HBO
We’re currently living in what I think most people would agree is the Golden Age of Television, a time when it’s virtually impossible to keep up with all of the critically-acclaimed shows being pumped out at an overwhelming pace as networks and streaming services engage in a fierce war for our eyeballs.
It’s safe to say television has changed quite a bit in the past couple of decades, and while there’s no single catalyst responsible for its rapid evolution, there’s one major player that helped transform the landscape as we know it for good: HBO.
While the network has been around since the 1970s, it didn’t truly find its footing until closer to the turn of the millennium, which is when the television game was flipped on its head when The Sopranos was unleashed upon the world in 1999.
It’s hard to understand just how much of an impact The Sopranos had unless you were there to witness its rise, as the brutally violent, profanity-laced, and boob-filled show was unlike anything to hit the airwaves before it. People tuned in every week to watch the saga of the titular crime family unfold over six seasons that culminated with one of the most divisive finales of all time.
It’s been over twelve years since the final episode unexpectedly cut to black, and while there were plenty of fans out there who wanted closure in the form of some sort of followup (even though the mystery of Tony’s fate wasn’t actually that mysterious in hindsight), it appeared that was off the table when James Gandolfini passed away in 2013.
However, last year, fans of the series got one hell of a surprise when creator David Chase announced a prequel to the show was in the works in the form of a movie starring Gandolfini’s son Michael, which is currently slated to be released next September.
Now, it looks like there’s a chance the film could only be the start of a new Sopranos era.
According to Deadline, HBO executive Casey Bloys was recently asked about the possibility of The Sopranos getting the reboot treatment, and while he said nothing is currently in the works, the network is apparently open to bringing the show back in some shape or form if the situation is right:
“I keep saying ‘never say never. There are no plans, there is no discussions about it, but [Michael] is a really good actor, we had him on The Deuce. There is nothing on the table at the moment but I will stay open.”
In a world dominated by remakes and reboots, I feel like The Sopranos is one of the last series that needs to be revisited, but if the movie ends up doing the show justice as well as the recent Deadwood film did, I’d be lying if I said I’d be against revisiting the show’s universe.