Why did David Chase not release Season 6 Part 2 of ‘The Sopranos’ as season 7? What would have gone wrong if he did so?
‘The Sopranos’ is an American crime drama series that revolves around Tony Soprano – an Italian-American mobster. The show captures how he tries to balance his family life while being the leader of a criminal organization. It is an award-winning series with 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, 5 Golden Globes, and Peabody Awards for the first two seasons. The final season of ‘The Sopranos’ was broadcasted in two parts – season 6A and 6B, premiering on March 12, 2006, and April 8, 2007, respectively. This is what is called a split season. So, why did David Chase split the last season of ‘The Sopranos’? There are numerous reasons creators and streaming platforms tend to do this. This article covers a few significant ones.
Highlights —
- Why did David Chase break ‘The Sopranos’ into two parts?
- It’s all about money and prosperity!
- What difference did it make?
When greedy HBO and David Chase didn’t name ‘The Sopranos’ Season 6B as season 7.
Why did David Chase break ‘The Sopranos’ into two parts?
Originally, ‘The Sopranos’ Season 6 was planned to be one full final season, but David Chase realized that he had an abundance of material to create. So, he sought the approval of HBO for an extension of more episodes. Thereafter, it was decided that the season will be split into two parts, and Chase became busy with plotting out and filming the route to the end. But the question remains the same, why did they name it season 6B, when they could have called it a brand new season 7?
It’s all about money and prosperity!
See, when shows are picked up, the cast has to sign the contracts. If the show becomes a hit, new contracts are made for new seasons. And this is the point when actors tend to negotiate for different deals. As a way to keeping the budget in check, studios negotiate an entire season at a certain pay and then sell it off to the networks as two seasons or two half seasons. Crafty, right?
Now, when David Chase asked for an extension, HBO chose this angle for the final run of ‘The Sopranos’. Season 6 had 21 episodes, almost double that of any other seasons that clocked in at 13 episodes. By the time the show was winding down, every member of the cast had become popular among the audience. This was because of the show’s insane popularity and various awards and nominations that were bestowed upon them during the run. So, if HBO had made two different seasons then, they would have to negotiate two separate contracts for every member involved.
How HBO made a huge profit by dividing ‘The Sopranos’ Season 6 into two parts?
What difference did it make?
To avoid the extra expense, they negotiated a longer shoot schedule for David Chase’s ‘The Sopranos’ Season 6 and paid a little extra money for everyone’s time, but still managed to save millions because it was technically a single season negotiation. A clever decision, what do you think?
In the vast television landscape, a hit show generates abundant revenue. But the good times end eventually. And it is then that the studios start to panic about the show’s popularity and the revenue stream. That’s why instead of airing one long season, they opt to split it into two parts to keep their cash flow a little longer.
Was David Chase’s decision to break ‘The Sopranos’ into two parts worth it or not? What do you think? We’d love to know your opinion in the comments.
