By Jessica Columbus
When thinking of shows most popular with Gen Z a show that aired 25 years ago, before many of them were even born, might not make much sense.
But with the crime/family drama The Sopranos that is exactly what has happened.
The show saw a resurgence in viewership in 2020, over lockdown, with many people choosing to rewatch an old favourite, or watch the show for the very first time; with a surprising amount of the latter belonging to Gen Z.
But why has the show become so popular with a demographic who, for the most part, were not alive when the show began airing? A Sopranos meme page, sopranosworld, gave their thoughts in a text interview on how Gen Z meme culture impacted the show’s resurgence.
Sopranosworld said that their Italian-American upbringings in New York and New Jersey were a big part of why they are a fan of the show.
“The show captures the essence of the people here and the area itself,” they said.
On why the show is so popular with Gen Z, many of whom weren’t alive when the show first started airing, Sopranosworld said that apart from the fact the show is “really, really good,” it is that certain themes of the show have become increasingly relevant.
“Many themes of the show, especially the issues of family, therapy and psychology, are very real and are more appreciated now by gen-z than previous generations due to evolutions and changes in how we think and behave as a society.”
When discussing The Sopranos, it is impossible to ignore the show’s often dark subject matter.
“For one reason or another most people will connect with many of Chris’ feelings in their own life,” Sopranosworld said. “Watching him go through it feels very real and even cathartic for a lot of people,”
Sopranosworld definitely agrees that meme culture was partly responsible for the show’s massive resurgence with Gen Z viewers.
“The memes and internet culture that the sopranos has produced has had a very big impact on how and if gen-z consumes the show,” they said.
“I think because of the convenience of streaming and the popularity of the memes and Sopranos accounts, the show has managed to become a regular part of the modern TV/entertainment ecosystem again, and with it being so prevalent and having such a great reputation a lot of people genuinely feel like they’re missing out if they can’t enjoy it for themselves.”
Featured image: The Sopranos logo. Photo: Ron Cogswell/CC/flickr
