Woke up this morning...

There's a lot of praise for FX on this blog -- simply because they're among the best in developing shows. But they're only among the best. The granddaddy, though, is HBO, and for as good as Rescue Me has been and remains, neither that nor any other drama on television lives up to the phenomenon status that has always been associated with The Sopranos.

It's extremely well-received among its peers, makes news for weeks before and after its seasons, is the subject of anger and debate and gossip and delight for many more Americans than most network shows, and, for some, is the only reason to watch television. It has driven protests about Hollywood violence and poor portrayals of Italian-Americans (something I beg you to not get me started on). To some it's all they'll ever know about New Jersey.

And now it's saying goodbye. Maybe it was past its prime -- but people have said that about the show after every episode since the second season kicked off. It's not leaving after two seasons of not being culturally viable like Friends did, it's going out like Seinfeld: with everyone watching. It's still probably the most loved drama on television, and it continues to be intriguing and widely discussed whether someone's been whacked in 3 weeks or not. Cries of "it's boring" and "they stopped too much of the violence" aren't only untrue, they're the sign of someone who doesn't really understand what the show's about.

It's not an easy task to put together a character that, despite being pure evil, is beloved. It's also not easy to disappear for two whole years and come back with a new season just as well received (in a global sense) as the last -- that's something they've done more than once. It's not easy at all to have such a large audience on a pay cable channel. And from a creative standpoint, it's not easy, nor has it really been done before, to make so many actors so recognizable to so many, and make that many characters relatable and interesting.

So, maybe as The Sopranos takes its leave, fans will stop criticizing everything David Chase does with his show and just enjoy what has been a wonderful show for the past eight years and six-point-five seasons.