The sixth and final season of The Sopranos — beginning on March 12, 2006, and ending on June 10, 2007 — is noted for being way longer than the rest. The season consists of 21 episodes split into two parts (6A and 6B). The first 12 episodes aired from March 12, 2006, to June 4, 2006, with the final nine episodes airing from April 8, 2007, to June 10, 2007. The initial plan was for 20 episodes, but creator David Chase asked for one more to round out the plot properly. So, we got that controversial finale.
Whether the decision to do a longer season was wise or not was debatable. On Rotten Tomatoes, the two parts of Season 6 have the lowest scores, but at 89% and 84% respectively, they are better than what many other shows had to offer. In the 2000s, it was also the norm for shows to have longer seasons (picture 24 and Prison Break). So, did Chase simply want to follow the trend? Not quite. A few other factors contributed to the final season being longer than the rest.
Season 6 Left Several Dead Bodies on the Floor
Bathed in the smooth, honeyed tones of New Jersey sunlight, Season 6 of The Sopranos is a gleaming, detailed, and poetically nuanced masterwork of aesthetic design and crisp storytelling. The final season is widely recognized for its potent depiction of the horrors of mob life. Even foreknowledge of the misfortunes and atrocities that play out here isn’t adequate to prepare you for the trauma of watching it. It is one of the most harrowing small-screen experiences you will endure, and rightly so. The underworld is no paradise.
David Chase was in slasher villain mode during this chapter, putting several characters to the sword without any mercy. The feud between New Jersey’s DiMeo crime family and New York’s Lupertazzi crime family had reached a boiling point, so fans knew it was only a matter of time before bodies started falling. Interestingly, a good portion of the violence and fateful occurrences had nothing to do with the feud.
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FBI informant, Eugene Pontecorvo, was the first to go. He took his own life after Tony denied him permission to retire to Florida. “Are you shtoopid?” Tony probably imagined in his head when the request was made. The FBI wouldn’t let Eugene go either, so his life lost meaning. Tony, himself, was then shot by Junior, whose mental health had deteriorated. The incident resulted in a lengthy stint in the hospital.
Then came one of the most heartbreaking deaths on the show. Closeted DiMeo crime family member, Vito, was spotted by Lupertazzi associates inside a gay club, and after his “It’s not what ya think!” line failed to work, he went into hiding in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stay put. Choosing to return to New Jersey, he ended up right in the hands of the homophobic Phil Leotardo.
Lupertazzi soldier Dominic “Fat Dom” Gamiello would then be killed by Carlo and Silvio for taunting them about Vito’s death. This was followed by the trademark mob restaurant execution of Gerry Torciano. In a sad incident, Christopher shot a screenwriter for refusing to help him, before Christopher himself was killed by Tony. Johnny Sack was lucky enough to die of natural causes, but Bobby and Phil weren’t so lucky. Silvio, too, was shot, and left, hospitalized during the heat of the war. It’s also implied that Tony was killed during those final minutes. (Who really knows?)
Season 6’s Length Was Influenced by Creative and Business Decisions
We’ve seen it time and time again. Many great TV show creators prefer to end things at a certain point rather than drag things out to please the fans. Chase was the same. From the start, he had envisioned The Sopranos as a precise, finite tale that would end as soon as the war between the DiMeo and Lupertazzi crime families was over.
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However, as the talented writer that he is, Chase couldn’t just focus on the war alone. He had to explore various arcs, like Tony’s coma and homophobia in the Cosa Nostra. He intended to do this without committing to a seventh season, since that would have prompted him to find more fresh storylines. Chase thus asked HBO for a longer season. Well, executives know that it’s unwise to say no to the goose that’s laying the golden eggs, so they agreed. In a 2007 interview with The New York Times, Chase appreciated the network execs for their kindness, stating that the split season allowed him to “wrap things up deliberately.”
Chase’s choice to tell a longer story triggered a contractual quagmire. The contracts of most of the cast and crew were meant to end after Season 6. If Chase had been allowed to make Season 7, the contracts would have had to be extended. This would mean renegotiating for higher salaries, given how popular the show had become. It’s unfair, but most businesses would rather not bear such costs, so Season 6 was split into two parts.
Season 6 Almost Had Another Major Character Death
There were more than enough character deaths to shock fans in Season 6. Interestingly, what we saw wasn’t the full scope of what was considered. Speaking to Vulture, Chase confessed that he considered killing off Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri, too. According to the series creator, he and his team had a mob-like discussion in the writers’ room where they considered sanctioning a creative “hit” on Tony Sirico’s character. Because of his volatile mannerisms, he needed to go
Indeed, Paulie’s death wouldn’t have come as a surprise. Though he was charismatic and sycophantic, his ingratiating manner masked a menacing self-centeredness. Paulie had flirted with the Lupertazzi crime family on one occasion, and had butted heads with Tony a few times. Chase specifically considered having Paulie whacked in Season 6B, around the iconic “Remember When” episode.
During the trip to Miami, Tony becomes increasingly disdainful of the Capo, even deriding him in front of their dates by shutting him down with the hilarious quote: “’Remember when’ is the lowest form of conversation.” Tony says this when Paulie starts reminiscing in front of people who weren’t part of “this thing of ours.” There, it becomes evident that Tony can no longer handle his psychological fragility and Paulie’s questionable behavior. As tensions surge, Paulie becomes increasingly paranoid, feeling there’s nowhere in the underworld where he’ll be safe. Surprisingly, he is spared. As fed up as the boss is, he has other stressors to attend to.
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Chase and his team of writers ultimately opted against killing the character, partly because Sirico was such a good actor and had made Paulie a fan favorite. Though the popular gangster series often succeeded as an ensemble show, it also served as an impressive showcase for the prodigious, ever-bountiful humor-fueled acting skills of Sirico, who made us both admire and ache for Paulie.
In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chase acknowledged that his hit on Paulie was called off because of the character’s “entertaining unpredictability.” Indeed, Paulie’s presence livened proceedings up considerably. Chase further added that it was essential not to wipe out the DiMeo family’s entire top brass. Otherwise, Phil Leotardo’s claim that they were a “glorified crew” would make sense.
For a long time, Tony Sirico, who had real mob connections, had also insisted that his character not be portrayed as a rat or disloyal in any way. We bet this stance influenced Chase. Killing Paulie would have confirmed that he was disloyal. But the suggestion that Paulie was treacherous hasn’t been fully erased. One major theory implies that Paulie was like John Gotti and that he gave Tony the Paul Castellano treatment by having him whacked during those final minutes so that he’d take over the family. Did he?
