The Sopranos ended in 2007, but is still popular enough to stand front and center in a primetime Super Bowl commercial. In 2022, advertisers gave fans a bit of reunion when Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) and A.J. Soprano (Robert Iler) starred in an ad for Chevrolet. It’s a moment that die-hard fans will want to check out, whether they’re in the market for a new car or not.
This commercial aired during Super Bowl LVI to promote the all-electric Chevy Silverado EV. It evoked The Sopranos from start to finish, mimicking the show’s opening credits which always showed Tony Soprano (James Galdofini) driving his Chevy Suburban from Manhattan to his home in northern New Jersey, with the scenery of the Jersey Turnpike passing him by. In the modern commercial, we saw Meadow driving the new Silverado along the same route.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Sigler, now 42 years old, told PEOPLE that the experience was emotional for her. She revealed that series creator David Crane returned to direct her and Iler in the ad and that she felt the late Gandolfini’s “presence” while filming. She also confirmed that she and Iler are both very open to a Sopranos revival.
“Even getting direction from [creator] David Chase and seeing our old camera operators that we had worked with throughout the seasons… It was this eerie thing where Robert and I both said, ‘We could hop back into playing these characters in a heartbeat,’” she said. “It was really cool to get a moment to experience that.”
Some fans felt the same way, and many want to see more of Meadow and A.J. Others have conflicted feelings about the ad and the idea of a series revival. Here’s a look at what they said on social media after the ad first aired.
Confusion
Some fans were confused by the dialogue-free ad, feeling like it wasn’t clear if a full-on Sopranos revival was implied by the teaser.
Setting
Whether it was meant to tease a reunion or not, fans noted that the episode had major significance for The Sopranos, since it was the location of the final scene in the series.
Parking
The final scene of The Sopranos infamously generated anxiety by showing Meadow struggling to parallel park, so fans thought it was intentional that she had no trouble parking in this commercial. Between that and the nod to Tony’s old Chevy, they found the ad to be perfectly justified in using this IP.
Optimistic
Although the ad was for the Chevy electric truck, some fans were optimistic that it would also serve as a foot in the door to create a Sopranos revival series centered around Meadow. In the world of entertainment, stranger things have happened.
Implication
Some fans joked that being associated with The Sopranos – and all the violence that comes with it – might not be the best branding decision for Chevy. They wondered if drivers would subconsciously feel like a mob boss whenever they drove the truck.
Pitches
Some fans got right to work theorizing about what a Sopranos revival might be about – which characters would return, what their allegiances would be and what the situation in North Jersey would be after all these years.
Nostalgia
Finally, between ads like this and the halftime show lineup, some fans commented on how this Super Bowl played to their generational nostalgia – for better or for worse.
