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The Sopranos Creator David Chase on Martin Scorsese Disliking Series

David Chase discussed filmmaker Martin Scorsese not thinking too highly of HBO crime drama The Sopranos, and Chase has a theory why.


If David Chase and Martin Scorsese share anything in common, it's that they love the American crime drama, as indicated by their respective signature works. Still, apparently, Scorsese doesn't get the appeal of the iconic Chase-created series The Sopranos. Chase appeared in The Hollywood Reporter's It Happened in Hollywood podcast with filmmaker Alex Gibney, who directed the 2024 documentary, WISE GUY: David Chase and The Sopranos. The creator, who would go on to write the Tony Soprano prequel The Many Saints of Newark that starred late The Sopranos star James Gandolfini's son, Michael Gandolfini, as a younger incarnation of his signature character, revealed that it wasn't for the most nuanced of reasons. "Marty Scorsese doesn't like the show. He said, 'I don't get it – it's like all these trees and shit,'" Chase shared.

The Sopranos: David Chase Reveals Martin Scorsese Dislikes Series
James Gandolfini in "The Sopranos". Image courtesy of HBO

David Chase Theorizes Why Martin Scorsese Dislikes "The Sopranos"

"Was [Scorsese] really not a fan of The Sopranos? Did he ever go on the record to say that?" host Seth Abramovitch asked Chase. "Yes, he did," alluding to the 2019 interview The Godfather director did with Sight & Sound, "I think I only saw one episode … because I can't identify with that generation of the underworld. They live in New Jersey with the big houses? I don't get it. They use language – four-letter words – in front of their daughters, at the dinner table? I don't get that. I just didn't grow up that way."

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October 16, 2023: Martin Scorsese, Director, Screenwriter, Producer at the Los Angeles premiere for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood. Picture: Paul Smith. Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Chase admitted meeting the Oscar Award-winner, but Sorcese's distaste for The Sopranos didn't come up, "I met him briefly, but we've never talked about it," before coming up with his theory, "It's very simple," he said. "He grew up in New York in Little Italy, and there is 'Five Families' organized crime there. That's what he depicted. I grew up in New Jersey, and there was branches of suburban New Jersey and there was branches of Five Families organized crime, but they're different from the ones in New York, a different culture."

The Sopranos ran from 1999-2007, winning 21 Emmys throughout its six-season run, including awards for stars Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Drea de Matteo, Joe Pantoliano, and more. You can check out the entire episode.


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Tom ChangAbout Tom Chang

I’ve been following pop culture for over 30 years with eclectic interests in gaming, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, film, and TV reading Starlog, Mad & Fangoria. As a writer for over 15 years, Star Wars was my first franchise love.
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