# Is "The Sopranos" popular in other countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266 "2004-11-01T05:54:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/1 "2004-11-01T05:54:35Z")
Just wondered if other countries find it a compelling drama, or is it too “American” to translate well? ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/2 "2004-11-01T06:34:19Z")
This is somewhat anecdotal as I can’t speak for the entire nation, but my impression is that the Sopranos rates really well here in Australia. I was a bit late getting on board but I’m into it now. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/3 "2004-11-01T06:43:20Z")
Airs at primetime here on the number one English-language channel. Human weaknesses, like insecurity and snobbery, travel well. ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/4 "2004-11-01T07:18:01Z")
I guess it’s done relatively well here in Finland. But anyhow, I’ve seen Americans wondering whether their pop culture is too ‘American’ to translate too well a couple of times - well, it generally isn’t. Do the Americans assume that we here in the heathen foreign lands are fundamentally different from the Americans, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/5 "2004-11-01T10:31:36Z")
**The Sopranos** is very well received in the Netherlands, but not watched very well. It is broadcast at a very unpopular time, because of the nudity, violence and bad language. It is very popular amongst the high-brow culture. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/6 "2004-11-01T12:43:49Z")
I think it receives fairly high ratings here, too - its certainly highly respected. Italian-American and Israeli cultures have a lot in common. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/7 "2004-11-01T13:14:36Z")
We do not get it here, so Marwan (my AQ sympathizer) and I bring in DVD sets when we go to the US. He claims he is using it to practice his English. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/8 "2004-11-01T13:41:05Z")
> [@Kantalooppi](#): > > But anyhow, I’ve seen Americans wondering whether their pop culture is too ‘American’ to translate too well a couple of times - well, it generally isn’t. Do the Americans assume that we here in the heathen foreign lands are fundamentally different from the Americans, or something? No, but when we have to listen to non-Americans bitch about how American pop culture is destroying everything good and pure about their native cultures, it tends to lead us to believe that there are significant differences between the two. Or is it one of those things where we can’t win? If we export it, we get blamed for introducing fundamentally alien and materialistic pop culture to countries. And if we don’t, we get blamed for thinking that our pop culture is fundamentally different from those in “heathen foreign lands.” ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/9 "2004-11-01T13:42:47Z")
The Mafia is a subject of fascination outside America so yes, It goes down well in lots of places. I particularly enjoyed series one and two. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/10 "2004-11-01T13:45:31Z")
Along with Six Feet Under, it has a fairly small but very loyal following here. It’s certainly hard to be too American for a British audience 😛 ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/11 "2004-11-01T13:50:40Z")
Very big over here in Ireland. Most people I know follow it and love it. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/12 "2004-11-01T14:23:52Z")
Love \*\* ‘The Sopranos’.\*\* That - and ‘West Wing’ is about the only thing I watch and tape when not at home. The translation is beautifully done, imho. And because we have subtitles, we get to hear the original language. Yeah, sometimes an expression is confusing, but we love to discuss strange sayings and there’s always the dictionary. 🙂 Awesome series. Well acted, great dialogues. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/13 "2004-11-01T14:39:03Z")
Odd thing is, the first airing in the Netherlands of the Sopranos (by artsy broadcastcompany VPRO, and put on around midnight) got almost no attention. But the reruns were much more popular. I loove the Sopranos. I think of them as a series about the royal family of Ceasars’ Rome, translated to modern days. What _is_ it, anyway, with Americans and their guilty cultural conscience? At least two of the 'Merrikens I got to know better spontaneously said something to me along the lines of : “Sorry we’re infesting your culture with our MacDonalds and our crappy TV”. Dudes, rest assured. We’re _buying_ those sitcoms and those hamburgers! Of our own free will! We _like_ them! ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/14 "2004-11-01T14:47:24Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > We do not get it here, so Marwan (my AQ sympathizer) and I bring in DVD sets when we go to the US. He claims he is using it to practice his English. The first time I ever saw the Sopranos was in a hotel in al Khobar. I have to admit I was watching as much out of shock as anything else. Here I was in Saudi and they’re showing a scene from the Bada Bing. If it had been any other scene I’d have probably skipped right by it. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/15 "2004-11-01T14:52:29Z")
Originally posted by **Maastricht** > [@](#): > > _We’re buying those sitcoms and those hamburgers! Of our own free will! We like them!_ Hear hear, sister. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/16 "2004-11-01T15:01:14Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > What _is_ it, anyway, with Americans and their guilty cultural conscience? At least two of the 'Merrikens I got to know better spontaneously said something to me along the lines of : “Sorry we’re infesting your culture with our MacDonalds and our crappy TV”. > Dudes, rest assured. We’re _buying_ those sitcoms and those hamburgers! Of our own free will! We _like_ them! Well, I guess the BGH might explain why you’re all so freakishly large nowadays! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sopranos-popular-in-other-countries/272266/17 "2004-11-01T21:34:28Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Well, I guess the BGH might explain why you’re all so freakishly large nowadays! 😉 Would it? :eek: Nah. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if WE were the ones who invented BHG and all those other wicked ways to make poor cows go berserk in producing more milk. And then you guys put it in hamburgers and sold it to the world. Now who’s the evil genius? (where’s that evil Edam smilie when you need it?) 😃