The television show’s depiction of thwarted hopes and social change still resonates 25 years on
The year is 1999. The Berlin Wall has fallen; the twin towers still stand. America’s only war is against drugs. History, if Francis Fukuyama is to be believed, is over, and liberal democracy has triumphed. But in northern New Jersey, all is not well. Tony Soprano—a gangster and the protagonist of “The Sopranos”, which first aired on hbo 25 years ago—is having panic attacks.
If America is doing well, the mob is “trending downward”, according to Tony. “This thing of ours”, as the mobsters call their enterprise, faces a crisis of succession. Plus, business is not as good as it used to be, and the government is getting better at putting mobsters in jail. Things are falling apart and Tony, at the centre, cannot hold. The only thing that makes him happy is a flock of ducks that has colonised his swimming pool.