The Sopranos season 1 explained

Season Number:1
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Num Episodes:13
Network:HBO
Episode List:List of The Sopranos episodes

The first season of the American crime drama series The Sopranos aired on HBO from January 10 to April 4, 1999. The first season was released on DVD in North America on December 12, 2000,[1] and on Blu-ray on November 24, 2009.[2]

The season introduces DiMeo Crime Family Capo Tony Soprano and his family, as well as his troubled relationship with his mother Livia. Also troubled is his relationship with his Uncle Junior, who becomes locked in a power struggle with Tony after the death of the Crime Family Boss, Jackie Aprile. Tony also begins therapy sessions with Dr. Melfi after suffering a panic attack.

Meanwhile, Tony's daughter Meadow becomes aware of her father's true profession while preparing to get into college, and Tony's nephew Christopher attempts to write a screenplay about his criminal life and anxiously awaits becoming a made man. Due to Junior's plotting of an assassination, Tony also gets embroiled in a plot against childhood friend Artie Bucco, a charming but obsequious restaurateur.

The season won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the episode "College", as well as several other accolades. James Gandolfini and Edie Falco received numerous accolades for their performances, including winning both Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

Reception

Critical response

The first season of The Sopranos was met with wide acclaim, receiving a score of 88 out of 100 on Metacritic,[3] and a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 9.3/10, the latter site reporting the critical consensus as, "The Sopranos smartly runs an emotional gamut, offering detailed character work and riveting suspense while displaying a flair for both comedy and drama."[4] James Gandolfini was widely hailed for his performance, with Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly praising his "magnificently shrewd, wary performance" as Tony Soprano.[5] Deseret News expressed approval for the show's clear insight into the "modern incarnations of family and mortality and ambition."[3]

Marvin Kitman of Newsday wrote, "It's a great show, the best new series of the year. It's so - dare I say it? - original. It catches you off guard. Basically, it's everything I'm always looking for in drama. It's beautifully written, authentic, without the plastic Los Angeles look. The acting is marvelous. It's funny in a darkly comedic way, involving as a soap opera, and quirky. I never quite know what's going to happen, even though the subject matter is by no means unprecedented for television."[3]

Awards and nominations

YearAssociation CategoryNominee(s) Resultclass=unsortable
[6]
James Gandolfini (Episode: "Pilot")
Edie Falco (episode: "College")
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Lorraine Bracco (episode: "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti")
Nancy Marchand (episodes: "Pilot" + "46 Long")
John Heard (episode: "Nobody Knows Anything")
David Chase (episode: "Pilot")
David Chase (episode: "Pilot")
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess (episode: "Isabella")
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series James Manos Jr. (episode: "College")
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Frank Renzulli (episode: "Nobody Knows Anything")
[7]
James Gandolfini
Edie Falco
Best Actress in a Drama Series Lorraine Bracco
Nancy Marchand
Entire Cast [8]
James Gandolfini
Edie Falco
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Lorraine Bracco
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series Nancy Marchand
1999 Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series David Chase (episode: "Pilot")
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Allen Coulter (episode: "College")
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Daniel Attias (episode: "46 Long")
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series Henry J. Bronchtein (episode: "Nobody Knows Anything")
Best Drama Episode Jason Cahill (episode: "Meadowlands")
Program of the Year
Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Outstanding New Program of the Year
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama David Chase
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama James Gandolfini
Best Drama Series
Best Actor in a Drama Series James Gandolfini
Best Actress in a Drama Series Lorraine Bracco
Best Actress in a Drama Series Edie Falco

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Sopranos - The Complete 1st Season. TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 17, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160128200406/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Sopranos-Complete-1st-Season/23. January 28, 2016.
  2. Web site: The Sopranos - The Complete 1st Season (Blu-ray). TVShowsOnDVD.com. May 17, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151015153052/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Sopranos-Complete-1st-Season-Blu-ray/8923. October 15, 2015.
  3. Web site: The Sopranos: Season 1 . Metacritic . January 13, 2017 . July 22, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200722131716/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-sopranos/season-1 . live .
  4. Web site: The Sopranos: Season 1 (1999) . Rotten Tomatoes . January 13, 2017 . January 16, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170116181150/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-sopranos/s01/ . live .
  5. The Sopranos . Ken . Tucker . Entertainment Weekly . January 15, 1999 . January 23, 2017 . February 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170205023358/http://ew.com/article/1999/01/15/sopranos-9/ . live .
  6. Web site: Nominees / Winners 1999 Emmy Awards. Television Academy. June 15, 2024.
  7. Web site: 57th Golden Globe Awards. Internet Movie Database. June 15, 2024.
  8. Web site: The 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. sagawards.org. June 15, 2024.