The Sopranos

From TeeVeePedia, the Internet TV Encyclopedia.

The Sopranos, created by David Chase, is an HBO dramatic series set in the cutthroat world of competitive choral singing.

The series stars James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, who must balance suburban family life and an ongoing midlife crisis with his leadership of The BadaBings, New Jersey's foremost a capella group. Tony and his "crew" -- Tin Ear Vinnie, Big Contralto, and Joey Highnote, among others -- are engaged in a constant struggle for money, respect, and crisp harmonies with the rival a capella groups of the Tri-State area. Complicating matters, Tony pays secret visits to a voice coach (Lorraine Bracco) out of fears that he's losing his ability to carry a tune.

The Sopranos has won critical acclaim and record cable audiences for its dark humor, startling violence, and snappy, toe-tapping renditions of popular tunes. Memorable incidents from the series' six-season run include Tony's bludgeoning of Enzo Bluenote with a metronome on the eve of the Tri-State Choral Semifinals; the shocking execution of turncoat crew member Gino the Bass in the back room of Tony's strip club, the D-Sharp; and the dream sequence in which Tony and David Bowie duet on Fly Me to the Moon.

Audiences were left confused and angered by the series' enigmatic final episode in June 2007. In its concluding scene, Tony and the BadaBings perform a stirring rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" in the final round of the National Choral Championships. However, the scene abruptly cuts to black just as Tony has begun to sing of the fabled "midnight train goin' anywhere," and the episode ends after ten seconds of silence. Many fans felt cheated not to learn whether the BadaBings won the championship, but Chase refused to provide an explanation. Some have theorized that the series' abrupt end means that Tony has died of the heart attack he always feared he would have if he attempted to match Dave Perry's soaring vocal heights, as referenced earlier in the season.