There’s been a lot of discussion online about the fact thatThe SopranosandGilmore Girlsexist as TV shows in each other’s universes, but that’s not the onlySopranosparadox. It originated with a Reddit post byu/Firstasatragedy, but it’s since been picked up by publications likeEsquire,Looper, andBustle. InThe Sopranosseason 6, episode 4, “The Fleshy Part of the Thigh,” when Paulie visits Nucci at her retirement community, an episode ofGilmore Girlsis playing on a TV in the background.
InGilmore Girlsseason 7, episode 17, “Gilmore Girls Only,” when Richard is seen wearing a tracksuit,Lorelai jokingly asksif he’s having lunch with Tony Soprano. This means that when people inThe Sopranosuniverse watchGilmore Girls, they’ll see a reference to their televised lives, and vice versa. It’s a fun tidbit, butGilmore Girlsisn’t the only show with a weirdSopranosparadox. The same paradox exists witha different HBO show,Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Curb Your Enthusiasm Has Its Own Sopranos Paradox Like Gilmore Girls
Sopranos & Curb Both Referenced Each Other
Gilmore Girlsisn’t the only show that referencedThe Sopranosand got referenced back byThe Sopranositself. There’s also a crossover of references betweenThe SopranosandCurb Your Enthusiasm. In each show, the other show is a major plot point. InThe Sopranosseason 5, episode 3, “Where’s Johnny?,”Tony’s Uncle Juniorwatches Larry and Jeff inCurb(from the classic season 2 episode “The Doll”) andmistakenly thinks he’s watching himself and Bobby on TV, highlighting his confusion and cognitive decline.
10 The Sopranos Episodes You Can Skip During A Rewatch
Though the show was virtually perfect, some episodes of The Sopranos don’t add much to the plot, focusing on side stories rather than main story arcs.
InCurb Your Enthusiasmseason 5, episode 10, “The End,”Larry complains to Cheryl about a missingSopranosDVD. He doesn’t believe he could’ve been the one who lost it, since he has a system with DVD covers, so he blames Cheryl. When Larry briefly dies and goes to Heaven and gets the chance to ask his guardian angels anything about life or the universe, he just asks where the misplacedSopranosDVD is. This creates another strange paradox in theSopranos-verse.
Why The Sopranos Has So Many Unintentional Crossovers
There Was Bound To Be Some Pop-Cultural Overlap
It’s not surprising thatThe Sopranoshas unintentional crossovers withGilmore GirlsandCurb Your Enthusiasm(and probably with a lot more shows that have yet to be discovered).David Chase and his team of writers filledThe Sopranoswith pop culture references— including references to other TV shows — to ground it in the real world. On top of that,The Sopranosis a cultural landmark in itself that’s been referenced by a bunch of other shows, so some overlap was bound to happen.
The Sopranos
Cast
The Sopranos follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he navigates the challenges of managing his family and criminal enterprise. He seeks guidance from psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi while dealing with complex dynamics involving his wife Carmela, cousin Christopher Moltisanti, and other Mafia associates. Released in 1999, this series delves into organized crime and personal struggles.
