Photo Thomas Monaster/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
The wildly popular TV series “The Sopranos” aired its much-hyped season finale almost 20 years ago. The critically acclaimed show, starring the late James Gandolfini as troubled mob boss/family man Tony Soprano, premiered on HBO in 1999 and ran for six seasons. “The Sopranos,” often credited with initiating a golden age of prestige television, is now the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image.
“Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos” is on view at the Queens, New York, museum through May 31. It includes script notes and newspaper clippings from “Soprano’s” showrunner David Chase’s personal archive, plus ground plans and production photos from MoMI’s collection.
The show focuses on the set design for the show’s four main locations: Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist Dr. Melfi’s office, the Soprano family home in New Jersey, the Bada Bing Strip Club, and the Satriale’s Pork Store. Examples include a detailed drawing of Tony and Carmela’s bedroom along with a photo of the ornately decorated space, complete with a Renaissance-style painting in a gilded frame hung above the dresser.
A vitrine of notes provides a fascinating peek behind the scenes. In one document, Chase jotted down some basic story ideas for season one (eg. “Tony gets betrayed and survives”; “Melfi has to leave town”; “Livia [Tony’s mother] dies but there’s no closure.” In another, an HBO executive named Carolyn shares feedback on a director’s cut, telling Chase not to worry about the length of the cut and that she thinks “The Sopranos” will be “a tremendous series.”
Below are some images and installation shots from “Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos.”
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“Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos“
Image Credit: Photo Thanassi Karageorgiou/Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Headshots for Sopranos actors
Image Credit: Photo Thanassi Karageorgiou/Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Satriale’s Pork Store
Image Credit: Photo Thanassi Karageorgiou/Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Ground plan for Livia Soprano’s house
Image Credit: Photo Thanassi Karageorgiou/Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Archival documents and clippings
Image Credit: Photo Thanassi Karageorgiou/Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
The Bada Bing Strip Club
Image Credit: Collection Museum of the Moving Image -
Satriale’s Pork Store
Image Credit: Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Satriale’s Pork Store
Image Credit: Courtesy Dean Taucher -
Dr. Melfi’s Office
Image Credit: Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Soprano Family Home
Image Credit: Photos Bill Barvin/Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Tony and Carmela’s Bedroom
Image Credit: Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Tony and Carmela’s Bedroom
Image Credit: Photo Dean Taucher/Courtesy Museum of the Moving Image -
Pilot Script
Image Credit: Courtesy David and Denise Chase Archives -
Story Ideas
Image Credit: Courtesy David and Denise Chase Archives -
HBO Notes
Image Credit: Courtesy David and Denise Chase Archives
