The Sopranos Sessions

New York Times–Bestseller: “The authors’ interviews with Chase are endlessly illuminating . . . the definitive celebration of a show that made history.” —Kirkus Reviews On January 10, 1999, a mobster walked into a psychiatrist’s office and changed TV history. By shattering preconceptions about the kinds of stories the medium should tell, The Sopranos launched our current age of prestige television, paving the way for such giants as Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. As TV critics for Tony Soprano’s hometown paper, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz were among the first to write about the series before it became a cultural phenomenon. Now they have reunited to produce The Sopranos Sessions, a collection of recaps, conversations, and critical essays covering every episode. Featuring a series of new long-form interviews with series creator David Chase, as well as selections from the authors’ archival writing on the series, The Sopranos Sessions explores the show’s artistry, themes, and legacy, examining its portrayal of Italian Americans, its graphic depictions of violence, and its deep connections to other cinematic and television classics. “Includes highly detailed recaps of each episode [and] a debate about the much-discussed final moment of the final episode.” —The New York Times “Excellent . . . an enjoyable read.” —The Irish Times

The companion volume to a television show that has generated millions of die-hard viewers in its six seasons features more than 30 original interviews with the shows actors, producers, and guest stars, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the sets and locations, a detailed episode guide, and more than 200 color photos, some never before seen.Hachette Book Group USA

A phenomenal account, newly updated, of how twelve innovative television dramas transformed the medium and the culture at large, featuring Sepinwall’s take on the finales of Mad Men and Breaking Bad. In The Revolution Was Televised, celebrated TV critic Alan Sepinwall chronicles the remarkable transformation of the small screen over the past fifteen years. Focusing on twelve innovative television dramas that changed the medium and the culture at large forever, including The Sopranos, Oz, The Wire, Deadwood, The Shield, Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, Battlestar Galactica, Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad, Sepinwall weaves his trademark incisive criticism with highly entertaining reporting about the real-life characters and conflicts behind the scenes. Drawing on interviews with writers David Chase, David Simon, David Milch, Joel Surnow and Howard Gordon, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, and Vince Gilligan, among others, along with the network executives responsible for green-lighting these groundbreaking shows, The Revolution Was Televised is the story of a new golden age in TV, one that’s as rich with drama and thrills as the very shows themselves.

Unleash your inner Soprano and relive all your favorite moments with this companion guide to the award-winning television series The Sopranos. We all know and love The Sopranos, one of the most important television dramas to ever hit the small screen, having run for six seasons on HBO. The story of the Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano balancing his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization pioneered decades of genre-bending “peak TV.” Now, Off the Back of a Truck takes you one step further into the world of Tony Soprano and his families, offering an Italian potluck of fresh and fun takes that any true fan can get lost in for hours. Off the Back of a Truck includes: -New looks at everyone’s favorite episodes, scenes, and characters -All 92 deaths analyzed, evaluated, and ranked -An investigation of true crimes behind the families’ schemes -An exploration of movies and shows that inspired The Sopranos -Reflections on the use of music, food, and fashion from writers who are also huge fans -A provocative conversation about what happens in the controversial ending This book takes you on a journey through the six seasons you have watched time and time again—but it's organized so you can dip in at any time, at any place. Roam around as though you’re in Tony’s backyard for a BBQ...

Nuovo Vesuvio. The "family" restaurant, redefined. Home to the finest in Napolitan' cuisine and Essex County's best kept secret. Now Artie Bucco, la cucina's master chef and your personal host, invites you to a special feast...with a little help from his friends. From arancini to zabaglione, from baccala to Quail Sinatra-style, Artie Bucco and his guests, the Sopranos and their associates, offer food lovers one hundred Avellinese-style recipes and valuable preparation tips. But that's not all! Artie also brings you a cornucopia of precious Sopranos artifacts that includes photos from the old country; the first Bucco's Vesuvio's menu from 1926; AJ's school essay on "Why I Like Food"; Bobby Bacala's style tips for big eaters, and much, much more. So share the big table with: Tony Soprano, waste management executive "Most people soak a bagful of discount briquettes with lighter fluid and cook a pork chop until it's shoe leather and think they're Wolfgang Puck." Enjoy his tender Grilled Sausages sizzling with fennel or cheese. Warning: Piercing the skin is a fire hazard. Corrado "Junior" Soprano, Tony's uncle "Mama always cooked. No one died of too much cholesterol or some such crap." Savor his Pasta Fazool, a toothsome marriage of cannellini beans and ditalini pasta, or Giambott', a grand-operatic vegetable medley. Carmela Soprano, Tony's wife "If someone were sick, my inclination would be to send over a pastina and ricotta. It's healing food." Try her Baked Ziti, sinfully enriched with three cheeses, and her earthy 'Shcarole with Garlic. Peter Paul "Paulie Walnuts" Gualtieri, associate of Tony Soprano "I have heard that Eskimos have fifty words for snow. We have five hundred words for food." Sink your teeth into his Eggs in Purgatory-eight eggs, bubbling tomato sauce, and an experience that's pure heaven. As Artie says, "Enjoy, with a thousand meals and a thousand laughs. Buon' appetito!"

