The Sopranos' Controversial Series Finale: Unraveling Tony Soprano's Fate 25 Years Later
The Sopranos' iconic series finale in 2007 left viewers in awe as the screen abruptly faded to black, igniting intense controversy Discover the lingering mystery surrounding Tony Soprano's fate, even after 25 years since the show's premiere
When the screen turned black, where were you? The Sopranos marked its 25th anniversary in January 2024, and the finale of the show remains one of the most controversial in TV history.
In June 2007, 13.43 million viewers watched the final episode of the HBO series, "Made in America," after six seasons.
The episode began with the classic intro, featuring "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3, before the action unfolded. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) sought to end a mob war with Lupertazzi crime family boss Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent) by obtaining his location from the FBI. When Agent Harris (Matthew Servitto) revealed he didn't know where Leotardo was, Tony visited his family in their safe house before attending the funeral of Bobby Baccalieri (Steve Schirripa).
Following an assassination attempt on Tony, a member of Leotardo's crew attempted to negotiate a truce. Despite this, Tony still ordered a hit on Leotardo in an effort to oust him as head of the Lupertazzi family.
After resolving loose ends, Tony resettled his family in their New Jersey home, anticipating indictment for his criminal activities. He handed over his leadership role to Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri (Tony Sirico) and visited his Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) before reuniting with his family at a diner. Sitting with Carmela (Edie Falco) and A.J. (Robert Iler), they waited for daughter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler). Tony watched the door as patrons arrived, and the screen faded to black as he gazed at the door for the final time, leaving viewers pondering his fate. A quarter-century later, fans still crave a conclusive resolution.
HBO
In a 2021 interview, the show’s creator, David Chase, opened up about his thoughts on the controversial final scene. He revealed that while he never intended for the screen to fade to black, he did intend for Tony to meet his demise.
Chase explained to The Hollywood Reporter that the scene he had envisioned was different from what was shown, with Tony returning from a meeting in New York in his car. He believed that the final scene could have depicted Tony's return from New Jersey to New York for a meeting where he would ultimately be killed. From Chase's point of view, Tony did not survive the finale, and he was surprised at the attention it garnered compared to current events at the time of its airing.
"I never expected such a strong reaction. And you know what really bothered me? The number of people who were eager to see Tony meet his end. That really got to me," he continued. "They were craving to witness Tony's demise. They wanted to see him defeated, you know? ... That really bothered me, yeah."
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Several days afterward, Chase asserted that in his original THR interview, he did not conclusively resolve whether Tony lived or died. In November 2021, writer Matt Zoller Seitz tweeted, "Spoke to David Chase about @THR claiming that in a recent interview, he 'settled' the end of the Sopranos. He did not. He asked me to release this quote: 'Everybody who believes I said Tony is dead in a Hollywood Reporter article: works for me. Now you'll stop f–king asking me.'"
So basically, in another 25 years, viewers might still be debating this topic.
