The Sopranos is often considered to be one of the greatest shows of all time. The crime series centered around mafia boss Tony Soprano and his journey in the criminal world. The HBO show lasted six seasons, with its finale being widely appreciated at the time. However, it also spawned a lot of questions about the fate of Tony Soprano.
While David Chase confirmed that Tony was indeed dead and the abrupt cut to black was to honor the iconic character, actress Lorraine Bracco seemed to have her own theory. The actress who played Dr. Jennifer Melfi, Tony’s therapist, reportedly hated the ending and criticized Chase for sealing the fate of the legendary character.
Lorraine Bracco Hated David Chase’s Ending For The Sopranos
Actress Lorraine Bracco played Tony Soprano’s (James Gandolfini) therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos. The actress had previously starred in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, which was reportedly a huge influence on creator David Chase for the show. For her performance, she was nominated for four Emmys.
The Sopranos’ ending was highly controversial. The series finale titled ‘Made in America’ saw Tony figure out the gang war with Phil Leotardo and wonder about his end. With his main man Bobby Bacala dead, Tony is aware of how the life of a crime boss would end, either in death or in prison. The show implied death with a cut to black even before audiences could hear a gunshot.
Bracco mentioned that she hated the ending Chase gave for the series and criticized him for treating a character he had spent time with for years like that. She said to Variety,
I was also not very happy with the way David ended it. I thought it was bad and wrong. I was annoyed. I told him, ‘How do you invest five years into someone’s life and just walk away?’ I said, ‘That is not cool.’ And you know, that was it.
The actress also mentioned that she did not believe that Tony had died and chose to believe that he and Dr. Melfi would be bumping into each other at restaurants.
David Chase Finally Confirmed Tony Soprano’s Fate In The Series Finale
A diner, a mafia boss and his family, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing, a late daughter, an assassin, and a cut to black. That was how one of the greatest series of all time The Sopranos ended its six-season run, with an ambiguous ending. The only hints were the ring of a bell and a dialogue by Bobby a few episodes before: “You probably don’t even hear it when it happens, right?”
While there was only one of two ways a mafia boss like Tony Soprano’s story could have ended, prison or death, creator David Chase decided to keep it stylistic and ended the finale with a cut to black when he sees the doorbell of the diner ring again after a suspenseful scene. In 2021, Chase explained his decision to THR,
They wanted to know that Tony was killed. They wanted to see him go face-down in linguini, you know? And I just thought, ‘God, you watched this guy for seven years and I know he’s a criminal. But don’t tell me you don’t love him in some way, don’t tell me you’re not on his side in some way. And now you want to see him killed? You want justice done? You’re a criminal after watching this shit for seven years.’
The creator also mentioned that he had an alternative scene in mind where Tony died and that decided against it when he drove past a diner two years before the finale.
The Sopranos is available to stream on Max.
