With the Sopranos season and series finale behind us (even though it is literally only momentarily behind us), I just want to say very quickly that this is one New Jerseyan who is GLAD to have had the Sopranos be a major part of our state’s most recent history.
Sure, there are a lot of folks who think that the Sopranos shed a negative light on the state and on Italians in general. Well, as an American of Italian descent living in the great Garden State, I have to say that some people just can’t enjoy a great piece of Americana when they see it. Americans love mob movies. They love the Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino, A Bronx Tale, etc. Why would Americans (New Jerseyans included) not be completely taken in by the Sopranos? It was a great show with great plots and great twists and turns.
If I had any gripe with the Sopranos it would be that they didn’t show enough of the rest of New Jersey outside of the upper Northeast part of the state. Sure, we got the occasional shot of Monmouth County – even a bit of the Long Branch boardwalk in the final episode of the series where the Ocean Place Resort and Spa (I used to work there) was clearly visible. And that’s great. But there are some great places in Morris County, Sussex County, Burlington, Somerset, etc. where it’s not so overdeveloped and where there are acres and acres of great farmland. However, if this is my only gripe with the Sopranos, then I find it to be an ultimately go-no-where gripe because this wasn’t a show about showing off New Jersey, it was a show about Tony Soprano and his two families.
So, as a person of Italian descent who lives in New Jersey and loves to watch great shows and great films about the mob, let me say once again that I am glad to have had the Sopranos be a major part of our state over the last decade or so.
Thanks!
Leave a Reply