My life has been consumed by a show that ended 14 years ago. About a month ago I started watching The Sopranos and I have thought of nothing else since then. The first two seasons dragged a bit for me, but it certainly picked up for me in season 3 and blew my mind the rest of the way through. While I would love to talk non-stop about The Sopranos, what I wanted to write about was the many ways in which I am not only consuming the show (on my computer, through my tv), but also the other forms through which I am consuming information about the show as well.
Whenever I get obsessed with some form of media that has a large cult or mainstream following, I immediately go on Etsy and other websites to see what weird fan made items I can buy to show my intense appreciation for the show. Among my favorites is this Satriale's scarf 
and these Tony Soprano sweat pants
.
While this is basic capitalistic consumption, another form of consumption that is becoming more and more popular is the rewatch podcast. And not just any old rewatch done by fans, but podcasts done by the actual stars of the show. The first notable rewatch podcast is "Office Ladies". This Office rewatch podcast is hosted by Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey, both who were series regulars on all 9 seasons of the incredibly popular NBC show. This podcast often appears on the top of the podcast charts and with good reason- it is actually really well done. But back to The Sopranos: in my obsessive drive to consume more of the show after finishing it, I found myself looking for Sopranos podcasts on apple podcasts. I was surprised to see that there was not one, but two Sopranos rewatch podcasts. One is titled "Made Women", hosted by Drea de Matteo (who played fan favorite Adriana on the show) and Chris Kushner (who did not work on the show). The other podcast (that I am obsessed with) is called "Talking Sopranos", which is hosted by Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri) and Michael Imperioli (Christopher “Chrissy” Moltisanti). This show is the most popular and they have had great guests from Edie Falco to David Chase.
“Talking Sopranos” began in the beginning of April 2020, right as the pandemic “got real” for Americans. While they have stated that they had been planning a rewatch podcast well before the pandemic hit, there seems to be something prescient about the timing of this podcast and many others of its kind. I even saw that a Parks and Rec rewatch podcast has been started as well. What is it about this desire to take audible deep dives of older shows that were incredibly popular in their time? Has this new television landscape become too much? I often feel overwhelmed by the “pressure” to watch all these new television shows that boast great actors and indie directors and auteur show runners and !!!! I completely understand why these rewatch podcasts are so popular, and even mores now due to the pandemic. In an already stable world, we want to latch onto the shows that gave us joy and comfort in the past. I can’t say this is the case for me with The Sopranos because I barely watched it for the first time 2 months ago, but oddly enough it still fits into this nostalgia for the days when TV had little to no prestige. I remember hearing about The Sopranos in the periphery of my childhood. I remember the day that James Gandolfini passed away. I was a child when The Sopranos ended. The life of the show had ended, yet my life was really only getting started. Those days are long gone now.
The intended theme of this post was obsession and consumption, but my mind took me elsewhere. I wish I had something more profound to say, but honestly this post has just become a form of therapy for me. Someone or something to talk to while in quarantine. Will I love Tony and Chrissy so openly and freely once we are able to safely roam the streets again? Or has the loneliness and monotony of quarantine led me to contemplate spending $80 + shipping on sweatpants with the face of a television character splattered all over it? Only time and my debit card will tell.
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