suburb, kept empty for emergencies and storage, shelters them. Tony had already told Carmela that she must hide somewhere else.

In the Sopranos episode 'The Blue Comet', how does Tony get his depressed son A.J. to pack and leave?

Drags him out of bed and throws him to the floor: Tony starts out explaining gently, then loses patience when A.J. begins complaining about his symptoms.