Tony Soprano is just a family man trying to balance his work life with his home life. The fact that his work life involves running the DiMeo crime family complicates things.
When The Sopranos began airing in 1999, it was a game-changer. Many argue that the HBO crime drama kick-started a new Golden Age of Television, popularizing a subgenre of prestige serialized shows starring anti-hero protagonists. The Sopranos demonstrated that television storytelling could be as high-quality as cinema. The series was one of the first appointment television shows, and it won 21 Emmy Awards during its run.
In other words, it’s a great series, and if you haven’t watched it, then you probably should. If you’ve ever wanted to get into The Sopranos but weren’t sure where to start, Popverse has you covered. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about watching The Sopranos, The Many Saints of Newark, and even that 2022 Super Bowl commercial.
How to watch The Sopranos in release order
The Sopranos premiered on HBO in 1999. The series ended in 2007 after 86 episodes across six seasons. In 2021, a prequel film called The Many Saints of Newark was released. There’s also a 2022 Super Bowl commercial, which may or may not be canon (more on that later in this guide). In other words, watching The Sopranos is fairly simple. You just need to watch the television series, a movie, and maybe one commercial. If you want to do it in release order, simply follow this list.
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The Sopranos season one (13-episode season, 1999)
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The Sopranos season two (13-episode season, 2000)
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The Sopranos season three (13-episode season, 2001)
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The Sopranos season four (13-episode season, 2002)
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The Sopranos season five (13-episode season, 2004)
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The Sopranos season six (21-episode season, 2006-2007)
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The Many Saints of Newark (2021 film)
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The Sopranos Chevrolet Super Bowl commercial (2022 television commercial)
How to watch The Sopranos in chronological order
If you want to watch The Sopranos in chronological order, simply watch The Many Saints of Newark before starting the first season and go from there. If you’re curious about when each season takes place, we’ve put together a timeline. Special credit goes to The Sopranos Fan Wiki for helping us come up with the dates.
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June 1967: The Many Saints of Newark
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June 1998–April 1999: The Sopranos season one
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June 1999–June 2000: The Sopranos season two
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September 2000–January 2001: The Sopranos season three
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September 2002–May 2003: The Sopranos season four
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March 2004–December 2004: The Sopranos season five
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April 2006–December 2007: The Sopranos season six
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February 2002 (presumably): The Sopranos Chevrolet Super Bowl commercial
Is The Sopranos Chevrolet commercial canon?
While there’s never been a Sopranos reunion, we got something pretty close during the 2022 Super Bowl. The Sopranos creator David Chase filmed a Chevrolet ad featuring Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler reprising their roles as Meadow and A.J. Soprano. Sopranos director of photography Phil Abraham returned, giving the ad more authenticity.
The commercial features A.J. and Meadow driving to meet someone at a restaurant. The two pass numerous Sopranos Easter eggs during their ride. Due to Chase’s involvement, this commercial can be considered canon. Since it’s the last chronological entry in The Sopranos timeline, it’s not like there’s anything to contradict it.
Why did the last episodes of The Sopranos cut to black?
The final episode of The Sopranos ends with a scene where Tony meets with his family at a diner. The Journey song Don’t Stop Believin’ plays in the background as Tony looks up at the door. The screen cuts to black, and the music abruptly stops. At the time the finale aired, many viewers thought their broadcast had cut out or their DVRs were defective.
There are various interpretations of what the ending means. Some viewers assume that Tony is shot by an unseen gunman who enters the diner. Other viewers hypothesize that the ending signals that Tony will be forced to watch his back for the rest of his life. Another interpretation states that the abrupt ending signifies that life goes on, even if the story ends.
The Sopranos creator, David Chase, has made numerous statements about the ending over the years. “I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there,” Chase told The Star-Ledger. Some of his comments over the years have pointed to the “Tony dies” theory, but there has never been a definitive explanation. For now, the end of Tony Soprano’s journey is up to the imagination of the viewer.
Should I watch The Many Saints of Newark before The Sopranos?
There is no wrong answer to this question. The Many Saints of Newark is a prequel film centering on Dickie Moltisanti and his nephew, Tony Soprano. If you want a chronological look at the Soprano family empire, then you should watch The Many Saints of Newark first. However, if you watch The Sopranos first, then you’ll have a deeper appreciation of some of the references and thematic elements in the film. Both experiences are valid, so go with whichever viewing order you want.
Is The Sopranos: Road to Respect video game canon?
In 2006, 7 Studios released The Sopranos: Road to Respect, a PlayStation 2 video game set between the fifth and sixth seasons of the HBO drama. The game centers around an original character named Joseph LaRocca, who is said to be the illegitimate son of Salvatore Bonpensiero. Numerous actors from the television series provided voice work for the game.
Although The Sopranos creator David Chase helped the writers with the game’s development, he would later state that the game has nothing to do with the television series, and he sees them as separate things. He also stated that HBO insisted on the game, and it wasn’t his call. Based on all this, it’s safe to say that The Sopranos: Road to Respect isn’t canon.
Where can I watch The Sopranos?
If you want to watch The Sopranos, you’ll need an HBO Max subscription. The streaming service is the current home of HBO’s crime drama. As a bonus, HBO Max also offers all six seasons of the Talking Sopranos podcast and the Wise Guy documentary about David Chase. As of this writing, The Many Saints of Newark isn’t on any streaming services, but it can be found on a variety of video-on-demand platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Fandango at Home.
Keep in mind, the availability of these titles could change as streaming licenses expire and new deals are made.
