Real-life resilience - The Sopranos

Happy Sunday folks! Time to dive into another weekend edition of The Resilience Brief, this time focused on what it took to create (and sustain) what is regularly regarded as the one of the best TV show of all time - The Sopranos. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

David Chase created The Sopranos.

He was 53 years old when the first episode aired on HBO in 1999. At that age, he’s been through a lot of ups and downs in the entertainment industry and, up until that moment, he would have considered his career three decades of frustration.

Despite success as a TV writer, all Chase wanted to do was write feature films, but he had been rejected a dozen times. Over the years, 12 feature scripts had been pitched to the studios, but none of them had ever been picked up. So, while he was able to keep pay cheques coming in with steady TV writing work, his heart longed for something more.

And then one day, he landed on the story of a mob boss juggling his criminal empire and family life while battling inner demons with therapy. Sounds wild, but some of the characters were based on Chase’s own life, and so it felt authentic to him.

The idea was originally pitched as a film, and quickly rejected (after all, Chase was not known as a writer of film). A few years later, Chase reimagined the script to fit within the realm of television.

He pitched the idea to Fox Studios - they rejected it. Then to ABC, then to CBS, and finally to NBC….all rejected. It had been two years, but he decided to try one more studio: HBO. They sat on it for a while but eventually (as we all know) gave it the green light.

It was go time!

When James Gandolfini came to audition for the role of Tony Soprano, he messed up the audition completely. It was so bad that he cut himself off half way through and stormed out. But Chase liked what he had seen; he had ‘the sadness’ and that was enough for Chase. The studio tried to fight him on it, but Chase was adamant that Gandolfini was the guy for the role. The rest of the cast was set and the pilot was made.

At the time, television was dominated by simple episodic series with straightforward heroes. Chase’s vision of a morally complex, ongoing drama with cinematic depth was considered very risky, and HBO was holding it’s breath. Despite regular interference from the studio, Chase insisted on authenticity, even when it meant fighting against executive demands to tone down the violence or make Tony more likeable. But these tensions pushed Chase to deliver a groundbreaking series that redefined television and became a cultural phenomenon.

The pilot aired on Jan 10, 1999 to 4m people in the US. The series finale, 6 seasons and 21 Emmy’s later, drew an audience of 12m!

Ideas from a groundbreaking drama series that nearly never got made.

David Chase’s journey with The Sopranos is another great example of resilience in action. Despite many failed attempts, and having to accept a certain path in life, he was still able to create an authentic idea that stayed true to his vision. He broke new ground despite resistance, and created a masterpiece that changed an entire industry. Here are just two simple ideas to think about for the week ahead:

1. Patience (and Don’t Stop Believin!). Sometimes things just need time to grow. Chase never wanted to make TV and actively tried to leave the TV industry. But he kept coming back to it, and inadvertently ended up revolutionizing it completely. At several times, he could have quit, but he used the time to build slowly, develop the idea, and get to work on whatever he could control. When we let go of those things that are outside of our control, it provides enormous clarity and energy in the right direction. If someone doesn’t like our creative idea, we can send it to someone else, or get to work on the next one. One of the best ways we can build resilience is to simply channel our energy into what we can actually do.

2. Embrace the hard work of authenticity. A lot of The Sopranos is based on Chase’s personal experience and history with his own mother. Chase insisted on drawing from personal, painful experiences that made the story much richer, but also emotionally exhausting. Authenticity can be challenging, but it’s often what sets us apart. If we can push through that discomfort, we often create our best work and ideas. Resilient people can more easily navigate discomfort because we understand it’s all part of the journey towards growth. What can we do this week to make us uncomfortable?

The Sopranos was a radical departure from the norm and was met with initial resistance and skepticism. The tools we have at our disposal are inevitably what can keep us going when we face resistance and doubt, even from within. Let’s develop those tools today so we can be excellent tomorrow.

Until next time friends, stay resilient!

Carre @ Resilient Minds.

PS - if you liked this one, check out the story about how Back to the Future nearly never got made.