The Sopranos Sessions

On January 10, 1999, a mobster walked into a psychiatrist's office and changed TV history. By shattering preconceptions about the kinds of stories the medium should tell, The Sopranos launched our current age of prestige television, paving the way for such giants as Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. As TV critics for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, New Jersey's The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz were among the first to write about the series before it became a cultural phenomenon. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show's debut, Sepinwall and Seitz have reunited to produce The Sopranos Sessions, a collection of recaps, conversations, and critical essays covering every episode. Featuring a series of new long-form interviews with series creator David Chase, as well as selections from the authors' archival writing on the series, The Sopranos Sessions explores the show's artistry, themes, and legacy, examining its portrayal of Italian Americans, its graphic depictions of violence, and its deep connections to other cinematic and television classics. "The book, being published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the show's premiere, includes highly detailed recaps of each episode; several interviews the two authors conducted with the series creator, David Chase; a debate about the much-discussed final moment of the final episode; and writings by Seitz and Sepinwall that were published in The Star-Ledger, the New Jersey newspaper, when "The Sopranos" originally aired." The New York Times "To celebrate the show's 20th anniversary, TV critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz take a deep dive, breaking down every episode and talking with tight-lipped creator David Chase" Rolling Stone "The two veteran critics offer in-depth, episode-by episode analysis of one of the greatest TV series ever" Entertainment Weekly "20 years on from The Sopranos' first episode, new book The Sopranos Sessions is a compelling, insightful dive into the show's legacy. . . [. . . ] I haven't re-watched The Sopranos for years, but that's set to change as a result of The Sopranos Sessions, which has re-invigorated – and deepened – my love for the show. You may not be as intense a fan of The Sopranos as I am, and that's okay. This is a perceptive, lucid, engaging and above all versatile book that could serve as a series companion, a read-me-in-the-toilet tome or a TV-studies text book depending upon your level of interest, and fluency, in the show. There's something for everyone. All legacies fade, but until David Chase's prediction for The Sopranos comes true - in I hope not for another few million years or so - Seitz and Sepinwall deserve to be part of that legacy." , Den of Geek "The Sopranos Sessions will allow you savour the programme again with your own eyes and those of the authors. In the main section of the book Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall astutely analyse each episode with impressive attention to detail and smart, considered commentary that broadens the canvas" The Irish Times "The Sopranos Sessions prods, examines and celebrates that work with what is clearly long-held passion for the subject and the achievement is something close to definitive" Sight & Sound "Just as The Sopranos elevated the medium of television, Seitz and Sepinwall raise the status of TV writing to new heights.", Library Journal "a must-read for any Sopranos fan" UPROXX "a hefty compendium containing detailed recaps of all the show's 86 episodes, along with contemporaneous clips of their original coverage and - most excitingly - 85 pages of new interviews with Chase" WBUR's The Artery "features seven in-depth interviews with series creator David Chase and the intelligent commentary on the series readers came to expect from authors Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall." The Star-Ledger