Fans of a certain multi-award-winning HBO dramatic series and lovers of fine eating everywhere will love the ultimate guide to making every event the perfect occasion, served up by the Garden State's most gracious hostess, Carmela Soprano. From graduation parties to holiday gatherings to poolside barbecues, Carmela gives you everything you need to keep your personal crew as happy as a clam in red sauce: over 75 delicious new Neapolitan-based recipes as well as scores of Soprano-approved tips on picking the ideal location, choosing tasteful decorations, whipping up the best drinks, and selecting the right music. Sweetening the festa are dozens of never-seen illustrations and insightful commentaries from Soprano relatives and intimates. You'll find "AJ" Soprano's confirmation invitation, advice on "party anxiety" from therapist Dr. Jennifer Melfi, a term paper by Meadow Soprano on "Why My Grandmother Can't Cook," advice from family friend Paulie Walnuts on throwing a surprise party, and much, much more. Unsure about wine? Follow the advice of Artie Bucco, proprietor of the renowned Nuovo Vesuvio restaurant in Newark, New Jersey: "If you have steak, a `big' meat dish, think of a `big' red wine like a California Burgundy. I guess you could match it with a big white wine, too, but I don't know of any big white wines." Want to surprise with a birthday gift? Model yours after what Carmela plans on giving her husband, waste management executive Tony Soprano, on his fiftieth: a Dean Martin impersonator, an outdoor screening of his favorite film, The Public Enemy, starring James Cagney, and a monogrammed putter. (But no ritzy watch. He has a dozen of them.) Planning a wedding? Find inspiration in the vision of Carmela's sister-in-law, Janice Soprano Baccilieri: "As guests enter a cathedral of pines, they would pass an ancient wishing well where they could deposit small presents or deep thoughts about life and love. Ideally, I would love for the whole ceremony to be done in the nude, but unfortunately, the time for that kind of pagan openness has long passed." Flustered by funerals? Heed the wise suggestions for his own wake from Tony's Uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano: "A lot of food, no crap, a lot of homemade Bucassi vino, a nice speech from Bobby Bacala, since he was always the nicest to me of all those bums, and me singing like Caruso on the Victrola." In Carmela's words: "What's closer to a celebration of life than celebrations? Look for them, jump into them, charger plates and all, and have a ball."

Mad Men Carousel is an episode-by-episode guide to all seven seasons of AMC's Mad Men. This book collects TV and movie critic Matt Zoller Seitz’s celebrated Mad Men recaps—as featured on New York magazine's Vulture blog—for the first time, including never-before-published essays on the show’s first three seasons. Seitz’s writing digs deep into the show’s themes, performances, and filmmaking, examining complex and sometimes confounding aspects of the series. The complete series—all seven seasons and ninety-two episodes—is covered. Each episode review also includes brief explanations of locations, events, consumer products, and scientific advancements that are important to the characters, such as P.J. Clarke’s restaurant and the old Penn Station; the inventions of the birth control pill, the Xerox machine, and the Apollo Lunar Module; the release of the Beatles’ Revolver and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds; and all the wars, protests, assassinations, and murders that cast a bloody pall over a chaotic decade. Mad Men Carousel is named after an iconic moment from the show’s first-season finale, “The Wheel,â€? wherein Don delivers an unforgettable pitch for a new slide projector that’s centered on the idea of nostalgia: “the pain from an old wound.â€? This book will soothe the most ardent Mad Men fan’s nostalgia for the show. New viewers, who will want to binge-watch their way through one of the most popular TV shows in recent memory, will discover a spoiler-friendly companion to one of the most multilayered and mercurial TV shows of all time. It's the perfect gift for Mad Men fans and obsessives. Also available from Matt Zoller Seitz: The Oliver Stone Experience, The Wes Anderson Collection: Bad Dads, The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Wes Anderson Collection.

The first in-depth look at a television phenomenon.