It's hard to believe, but 20 years ago this week (Jan. 10, 1999, to be exact), the iconic TV show "The Sopranos," starring James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, debuted on HBO and basically changed the way we think about and watch TV.
Before Gandolfini laced up his shoes to play Tony Soprano, the main character of a TV show was more or less pretty likable and was a good person. However, when audiences were introduced to Soprano and his gang of mobsters, it was one of the first times that a leading TV character was not a "good guy." It was the birth of the "anti-hero" TV genre.
Without Tony Soprano being unlikable and all sorts of selfish, we would have never had other anti-hero TV shows and characters like Don Draper of "Mad Men," Walter White of "Breaking Bad," and Hannah Horvath of "Girls." These characters were selfish, rude and unbearable, but man, did we love watching them on TV.
“People come up to me and they say, 'Thank you for the show, we really loved it, except for that ending,'” series creator Davis Chase said during a reunion panel.
Despite Gandolfini not being here to celebrate in a "Sopranos" reunion (he died in 2013), most of the cast came together to reminisce about the legendary show.