It was a television show that put the spotlight on New Jersey and the state's ties to the mob. Some hated the image it brought the Garden State, but most loved the hit HBO show, which became must see TV and ushered in a new era of programming. Ten years after The Sopranos final episode, it becomes the first television show inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame.
On April 26, 2017, The Sopranos join Steve Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal; Jill Campbell, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Cox Communications; Michael T. Fries, CEO of Liberty Global; Ken Lowe, chairman, president and CEO, Scripps Networks Interactive; and David Zaslav, president and CEO, Discovery Communications as members of the Class of 2017 in a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” will emcee the event.
The show followed the life of New Jersey mob boss, Tony Soprano, as he dealt with personal and professional issues in his home and business life leading him to seek professional psychiatric counseling. It would win a boatload of awards from Emmys to Golden Globes during its run and is often included in the list of best tv shows of all time.
The Sopranos starred the late James Gandolfini and Edie Falco. Gandolfini from Westwood was one of several notable cast members with a connection to New Jersey (in cast heavily populated with New York actors) along with Steven Van Zandt of E Street Band fame and Joe Pantoliano. Maureen Van Zandt (Steven's wife) also appeared in over two dozen episodes.
The honorees were chosen based on their leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation in media. For the first time, The Cable Center will induct a television series into the Cable Hall of Fame. The Sopranos and its creator, Emmy winner David Chase, will be acknowledged for the impact the program had by catapulting HBO and the entire cable community into groundbreaking scripted storytelling.
“This year’s Cable Hall of Fame honorees are truly the best of the best,” said Michael Willner, president and CEO of Penthera Partners and chairman of The Cable Center’s Board of Directors. “They are leaders of some of the most influential companies in the world, and have shaped the industry’s operations, programming and our society. We are thrilled to induct our first series into the Cable Hall of Fame as well. “The Sopranos” was the seminal series that proved television was more than the broadcasting networks alone, and we are excited to pay tribute to the impact it had on the growth and success of our industry.”