WOKE UP THIS MORNING

A multivocal history of one of the greatest TV shows ever made.

Imperioli and Schirripa, who played Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos, took the occasion of the pandemic to watch every episode (86) of the series and then dissect it with the help of cast and crew. This book draws on the resulting podcast, with 44 cast members and 20 crew members, including creator David Chase, in tow. There’s plenty of news here—e.g., that Michael Rispoli, who played Jackie Aprile, and Steven Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante, were both in the running for the role of Tony Soprano. James Gandolfini eventually won that role, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else in it. On that note, as the authors write, “Can you imagine The Sopranoswith Lorraine Bracco as Carmela, instead of Edie Falco? Turns out that very easily could have happened.” Bracco, though, opted to play Jennifer Melfi, the psychiatrist, by virtue of the fact that she represented an intelligent Italian woman, altogether too rare in film and TV portrayals. The authors locate the origin of the series in a 1996 indie movie directed by Steve Buscemi called Trees Lounge, a film in which not much happens but in which many of the cast members of The Sopranosmade appearances three years before the series launched. Devotees will revel in the stroll into series minutiae, from the accompanying music to how characters were slated to die (said Tony Sirico, aka Paulie Walnuts, to a writer, “You ever write a script where I die, first I die, then you die”). In many sections, the conversation goes deep: Who would have noticed that when Tony and Dr. Melfi appear together, their clothing colors “either match or clash”? Of course, there’s plenty of discussion about the last scene of the final episode, with Schirripa opining, “I feel Tony Soprano is alive and well and living in New Jersey.”

Essential for fans, with a revelation on every page.