| Issue #1 - March 30, 2007 |
When In Manhattan... By Oliver Peterson
Sopranos
It’s not something I’m particularly proud to admit, but
I often come home after work, check my e-mails and various other computer
responsibilities, make dinner and plop down on the couch for hours of
television. To be fair to myself, I don’t watch a lot of reality
shows or sitcoms. The millennium has brought about a number of new dramas
and comedies that can easily compete with most of the films released
in theaters. It is toward these that I generally gravitate. To paraphrase
a friend who used to write screenplays in Hollywood, years ago writing
for TV was out of the question if you had artistic integrity, but with
the quality programs currently airing, it would likely be a pleasure.
We are in a new, Golden Age of television. The complicated storylines,
great acting and visual style have been a long time coming. Shows like
“NYPD Blue” that touched on more adult-oriented themes and
used cinema vérité-style camera work, set the stage for
a new era of programming, but it wasn’t until HBO took a shot
at no-holds-barred drama, that things really changed. When the show
about a New Jersey Mob family and the trials of their business and day-to-day
lives aired in 1999, it was an instant hit. The weekly series was an
unprecedented display of explicit content with excellent scripting,
direction and acting. Like the Mafia, once you were inside you couldn’t
escape. The success of “The Sopranos” prompted HBO to try
more shows like it. Each new series was a triumph in ratings and artistry.
Their popularity and praise eventually grabbed the attention of the
major networks. Without “The Sopranos” we wouldn’t
have “LOST,” “Heroes,” “24,” or
“Prison Break” among others. The show is truly a landmark
for the industry and couch potatoes worldwide. On Sunday, April 8 at
9 p.m. “The Sopranos” returns to HBO with the last episodes
of the show’s final season. It will be a sad passing and the end
of an era, but the legacy that David Chase’s Peabody-winning drama
leaves behind is a gift to anyone with cable.
On Wednesday in Manhattan, The Museum of Television and Radio (MTR)
honored the passing of “The Sopranos” with a symposium,
“The Whacked Sopranos,” featuring creator David Chase and
the various actors killed during the program’s 6 seasons. Bryant
Gumbel moderated as the cast and creator discussed the “fine art
of whacking” in television. The symposium is over, but the museum
remains a fine place to visit. Now is a good time to look back at the
history of the small screen, how it evolved into what it is today and
what the future may hold. MTR, appropriately, has locations in both
New York and Los Angeles. The museum, founded in 1976 by William S.
Paley, “leads the discussion about cultural, creative, and social
significance of television, radio, and emerging platforms for the professional
community and media-interested public” (mtr.org). This discussion
takes aim at explaining the intersections between media and society.
Hopefully the advent of programming like “The Sopranos”
proves something about our overall intelligence and not just a widespread
obsession with violence and profanity. Shows like this present us with
multiple and layered storylines that exercise the mind, develop powers
of deduction and provide a literary depth that may not have been previously
accessible to the general public. MTR charts the growth of media and
our advancement as a society, able to grasp the exponential changes
in content and technology. Each year, the museum offers access to their
international collection of radio and television, seminars, media talks,
galleries, screenings, festivals and events. On Thursday, April 5, 7:30-9
p.m. MTR is hosting late night personality Conan O’Brien, and
his writing staff. They will discuss their unique brand of humor, the
problems that arise with censors and the difficulty generating new material
on a daily basis. It’s an unscripted event so anything can happen.
If you have yet to experience “The Sopranos,” you still
have time to catch up with the previous seasons on DVD before April
8. HBO offers the first half of season 6 On Demand, and a re-cap of
the entire series began airing regularly on March 28.
The Museum of Television and Radio is located at 25 West 52 Street in
Manhattan. Call (212) 621-6800, or visit www.MTR.org for more information,
schedule and hours.
 |
