The Sopranos are on display. And why Star Trek kinda sucks right now.
Bada bing!
Worth a visit if you are in New York is the Museum of the Moving Image. It’s a bit of a hike to get to, located right near the Kaufman Astoria Studios, in Queens. The museum space isn’t massive, but in addition to the special exhibits, there are so many cool props and costumes from beloved movies and TV shows.
There’s an ongoing Jim Henson exhibition filled with so many puppets used from The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal and more. There’s also ongoing exhibits focused on Todd Haynes films and The Exorcist.
But what I wanted to highlight is an exhibit currently running until May 31: Stories and Set Designs For The Sopranos.
I don’t believe that there are any actual set elements on display, but rather it is a number of items from creator David Chase’s personal collection of notes, floor plans, design notes, and other material. So, nothing worth making a massive trip for, but if you’re in the area, I’d certainly make the time.
WNYC has an interview with Barbara Miller from the museum, which you can listen to, or just read the transcript, on the WNYC site. There’s also a feature on the New York Times site about it too.
Items on view include set design sketches for key locations including the strip club the Bada Bing, the psychiatrist Dr. Melfi’s office, Satriale’s Pork Store and the Soprano family’s New Jersey McMansion. In an interview, Chase noted the home needed to have a pool for the ducks story line.
A script for the pilot shows that the charismatic, murderous mafia boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) was originally going to be named Tommy. When the show’s legal team discovered a real-life Tommy Soprano, they advised Chase to change it. Elsewhere visitors learn that Tony initially was going to suffocate his manipulative mother, Livia (Nancy Marchand), to death in the Season 1 finale. But Marchand was ill at the time and asked Chase to keep her working, he said.
“It turned out actually good because there was that whole scene of her smirking under the oxygen mask,” he added.
Why Star Trek is no good at this present moment
A smart observation by David Brown at RadioTimes today is his piece about Star Trek, which this year marks its 60th anniversary. He puts forward the idea that Star Trek as a property only tends to work when America is feeling pretty good about itself (and likewise, the world is viewing it favourably):
The underwhelming performance of latest offshoot Starfleet Academy in early Nielsen ratings, and the fact that no new series is currently in production, suggest a once-dominant sci-fi brand is struggling to capture the public imagination. Streaming fragmentation muddies the numbers, but the cultural temperature feels far cooler than in previous eras.
A show that once defined television science fiction now feels strangely peripheral. But this could be more than just franchise fatigue. It may be that Star Trek’s worldview is simply out of step with the political mood. Because historically, the franchise tends to flourish at one particular kind of time: moments when the United States feels confident about the future.
Just consider when Star Trek has previously thrived. It arrived amid the optimism of JFK’s “reach for the stars” rhetoric. It soared again with The Next Generation during Reagan’s “Morning in America” resurgence of the late 1980s and the post-Cold War triumphalism of Clinton’s 1990s. In short, Star Trek chimes when America believes the future belongs to it.
Obviously there are all sorts of problems with the creative on Star Trek from the past … charitably 10 years, but I’d suggest 30 years… But, I think Brown hits at a pretty-spot on notion as to why it has been hard to deliver the goods on the series for so many years now.
The show has been filming in Canada… maybe it’s time just to hand the show over to them to develop the creative too. They seem to be having a strong Mark Carney-led moment…
News Desk
Nikki Glaser will host the Golden Globes for a third time in 2027. Read: Variety
Starz has adopted a poison pill to take on Byron Allen following his recent 10.7% investment in the company. Read: THR
Hulu has ordered a comedy pilot from writer-producer Sean Clements and Newsradio showrunning legend Paul Simms. It’s about a reality star who gets involved in a global conspiracy after accidentally filming a murder during the recording of a $20 Cameo video. Read: THR
Hulu also ordered a drama pilot from Eliza Clark. She’s the one who screwed up the adaptation of Y: The Last Man. Read: THR
Denzel Washington will star in Antoine Fuqua’s still untitled Netflix movie about Hannibal (the general, not the guy with the appetite for human flesh). Read: Variety
The Last Drive In host Joe Bob Briggs has suggested that he may be fronting a new show once his contract is up on Jan 1. Shudder cancelled his long-running show last week. Read: Variety
A Captain Kirk spin-off from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been pitched to Paramount. The SNW sets haven’t yet been destroyed, suggesting good news on the horizon… Read: TrekMovie
Great news for fans of longer, unskippable ads on YouTube. It has a new 30 second format on the way to connected TV viewers. Read: TheStreamable
HBO Max in Australia has picked up NZ dark comedy show Crackhead. Read: C21
The BBC has confirmed the cancellation of the Dannii Minogue-fronted reality shows I Kissed a Boy and I Kissed a Girl. BBC gave both the kiss-off due to cost-cutting needs. Read: RadioTimes
Trailer Park
Netflix’s Will Ferrell comedy The Hawk debuts in the US summer.
Lonnie Hawkins, (Will Ferrell) 2004's number one golfer, struggles on the back nine of his career to recapture his magic. His body says retire, but his heart says he's not done yet. His ex-wife and his son Lance, golf's new golden boy, know he's through. But with one more major to win to complete golf's Grand Slam, Lonnie refuses to believe he's anything other than one stroke away from the greatest comeback in golf history.
Maamia Legal Hai returns for season 2 on Netflix April 3.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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I'm a casual Trek fan, love Strange New World, struggled with Discovery and most of Picard and Starfleet Academy doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Hoping the creative team can take a step back and reinvigorate the franchise!