“It is getting worse. We’re going back to where we were.”
The creator of one of the greatest shows of all time David Chase has spoken out against the state of TV today.
Chase wrote The Sopranos, which followed the story of the New Jersey mafia. It was hailed as bringing in a golden age of the small screen, with shows such as Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and Breaking Bad being said to be influenced by the show.
However, the 78-year-old recently spoke out against modern TV, saying that the quality is not what it used to be.
His legendary show recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, but while speaking to The Times he said the ‘golden age’ of TV that has ensued since then is “a blip”.
“A 25-year blip. And to be clear, I’m not talking only about The Sopranos, but a lot of other hugely talented people out there who I feel increasingly bad for,” he said.
“This is the 25th anniversary, so of course it’s a celebration. But perhaps we shouldn’t look at it like that. Maybe we should look at it like a funeral.”
“We’re going back to where I was,” he continued. “They’re going to have commercials … and I’ve already been told to dumb it down.”
Chase went on to explain that modern day life is changing viewing habits.
“As the human race goes on, we are more into multitasking. Your phone is just one symptom, but who can really focus? Your mother could be dying and you are by her hospital bed taking calls,” he said.
“We seem to be confused and audiences can’t keep their minds on things, so we can’t make anything that makes too much sense, takes our attention and requires an audience to focus. And as for streaming executives? It is getting worse. We’re going back to where we were.”
He went on to expand on the conditions which he worked in while creating The Sopranos.
“Back then the networks were in an artistic pit. A s**thole. The process was repulsive. In meetings these people would always ask to take out the one thing that made an episode worth doing. I should have quit,” he said.
“I should have known that a real mafia wiseguy show would not happen on US TV. If you think your grandmother is risk adverse, you should meet network people.”
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