Part One

David Chase recounts his early life in New Jersey, his fascination with filmmaking, and his break into television writing in Los Angeles. After a successful career as a network TV writer, Chase decides to write something personal about his mother. That becomes “The Sopranos,” a feature film about a mobster whose mother plots to kill him. Rejected by the major networks, Chase finds success at HBO for his pilot about a mobster suffering mental breakdowns and starts the casting process for “The Sopranos” as a series. Lorraine Bracco is the biggest name to join as Dr. Melfi and Chase casts the untested musician Steven Van Zandt in a pivotal role. With James Gandolfini and Edie Falco in place, the series films on location in New Jersey, and the unconventional show becomes a water-cooler sensation, despite having an anti-hero as the lead character.