Where to watch The Sopranos (1999–2007)

Trivia & production notes

• David Chase drew the character of Dr. Jennifer Melfi from his own psychiatrist, whom he was seeing in therapy while developing the series.
• The Sopranos shares 27 actors with the 1990 film Goodfellas, including main cast members Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico.
• James Gandolfini was selected to audition for Tony Soprano after a casting director spotted a brief clip of him in the 1993 film True Romance.
• Lorraine Bracco was originally offered the role of Carmela Soprano but chose to play Dr. Melfi instead because she wanted a greater acting challenge.
• Tony Sirico agreed to play Paulie Walnuts only on the condition that his character would never become an informant.
• Steven Van Zandt, a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, had never acted before Chase invited him to audition after seeing him induct The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
• HBO turned down Chase's original choice of Steven Van Zandt for Tony Soprano, so Chase created the character of Silvio Dante specifically for him instead.
• The series was initially conceived by Chase as a feature film about a mobster in therapy with mother issues before being adapted into a television series.
• Chase drew inspiration for the show from New Jersey organized crime families he observed growing up, particularly the Richard Boiardo family and the DeCavalcante family.
• Fox showed interest in The Sopranos after Chase pitched it but ultimately passed, and CBS rejected it citing concerns about the protagonist's psychiatric treatment.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Sopranos, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.