Entertainment
David Chase Claims Martin Scorsese Dislikes The Sopranos
LOS ANGELES, CA – David Chase, the creator of the iconic HBO series The Sopranos, claims that filmmaker Martin Scorsese is not fond of the show. This revelation came during Chase’s appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast It Happened in Hollywood, where he spoke with filmmaker Alex Gibney, who directed the 2024 documentary Wise Guy.
Chase revealed that Scorsese expressed his criticism directly, saying, ‘I don’t get it – it’s like all these trees and shit.’ According to Chase, Scorsese struggles to identify with a mafia narrative set in the suburban landscapes of New Jersey, contrasting it with the urban settings of his own upbringing in New York City.
In a previous interview with Sight & Sound magazine in 2019, Scorsese confirmed his ambivalence towards the show, stating, ‘I think I only saw one episode … because I can’t identify with that generation of the underworld.’ He further elaborated that the cultural differences between the suburban and urban depictions of organized crime were significant, stating, ‘They use language – four-letter words – in front of their daughters, at the dinner table? I don’t get that.’
On the podcast, Chase was asked about Scorsese’s perspective. ‘I don’t know. You have to ask him,’ Chase said. He mentioned only having a brief encounter with Scorsese, without discussing their differing views on The Sopranos.
Chase explained that while Scorsese illustrated the Five Families crime syndicate in New York’s Little Italy, his own narrative focuses on organized crime’s suburban branches in New Jersey. ‘People go to the suburbs to build fancy houses and get trees and stuff. It’s that simple,’ he noted, pointing out the cultural differences that could affect Scorsese’s understanding of the series.
Despite the noted differences, Chase acknowledged the irony that significant parts of Scorsese’s Goodfellas were filmed in lush areas of Upstate New York and New Jersey, similar to those depicted in The Sopranos. Scorsese declined to comment on Chase’s claims.
