Why Martin Scorsese Dislikes The Sopranos, Explained
A few years ago, Martin Scorsese admitted that he didn't like The Sopranos, and in a recent interview, David Chase revealed that he knows the cult director's feelings. Here's why the show didn't appeal to the master of the crime genre.
There are few people in the world who haven't watched at least a few episodes of The Sopranos. The 86 episodes about the family of Tony Soprano are filled with life as it is, and skillfully combine both psychological analysis and gangster drama.
Even after almost 20 years, David Chase's creation still has virtually no serious competition for cult status. Everyone thinks so except Martin Scorsese.
Martin Scorsese Couldn't Identify With the World of The Sopranos
On The Hollywood Reporter's It Happened in Hollywood podcast, The Sopranos creator David Chase revealed that Martin Scorsese doesn't like his show.
Back in 2019, in an interview with Sight & Sound, Scorsese admitted:
“I think I only saw one episode of The Sopranos, for example, 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.”
David Chase explains this by saying that Scorsese grew up in New York in Little Italy, and The Sopranos takes place in New Jersey, and those are two very different cultures, one of which is not relatable to Scorsese at all.
Martin Scorsese Grew up in a Different Culture
In previous interviews, Martin Scorsese has stated that he doesn't understand modern culture – after all, he is 82 years old. And The Sopranos is set in a certain time period, the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The mob depicted in The Sopranos is very different from the one the director witnessed outside his window as a kid. And his childhood encounters with neighborhood gangsters had a significant impact on the course of his career.
Scorsese seems to be the type of person who needs to be able to relate to something intimately, whether it's a movie or some other art, in order to appreciate or embrace it – that's exactly how he creates these huge, epic films with a personal touch.
The Sopranos Is Still the Most Realistic Show About the Mafia
What The Sopranos can't be criticized for is its realism – the show was so authentic that real mobsters thought they were being watched. In an interview with Vanity Fair, executive producer Terence Winter revealed:
“One F.B.I. agent told us [...] they would listen to the wiretaps [...], and it was all Mob guys talking about The Sopranos [...]. We would hear back that real wiseguys used to think that we had somebody on the inside. They couldn’t believe how accurate the show was.”
So when you watch The Sopranos, just know that it wasn't the Mafia Martin Scorsese grew up with, but it is a 100% authentic one.
