Timeline¶
The story runs roughly in real time — each season is set at about the moment it aired, which is unusual and is why the show registers the era so precisely.
In-universe¶
Before the series¶
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 1967 | Newark riots. Dickie Moltisanti's story — see The Many Saints of Newark |
| 1972 | Dickie Moltisanti killed — Christopher's father |
| 1986 | Johnny Boy Soprano dies |
| 1986 | The arrest that sends Tony Blundetto away for 17 years — Tony doesn't show up |
| 1995 | Junior and Johnny Boy's era ends; Jackie Aprile Sr. becomes acting boss |
The series¶
| Season | Year | Key events |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Tony's panic attacks begin; therapy starts; Jackie Sr. dies; Junior made boss; Tony kills Febby Petrulio; Junior and Livia order a hit on Tony; it fails; Junior arrested |
| 2 | 2000 | Richie Aprile released; Janice returns; Janice kills Richie; Furio arrives; Big Pussy killed on the boat; Meadow graduates |
| 3 | 2001 | Livia dies; Ralph Cifaretto arrives; Ralph kills Tracee; Melfi is raped; Jackie Jr. killed; Tony's affair with Gloria Trillo |
| 4 | 2002 | Money tightens; Carmela and Furio; Junior's trial; Adriana flipped by the FBI; Tony kills Ralph; the marriage ends in "Whitecaps" |
| 5 | 2004 | The class of 2004 released; Tony Blundetto returns; Carmine Sr. dies; the New York succession war; Adriana killed; Tony kills Blundetto; Tony and Carmela reconcile |
| 6 pt.1 | 2006 | Junior shoots Tony; the coma and Kevin Finnerty; "every day is a gift"; Vito's secret, New Hampshire, and his murder; Johnny Sack imprisoned |
| 6 pt.2 | 2007 | Johnny Sack dies; the lake house fight; Tony kills Christopher; Las Vegas; A.J.'s suicide attempt; Bobby killed, Silvio comatose; Melfi ends the therapy; Phil killed; Holsten's |
Real-world¶
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1995 | David Chase signs with Brillstein-Grey; writes the pilot as a feature film concept |
| 1996–97 | Pitched to Fox, CBS, and others. All pass. CBS objects to the psychiatry. |
| 1997 | HBO's Chris Albrecht funds a pilot. Chase directs it. It then sits for months. |
| December 1997 | HBO orders 12 more episodes |
| January 10, 1999 | Series premiere — 3.5M viewers |
| February 7, 1999 | "College" airs, after HBO objected to Tony committing murder |
| September 1999 | Edie Falco wins the first Emmy for the show |
| January 16, 2000 | Season 2 premieres |
| June 18, 2000 | Nancy Marchand dies, aged 71 |
| March 4, 2001 | Season 3 premieres with two episodes; Livia written out |
| May 6, 2001 | "Pine Barrens" airs, directed by Steve Buscemi |
| September 11, 2001 | The World Trade Center is subsequently removed from the title sequence |
| September 15, 2002 | Season 4 premieres — 13.43M, the series peak |
| 2003 | Gandolfini's contract dispute briefly halts production |
| March 7, 2004 | Season 5 premieres after a 15-month gap |
| May 23, 2004 | "Long Term Parking" airs |
| September 2004 | First cable series to win Outstanding Drama Series |
| 2005 | Director John Patterson dies during production |
| March 12, 2006 | Season 6 part one premieres |
| April 8, 2007 | Season 6 part two premieres after a 10-month gap |
| June 10, 2007 | "Made in America." 11.9M viewers. Cut to black. |
| September 2007 | Second Outstanding Drama Series win; Chase wins Writing |
| June 19, 2013 | James Gandolfini dies in Rome, aged 51 |
| September 13, 2017 | Frank Vincent dies |
| 2019–21 | The streaming revival; Talking Sopranos launches 2020 |
| October 1, 2021 | The Many Saints of Newark released |
| May 26, 2022 | Ray Liotta dies |
| July 8, 2022 | Tony Sirico dies, aged 79 |
| September 2024 | The Wise Guy documentary; Chase's latest non-answer about the ending |
Known inconsistencies¶
The show is loose about dates, and a reference wiki should say so.
Tony's age is inconsistent across seasons — dialogue at various points implies birth years from roughly 1957 to 1960.
Janice's age relative to Tony shifts.
Christopher's relationship to Tony is described as "nephew" throughout but is actually cousin-by-marriage — Carmela's first cousin. See Family Tree.
The gap between seasons 5 and 6 is about two years in the real world and considerably less in-universe, which produces some strain around A.J.'s and Meadow's ages.
None of this was ever tidied, and Chase has never shown any interest in doing so.