TV's Top Writers Assess The Sopranos' Swan Song

• Jun 12, 2007 07:20 PM ET
• by Matt Mitovich

Great piece in the New York Times, inviting the writers of other television programs to weigh in on David Chase's bold conclusion to The Sopranos. Among the takes:

Damon Lindelof, Lost: "The ending was letter-perfect.... Afterward I went to bed and lay next to my wife, awake, thinking about it for the next two hours. I just thought it was great."

Doug Ellin, Entourage: "I'm just speechless. I'm sure there is going to be a lot of heated discussion, but that's David Chase's genius."

Chuck Lorre, Two and a Half Men, quips, "This is what you get when you let a writer do whatever he wants. [But] people just finished watching the show and immediately talked about it for a half-hour. What more could you want as a writer?"

Tim Kring, Heroes: While noting that the storytelling throughout the finale felt "a bit disjointed," Kring says, "As soon as it ended, I went there.... I put myself years into the future thinking about what you do when you have viewers with these sorts of expectations. I think you just have to be true to what you were originally trying to say."

Carlton Cuse, Lost: "A sense of fear ran through my veins, thinking that we are going to be in this position [in] 48 short episodes. But it settled well with me. In that blank screen, there was a... purity in the choice Chase made."

Both Losties liked it? Be very afraid for May 2010. Be. Very. Afraid.