'The Sopranos' at 20: Melfi, Carmela, Livia — the women of HBO's mobster epic made it magic
A mobster walks into a psychiatrist's office.
As many have observed over the years, the basic conceit of "The Sopranos" sounds like a setup for one of those jokes no one tells anymore. But 20 years later, it remains the most famous narrative construct in television, with a punchline that still tests the limits of critical hyperbole.
A mobster walks into a psychiatrist's office and proves that television can do whatever film can do, possibly better. A mobster walks into a psychiatrist's office and turns HBO, a premium channel then best known for old movies, into an industry trendsetter. A mobster walks into a psychiatrist's office and births an era of antiheroes that will launch all manner of new stories, careers, networks, entire new entertainment platforms. A mobster walks into a psychiatrist's office and creates a legend.
The legend of Tony Soprano, and the men who made him - creator David Chase and actor James Gandolfini - has been parsed as reverently as
