TPWW Forums - The Sopranos

'Sopranos' Adds Extra Episodes, Then That's It
(Thursday, August 11 01:56 PM)
By Rick Porter

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) The long-running saga of "The Sopranos" -- not only the show itself, but also the endless speculation on how much longer it will last -- may finally have an ending.

HBO announced Thursday (Aug. 11) that in addition to the 12 episodes for the Emmy-winning show's sixth season next year, creator David Chase and Co. would produce eight "bonus episodes" to air in 2007.

But that's it. A network representative tells Zap2it.com that the series will end with the last of those eight extra installments.

Of course, fans of the show have heard that before. A couple years ago, season five was pegged as the last one for the series. Then it was the coming season -- until earlier this year, when Chase left the door open for a potential seventh year.

"We are obviously delighted that we will be able to extend 'The Sopranos' series beyond its slated 12 episodes," HBO Chairman and CEO Chris Albrecht says. "When something is as remarkable as 'The Sopranos,' our audience would like to see it continue as long as possible, so we are thrilled that David Chase felt there are more stories to be told."

The eight added episodes can't quite be called a seventh season, as the cast and crew will continue in production after finishing season six. "Sex and the City" followed a similar pattern in its final year, airing 12 episodes in the summer of 2003 and returning for its final run in early 2004.

The sixth season of the show picks up about two years after the death of Adriana (Drea de Matteo) and the FBI raid on Johnny Sack's (Vincent Curatola) house that nearly ensnared Tony (James Gandolfini) -- mirroring the time it's been off the air. It's scheduled to premiere in March 2006, with season 6.5 following in January 2007.

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:roll: Splendid. Hopefully this will be it. The show has dipped in quality over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Not to say it's awful, their bad episodes are still miles ahead of many network tv shows, but I'd like to see this show go out on top and be remembered for what it started as, not for what it is becoming.

If only HBO weren't dumbasses by cancelling the brilliant Carnivale, the loss of The Sopranos wouldn't be too bad since they've already got the even better Deadwood and the great Entourage. Hopefully the new series Rome is kick ass too.

Oh well, here's to hopefully a kick ass final season to a great show. :y: