'Sopranos' creator David Chase says 'Golden Age' of TV is 'dead'

While there are more television series and shows than ever, "The Sopranos" creator David Chase recently warned that TV's "Golden Age" is dead. 

The sobering look at today's programming offerings comes as Chase celebrated the 25th anniversary of his massively popular HBO series that changed the television landscape, Breitbart reported.

The 78-year-old television legend was cheerful about the anniversary celebration of his game-changing show, but also said it should be looked at as a "funeral."

"Yes, this is the 25th anniversary, so of course it’s a celebration. But perhaps we shouldn’t look at it like that. Maybe we should look at it like a funeral," Chase said in an interview with The New York Times.

It was a "blip"

As far as Chase is concerned, there was about a 25-year period of high-quality television programming which he referred to as a "blip" in the scheme of television's history.

"That was a blip," he told the Times, referring to the Golden Age. "A 25-year blip. And to be clear, I’m not talking only about The Sopranos, but a lot of other hugely talented people out there who I feel increasingly bad for."

'The Sopranos' Creator David Chase Says the Golden Age of TV is Dead: 'It Is Getting Worse' https://t.co/Z2jcT1uvVt

— Complex (@Complex) January 15, 2024

Breitbart noted:

Obviously, he is talking about the many treasures borne of the success of The Sopranos: The Wire, Justified, The Shield, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Lost, 24, Battlestar Galactica (2003), Longmire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men…

Chase's dismal look on the industry as a whole comes in the wake of his failed attempts to sell a new show idea that revolves around "a high-end hooker in witness protection."

The TV creator said he was told to "dumb it down," and he isn't exactly fond of that idea.

Too complex?

Chase indicated that he's been told that such shows are "too complex" for today's TV market, which Breitbart's John Nolte easily disputed, with only the need to look at the massive numbers such shows continue to pull in on rewatching and binging on the popular streaming networks.

Nolte had a different idea on why TV executives are shying away from such shows.

The reason Hollywood refuses to make those shows is because those stories were told without the creators judging. Judgment was left up to the viewer. In this fascist era, this is considered a sin. Why? Because The Sopranos, Mad Men, and all the rest all did the same thing: forced you to engage in critical thinking.

He added, "The problem is that Hollywood is totally consumed by the cultish and tribal need to produce simplistic, virtuous, left-wing propaganda."

Regardless, it's a shame that Chase, a legendary TV thinker and creator, is having even a remotely difficult time selling his ideas.