“The Sopranos” at 25: Looking back on TV’s greatest hour [Video]

This year marks the celebration of the debut of “The Sopranos” a quarter-century ago. The hit HBO drama about a mob family headquartered in a New Jersey strip club would change television. 

“I had a lot of friends who were auditioning for this thing called ‘Sopranos,'” said actress Edie Falco. “I thought it was about singers.”

Steve Van Zandt recalled, “He calls and says, you know, ‘You wanna be in my new TV show?’ And I say, ‘Yeah, no thanks!'”

Michael Imperioli said, “A series on HBO was kinda like the bargain basement, and I’m not being facetious.”

Series creator David Chase, whose past credits included “The Rockford Files” and “Northern Exposure,” had offered “The Sopranos” to all of the broadcast networks. Their reaction? “Too dark,” he said.

But it could be darkly funny, too. “I’ve never been able to figure out whether it’s a comedy,” said Chase. “I guess …