'The Sopranos' Creator Pens New Scene for COVID-19 Era Featuring Tony

How would key characters from The Sopranos handle the COVID-19 era? Well, thanks to a new scene penned by creator David Chase, we now have an answer.

"It’s the first time he's written them since 2007, and he was nice enough to let us read that," Steve Schirripa explained on a recent episode of his and Michael Imperioli's Talking Sopranos podcast, as spotted byVulture. As is clear, this is merely an imagined scenario, in that several deceased characters from the beloved HBO drama are in play.

Imperioli, further explaining Chase's inspiration for letting loose such a creation, said that the series creator wanted to do so in an effort to "bring some levity" to fans at a difficult time.

Tony Soprano, Paulie Walnuts, Meadow Soprano, Carmela Soprano, Christopher Moltisanti, Adriana La Cerva, Dr. Melfi, AJ Soprano, Silvio Dante, Junior Soprano, Johnny Sack, Bobby Bacala, Phil Leotardo, and Livia Soprano are all given dialogue in the scene.

"Me and my friends are dying over here," Tony says in the scene, which also sees Paulie championing his pre-coronavirus status as a self-proclaimed germophobe. "The president might have a point. Let’s get business and manufacturing going again—by Easter, May Day, whatever the fuck."

Later, Tony ponders the meaning of the "essential business" classification.

"We can keep the pork store open, though, essential critical infrastructure. Pork!" he says. Meanwhile, Silvio reveals laments that "lap dances were the first to go" due to COVID-19.

Vulture has a full transcript, which you can peruse right here.

Next up on Sopranos fans' agenda is the prequel film The Many Saints of Newark, which is currently set for a March 2021 release.