David Chase, creator of one of the best TV series of all time, The Sopranos. has opened up about some of his regrets for the popular show. In an interview on the Talking Sopranos podcast Chase revealed which character he felt got killed off too soon on the thriller series.
Following the New Jersey Mafia and the brutal boss Tony Soprano, people getting whacked on The Sopranos was common. However, some deaths hit especially hard. To celebrate the final episode of the Talking Sopranos podcast, run by actors Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby ‘Bacala’ Baccalieri), Chase appeared as a guest and shared how he regrets killing off Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore) at the end of season 2.
In season 2 of The Sopranos, it was revealed that Sal, long-time family friend to Tony and an important figure in the mafia family, was actually an FBI informant. After discovering Sal’s betrayal, Tony takes his friend on his boat, and let’s just say ‘Big Pussy’ ends up sleeping with the fishes. “It was too soon because we all loved that guy, and we loved the actor also,” Chase said to Imperioli and Schirripa. “But, it made for a great story. What can I say?”
Despite Sal being a fan-favourite, Chase is right in saying that the death was ultimately for the best narratively speaking. The incident haunts Tony, and his paranoia throughout the show gets worse and worse. Arguably Sal’s betrayal and heart-breaking execution helped The Sopranos go down as one of the most successful drama series around.
Chase’s regret of killing Sal was rectified when he brought back the character in the 2021 prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark.
Check out our lists of the best thriller movies and best drama movies if you’d like tension.