University Calendar
The Sopranos: The Show That Changed Television
Join us for a free screening of the pilot episode of The Sopranos and conversation with TV critic and author Alan Sepinwall (Rolling Stone), Mark Kamine, location manager (The Sopranos), and television studies Professor Hugh Curnutt, as they discuss the impact of the TV show that is considered a game changer for the industry, and has been called one of the masterpieces of American popular culture.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Please reserve your seat by clicking here: The Sopranos
Alan Sepinwall's book, The Soprano Sessions, will be available to purchase on the night of the event, or is available to pre-order through Watchung Booksellers by clicking here: The Sopranos Sessions
Alan Sepinwall is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with The Star-Ledger in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He then wrote for Uproxx, where he worked for two years. He now writes for Rolling Stone. Sepinwall began writing about television with reviews of NYPD Blue while attending the University of Pennsylvania, which led to his job at The Star-Ledger. In 2007, immediately after The Sopranos ended, series creator David Chase granted his sole interview to Sepinwall. In 2009, Sepinwall openly urged NBC to renew the action-comedy series Chuck, and NBC Entertainment co-president Ben Silverman sarcastically credited Sepinwall for the show's revival. Slate.com said Sepinwall "changed the nature of television criticism" and called him the "acknowledged king of the form" with regard to weekly episode recaps and reviews. Sepinwall and television critic Dan Fienberg hosted a podcast at HitFix called Firewall & Iceberg, in which they discussed and reviewed television until October 2015. During his time at Uproxx, Sepinwall hosted a podcast called TV Avalanche with fellow television critic Brian Grubb.
Mark Kamine worked as executive producer on “21 Bridges,” with Chadwick Boseman and Stephan James, and “The Phone,” with Adam Devine and Alexandra Shipp, both to be released in the summer of 2019. Previous films as executive and co-producer include: “Brad’s Status,” the “Bad Moms” movies, "American Hustle," "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Ted.” His film and TV credits as production manager and location manager include: “The Fighter,” “Limitless,” “Law Abiding Citizen” and “The Sopranos.”
Hugh Curnutt works in the areas of critical media and cultural studies. His research is broadly concerned with evolving communication technologies and the shifting intersection of media producers and consumers. His work has explored the changing televisual landscape, especially reality TV's role in the ongoing reconfiguration of television's institutions, performers, and audiences in a post-network era. His current project examines the impact of mobile technologies and self-authored media content on contemporary celebrity and the political economy of digital labor. Dr. Curnutt's research has appeared in a range of scholarly journals and anthologies, including Media, Culture & Society; Television & New Media; Communication Quarterly; Film and Television Stardom; and Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society.