Sopranos fans appalled at HBO decision to upload entire series to TikTok

Fans of the acclaimed TV show The Sopranos have been left in a real Gabagool by HBO's decision to upload every episode of the classic series to TikTok in 25-second clips.

The mafia show, which has experience a resurgence in popularity with younger audiences in the past few years, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and to commemorate that you can now watch it on TikTok in 25-second snippets.

We should state that these aren't full episodes spliced up into 25 second segments but short recaps of every episode. The show which ran from 1999 until 2007, has 86 episodes in total.

Now Sopranos fans are very protective and dare we say obsessive about Tony Soprano and his New Jersey mafia goons so its no surprise that there has been a bit of a backlash to this move from HBO.

One fan said: "I don't understand what anyone would gain from watching it like this. Hopefully some new people will watch the full series because it is a masterpiece."

Another person made a very valid point: "Did Warner Brothers not learn anything from the actors and writers strike? If WB is posting clips of Sopranos on Tik Tok then actors and writers won’t get paid."

A third said: "TikTok and sopranos two words that should never be in a sentence together."

The 25-second clips are already well underway on the account with Episode 5, Season 2 being the most recent at the time of writing. We'll say that if you haven't seen the Sopranos and hoped to gain something by watching these then you'll probably be severely disappointed as these clips give little away and are more of a quick highlights reel.

There is some good news for more purist Sopranos fans as in addition, never-before-seen deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage will be released on the HBO Max streaming service. On January 10th, the exact date the show debuted in 1999, HBO will host a cast reunion and a fan screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

Zach Enterlin, executive VP of brand, content and creative of streaming marketing for HBO and Max, said: "The Sopranos’ left an indelible imprint on the global entertainment culture and was instrumental in defining HBO as the destination for groundbreaking, award-winning programming. The many ways we will honor this 25-year milestone will allow fans to celebrate the Soprano legacy and pay tribute to the characters that have had such an enduring impact."

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.