The prequel to The Sopranos fills in the past of the hit HBO show

The biggest selling point for The Many Saints of Newark is that James Gandolfini’s real-life son Michael plays the young Tony Soprano. There is undoubtedly a certain harmony to this, but the story is less about Tony and more about Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), Christopher’s father, and the influence he had on Tony – and the course his life took.

It’s been a long time since I last watched The Sopranos (all seasons streaming on Showmax), so I can’t remember if Uncle Dickie’s effect on Tony is brought up, although Dickie is frequently mentioned. In Many Saints, the voice over by Christopher (Michael Imperioli, who played him in the series, and can also be seen in The White Lotus Season 2) identifies “the little fat kid” as his uncle Tony in 1967.

In fact, Christopher was Tony’s wife Carmela’s (Edie Falco) first cousin once removed; the affectionate term of uncle is simply that, as many of us called our parents’ friends when we were children. So Dickie wasn’t really Tony’s blood relative but he did play a fatherly figure, especially when Tony’s real dad “went away”. Johnny Soprano is played here by Jon Bernthal (who is also in We Own This City, which is the follow on from HBO’s The Wire – but we’ll get to that).

While Tony looks up to and adores Dickie, he’s not the greatest role model. At one point, he offers Tony a set of stolen speakers. Tony is hesitant. He says he wants to go to college, not get involved in this kind of thing.

And yet, we would hope there would be another instalment of the story, but apparently that is not on the cards. HBO let Sopranos creator David Chase make this one because it was something he always wanted to do, and is not currently inclined towards a further indulgence. Whatever happened in those intervening years will forever remain speculation.

7 reasons to watch The Many Saints of Newark

If you’re a diehard Sopranos fan (or a bit nerdy about it, like me), here some solid reasons to watch The Many Saints of Newark, with a wide berth around spoilers.

1. The obvious – Michael Gandolfini.

While he’s not the headline star, he’s still James’s son, and playing his father’s most famous character is a special thing. Does he look like Tony? I’m not sure, I don’t really see it in that oh my word that is freakish way, but one would expect the child to grow into the man. Young Tony is a typical awkward teenager, who has a good idea of what is going on in his neighbourhood and with his extended family, and benefits from it in some ways. 

2. Tony Soprano married his mother

Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano is so much like Carmela, or rather, Carmela is so much like her – in looks and personality. Whether Tony thought ahead as to whether his high school sweetheart Carmela would turn into the bitter angry woman his mother (Nancy Marchand) did is anyone’s guess. There is also the darker spectre of inherited mental health and depression, and her messed-up children upon whom she inflicted her misery.

3. The late Ray Liotta as twins

This is not quite his last film role; there are some posthumous releases on the cards. There’s something so poignant about watching this incredible actor knowing he is no longer among us. From real-life mobster Henry Hill in Goodfellas (1990) early in his career to Aldo “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti/Salvatore “Sally” Moltisanti, the twin brothers who were Dickie’s father and uncle. Dad is a nasty piece of work, and after he meets his maker, Dickie begins visiting Sally in prison, a confessional device for the script.

4. David Chase’s cameo

Creator of The Sopranos and co-writer of the film, David Chase, makes a cameo appearance. You’d have to be really good to spot him so I’ll give you a tip: it’s at a funeral.

5. Billions star Corey Stoll

Corey Stoll (Billions) plays Corrado “Junior” Soprano brilliantly. He was Johnny Soprano’s brother, played by Dominic Chianese, and like Livia, a nasty piece of work in the series. Not endearing at all. Many Saints shows us he was always a heartless and ambitious piece of … work.

6. The immediately recognisable young mobsters

Fans will recognised the mobsters immediately as their younger selves: Paulie Walnuts (the late Tony Sirico/Billy Magnussen), Tony’s childhood friends Silvio (Steven Van Zandt/John Magaro) and Giacomo “Jackie” Aprile Sr (Michael Rispoli/Chase Vacnin), Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore/Samson Moekiola), another friend from back in the day who would commit the ultimate betrayal and pay the highest price for it. Arthur “Artie” Bucco Jr (John Ventimiglia/Robert Vincent Montano) is there too. He was the chef and owner of the restaurant where Tony and Carmela would often eat, and meetings would be held. To say his and Tony’s adult relationship was rocky is an understatement.

7. It was made for fans

Watch it because it’s a stunningly filmed period piece. Watch it because it gives us legitimate access to the inner circle of the characters and their past. Watch it because it answers some questions, like Silvio’s hairpiece. Watch it because it was made for you, the fans. As this article by The Ringer points out, that was denied us in the most unsatisfying series finale. Ever.

Fun fact: we see a young Carmela (Lauren DiMario) in Many Saints but the Edie Falco cameo intended for the beginning of the film ended up on the editing room floor.

Next up: HBO’s The Wire and We Own This City

Gather around for some television history. Overlapping The Sopranos was another standout HBO series: The Wire. Cops and drug dealers in Baltimore is the very small nutshell, and it trundled along quite nicely at the time (2002-2008).

It has since been recognised for the brilliance that it is, and many consider it one of the best. It was created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. His excellent book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991) was turned into another superb series, Homicide: Life On The Street (1993-99), set in Baltimore. Andre Braugher as Detective Frank Pembleton will always stand out for me. Detective John Munch from Law & Order (Richard Belzer) was a crossover character.

Simon also worked on The Deuce, set in the seedy world of 1970s porn in New York City. Together with frequent collaborator George Pelecanos, Simon wrote We Own This City, which follows the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it.

At the centre of the story is Sergeant Wayne Jenkins (John Bernthal), one of eight officers who were convicted on various corruption charges in 2018 and 2019. Josh Charles (The Good Wife) is in the cast too, as is Jamie Hector, who played Marlo Stanfield in The Wire. The miniseries is based on We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops and Corruption by Baltimore Sun investigative journalist Justin Fenton.

Den of Geek lines the two shows up against each other and delivers this report: “Every fan of The Wire should at least check out this iteration of Simon and Pelecanos’s work. It doesn’t exactly expand on the universe of the original show, but it lets you into the psyche of the people who made that show. It gives you a new lens to interpret the political coding and the messaging that The Wire uses. That should be good enough for most of the audience.”

Not a fun fact: Baltimore has one of the highest crime rates in the US, way above the national average. Homicides peaked at 353 in 1993.

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