by Sean O’Sullivan
about Sean O’Sullivan
Sean O’Sullivan is Associate Professor of English at The Ohio State University. He is the author of the book Mike Leigh and has written numerous articles on television storytelling, including such topics as Deadwood and Charles Dickens; Krzysztof Kieslowski’s The Decalogue; Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective; third seasons; fifth episodes; and the six central elements of serial narrative.
The Sopranos
Abstract: The Sopranos is one of television’s most acclaimed series, ushering in the rise of the twenty-first-century primetime serial and helping to elevate the medium’s cultural status. But Sean O’Sullivan problematizes our understanding of the show’s seriality, highlighting episodes that function more as short stories than as chapters in a novel, and thus illuminating how the program’s story structures and themes explore and challenge the norms of television narrative.