In the NYT, Amy Winehouse > James Gandolfini

The character he played was perhaps the most influential character in the history of television, spawning Don Draper, William White, and many others. The show he starred on - and the character and the show were almost indistinguishable - was equally influential, spawning shows with sweep like "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," and "The Wire," and also network shows like "LOST" and "Heroes," which rode the formula. "The Sopranos" changed television - for one thing, it drew movie-goers like myself into dramatic television, which we had largely abandoned up until then. It also provided an alternative to what was at that point an onslaught of low-cost reality television. People forget, but there were a lot of obituaries being written for scripted television shows in the early 2000s, upon the arrival of "Survivor" and its antecedents.

Gandolfini was at the center of that revolution, as the actor who breathed life into one of the iconic television characters of all time. One of the iconic screen characters, really. One of the iconic characters, really. I understand the counter-argument: Tony Soprano didn't die. James Gandolfini did. But James Gandolfini was Tony Soprano. You can't really separate them. An apt comparison might be Lucille Ball or Carroll O'Connor. I've seen another one today: Marlon Brando. Just a few days ago, the New York Times had an A1 piece about how fashion magazines are putting television stars on their covers nowadays instead of movie stars. It's a seismic shift, and it's because television acting is now considered a respectable near-equivalent to screen acting.

And who do you think laid that foundation?

 

William White?

 

Can you say florid hyperbole? He is far from the most influential character in TV history. Let's see who's more influential....Archie Bunker, Maude, Bill Cosby's character in I Spy, Marlo Thomas' character in That Girl, Frank Furillo, Murphy Brown, Jody Dallas, Will Truman...and that's just with a couple moments thought. He was a very good actor who did well with a well-written character. And edgy cable series were being written before The Sopranos, so, again, florid hyperbole.

Look, it's a bummer he died, and Amy Winehouse sure didn't belong on the NYT's A1. But let's not go down the Olerud worm hole.

 

Dick did just give a nice theme paper on Sepinwall's book, though.

 

I agree, it got great play on the website, and that's where most people who want to know the NYT's take on Gandofini would look for it. I have no problem with the refer to the second-day story inside the paper.

 

If one of Bill Cosby's characters is on the "Most Influential" list, it's not his character in I Spy.

And who the hell are half of the others you listed?

 

I stopped right there.

There really are places that people under the age of 30 just should not wander into. No matter how pseudo-educated.

You simply do not have the perspective.

 

Tom Fontana and Oz.

 

Yes it is. He's the first black to carry a network TV series. Bill Cosby of the 1980s does not happen without Bill Cosby of the 1960s. As for the other, I wish there were some way for one to instantly look up historical information to answer any gaps in knowledge.

 

Oh, there is. I just don't give enough of a shit to do it. But I'm sure whoever Jody Dallas is/was, he/she is proud to be on your list.

 

OK, so you don't know about the first openly gay main character on U.S. network TV. Whatevs

 

I watch a lot of TV. I've never seen an episode of The Sopranos. Everyone has heard Amy Winehouse's music. I've only seen James Gandolfini in a small handful of supporting roles: Get Shorty, Crimson Tide, All the King's Men and Money for Nothing.