The Sopranos: David Chase and mobster Johnny Sack on how they made a TV classic

‘Fox turned down the first draft because I didn’t put any murders in it. People watch mob shows because they like to see murders’I was still writing the pilot episode when Steven Van Zandt – who would go on to play strip-club owner and second-in-command Silvio Dante – came to read for the part of Tony Soprano. I thought: “With Steven, it could be more like The Simpsons: more comedy, less nasty bits, more absurd.” But once we hired Jim Gandolfini for Tony, it all went back to where it started. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/mar/08/sopranos-david-chase-mobster-johnny-sack-how-they-made-tv-classic-fox-mob-murders #tv_crime_drama #the_sopranos #david_chase #culture #hbo #us_television #james_gandolfini #drama #television #television_&_radio #organised_crime #media