Viewers here in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and across the nation will be celebrating the silver anniversary of the debut of the HBO hit series “The Sopranos,” which first aired on Jan. 10, 1999.
It is incredible that it has been 25 years since Tony Soprano (played by the late James Gandolfini) ushered in a new era of television. In honor of the occasion, a seven-day marathon of every “The Sopranos” episode has been running on HBO2 since Jan. 5. It will begin each day at noon and continue through midnight, Jan. 11.
The popular drama is widely considered the touchpoint for the beginning of “the Second Golden Age of Television,” or the birth of “prestige” and “peak” TV, with many ground-breaking series coming on its coattails. EmpireStakes.com took a break from New York sports betting to explore the impact of “The Sopranos.”
Using a Wikipedia.com list of shows considered “peak TV,” EmpireStakes.com ranked each series based on how many awards it received. That means all awards recognized by IMDB.com – among them Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Academy of Sci-Fi, American Cinema Editors, ASCAPs, Hugo Awards, Critics Choice, etc.
The aforementioned “The Sopranos” received 123 awards during the show’s lifespan and placed eighth on the list, one ahead of “Modern Family” (122) and two behind “Succession.” (125).
HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which aired for eight seasons, topped the list with an overwhelming 389 awards, 56 ahead of No. 2 “Better Call Saul” (323). Rounding out the top five: “Breaking Bad” at No. 3 with 156 awards, “The Crown” (144) and “Mad Men” (143) awards.
The beauty of these shows is that generations of TV viewers will be watching their greatness and success for years to come.
Author
Lou Monaco had been East Coast Scene columnist for Gaming Today in Las Vegas since June 2019, covering the East Coast sportsbook scene with emphasis on NJ and PA. He also currently is a part-time writer for the high school sports department for NJ Advanced Media (NJ.com) in Iselin, NJ. Lou has over 30 years sports experience with previous stints at ESPN SportsTicker, Daily Racing Form and Oddschecker.
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