There Has Never Been a Better Time to Finally Watch 'The Sopranos'
We here at Esquire are at home. Just like you, we're not used to it. Our free time, when we're not checking emails and updates and push alerts, stretches on and on. And so we've figured out a few ways to fill it that we can't recommend enough. Here's one.
One of my big secrets, after working as a culture writer and editor off and on for the last decade, is that I’d never seen The Sopranos. Everyone has seen The Sopranos. So, in some ways, that made it easier for me to not see it—I always had a colleague enthusiastically raising their hand to write or edit a piece.
It’s not that I haven’t wanted to see it. Once the finale passed, I told myself one day I’d start it from the beginning. But there was always some new show that took precedence—why spend hours watching a series that was no longer on air and miss out on something everyone is talking about right now?
But when the quarantines hit last week, I considered doing my usual scan of everything new on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon. But the thought of Googling around, reading reviews of every new thing felt exhausting. I wanted to leave my phone in the other room and watch something I knew would be good. I decided it was time to watch The Sopranos.
The fact that people aren’t talking about The Sopranos is exactly why I wanted to watch it—it’s like going back in a time machine. It’s a pure escape. When I turn it on at the end of a long day of reading about and reporting on a pandemic, it feels like I can put the news—and the world, really—on pause. I sit on the couch with my husband, and take a trip back to the ’90s. And I can enjoy it for what it is—I’m not rushing to Google each plot point or new character to stay in the conversation because nobody is talking about it.
And, have you heard? The Sopranos is a great show! So great, in fact, that it fully captures my attention for hours at a time. While recently watching Hulu’s High Fidelity—which I adored—I’d half watch, half search around for the soundtrack, try to figure out where I recognized that one actor from, see if I could find a reviewer who liked it as much as I did. But with The Sopranos, I have no impulse to find decades-old reviews or recaps. And the story is so engrossing, I don’t find myself reaching for my phone to check Twitter for coronavirus updates or my work email. Everything else disappears for a while.
The other thing is, I have a toddler. So, during the day, my husband and I are juggling childcare and working from home. And god knows The Sopranos is not family-friendly viewing. For that reason, we haven't gotten far in the last week. We only have the time and energy to watch an episode or two a night. But, knowing that we still have six seasons with Tony and Carmela to turn on when my kid goes to sleep adds a nice, normal structure to these strange days.
I’m sure you, like everyone else in the world, have seen The Sopranos already—don’t tell me how it ends!—but I would recommend finally watching that show you’ve never gotten around to. For many people, social isolation has given them a bit more time to do something they’ve been otherwise too busy or distracted to do. For parents, it’s not so much extra time, as it is a completely different existence. So, give yourself a break and do something that’s just for you. Somehow, even a violent show about the mob, can provide a bit of a reprieve.
You Might Also Like
