If you haven’t watched the hit TV show “The Sopranos” yet, you should now.
The show, which aired on HBO from 1999 until 2007, centers around fictitious New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini) as he navigates his life between his two families, his wife Carmela (played by Edie Falco) and their two children Meadow (played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and AJ (played by Robert Iler), as well as his mob family.
Why should you watch it? Not only has “The Sopranos” consistently been ranked as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, it also includes many Monmouth County references and scenes.
The Sopranos premiered on HBO on Jan. 10, 1999. The premise of the show dealt with Tony Soprano signing up for therapy sessions because of the problems he is dealing with from his very pessimistic mother, Livia (played by Nancy Marchand). In the first episode of the show, Tony begins his therapy sessions with his psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi (played by Lorraine Bracco). The first season was a huge success on HBO, which set the stage for the show to run for a total of six seasons before it came to an end on June 10, 2007.
One fan favorite episode from season 3 is called Pine Barrens and is often ranked as being the greatest episode of the show. The title is in reference to the Pine Barrens in South Jersey and centers around Tony’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti (played by Michael Imperioli) and one of Tony’s closest friends Paulie Gualtieri (played by Tony Sirico) having a confrontation with a Russian mobster named Valery. Thinking that they killed Valery, Christopher and Paulie put him in a trunk and drive him down to the Pine Barrens, only to discover that he is still alive. Valery then escapes and Christopher and Paulie end up lost in the freezing cold Pine Barrens for hours.
In addition to being one of the greatest TV shows of all time, The Sopranos takes place right here in New Jersey. Although the show primarily takes place in North Jersey, there were several scenes filmed in Monmouth County. In seasons two and three, several scenes were filmed on Abury Park Boardwalk. And a scene from season 4 that is supposed to take place at a resort in Miami was actually filmed at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch.
Long Branch is referenced several times in the show. In Season 3, Christopher takes control of a nightclub after the owner loses a gambling debt to him.
“This is the Lollipop in Long Branch: this is your club,” Christopher tells his fiance Adriana La Cerva (played by Drea De Matteo) after giving the club to her.
In addition, several other towns in Monmouth County, including Monmouth Beach and Sea Bright, are seen on the show.
Although The Sopranos is one of the most-watched TV shows of all time, it is not without flaws. In a season 3 episode, Dr. Melfi is brutally attacked by a man in a parking garage. This scene is often referenced by fans of the show for being extreme, even for “The Sopranos,” which can be very violent at times. Not only was the scene very extreme, it was never referenced again after this episode.
In spite of the few flaws in the show, the pros outweigh the cons, and “The Sopranos” is definitely worth watching. There’s a reason why the show is consistently ranked as being one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Once you watch “The Sopranos,” you will definitely want to watch it again.
