Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/critic-analyzes-sopranos-finale Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript HBO drama "The Sopranos" ended its final season Sunday night. Television critic Alan Sepinwall describes the mixed reactions to the unusual ending and impact the show had on other programs. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. JIM LEHRER: And finally tonight, the finale for the life and times of Tony Soprano and families. Jeffrey Brown has our story. JEFFREY BROWN: Tony Soprano was a mob boss who visited a therapist for bouts of depression…JAMES GANDOLFINI, Actor, "Tony Soprano": What do you mean, talk to somebody else? JEFFREY BROWN: … a suburban dad with two teenage kids who whacked anyone in his way. For eight years, "The Sopranos" was an unprecedented television mix of violence and family values, all set in New Jersey. JAMES GANDOLFINI: And on top of that, you're going to work your little ass off. JEFFREY BROWN: The HBO series was critically acclaimed, much honored, and attracted a cult-like following. This past Sunday, 12 million viewers tuned in to watch the series finale, and the program's creator, David Chase, gave them one more thing to talk about: a very sudden, unresolved ending, as viewers were left to guess whether Tony lived or died, was headed to prison, or free to eat more onion rings with his wife and kids, when the TV screen suddenly went to black.