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Sopranos Product Placement Watch, Season Six, Episode Six: Hey, These Guys Read, Too, Edition

Posted by: Jon Fine on April 17

Season Five of the Sopranos was all about callouts to cars. Among those lovingly praised on screen: Maserati, Cadillac Escalade, and Nissan Xterra.

Thus far Season Six is all about … characters lovingly reading, or referencing, magazines. There’s been three thus far this year and two more in Episode Six. Less obtrusive than Tony bragging on Nissan’s “triple safety philosophy” last time around, perhaps, but no less weird.

And so:

Yachting. Tony’s reading it while lazing outside in the sun.

Egregiousness: 4. He does own a yacht, which he talks about frequently (mercifully, sans brnad or builder reference). But the mag nonetheless got a weird amount of onscreen time.

Robb Report. Tony turns this ludicrously-luxe, rich-man’s-toys title after a tense discussion about Vito.

Egregiousness: 4. Marked down slightly because the magazine itself is such an inside reference—we are not talking about GQ or Playboy here, but something much more obscure. Still rates a four because … well, I’m sorry, but this whole underscoring Tony’s wallet size twice in one episode via his magazine choices is a bit much for us.

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Reader Comments

Natives

April 17, 2006 03:58 PM

Maybe they're hinting that Tony isn't as rich as he thinks or would like -- a characteristic he would share with probably plenty of Yachting and Robb Report readers.

Recall the weird therapy exchange in which Tony says Vito helped Carmela when things were tight, to which Melfi essentially says 'Tight? I thought you said you've got millions.'

Jon Fine

April 17, 2006 04:56 PM

Ah yes. Tony Soprano, another "aspirational" reader of Yachting and Robb Report.

Shawn

May 1, 2006 12:59 PM

Man, you're crazy. The Sopranos doesn't just use shameless product placement to make some extra money--they're way classier than that. The show just wants to be realistic. In real life people read magazines and talk about their cars. Sure, David Chase may use these products as a plot device, for example the Big Mouth Billy Bass from season 3 or the Maserati in season 5, but it is solely for the purpose of making a good tv show, not plugging for advertisers. That isn't really product placement at all.

tito aka speedfucker

May 2, 2006 11:53 AM

I WHONNA WATCH THAT TWIST UP FAMILY AND TONY AS HE AIN`T NO CORNY ASS MOTHE***** STOP WAISTING MY TIME ON COMMENTS LIKE YABADABADU ITS ONLY A show

Veronica Watkins

May 2, 2006 03:14 PM

April 30th Episode beyond shameless product placements:

1. blockbuster
2. coffee bean
3. Jenny Craig
4. viagra
5. Century 21
6. jamba Juice
7. Coors Lite
8. Dell
9. Cristal
10. Gray goose
11. TCBY
12. Panasonic
13. Old Navy
14. Bed Bath and Beyond
15. Puma
16. Yahtzee
17. Kanalie (shirt)
18. Franklin Mint
19. The mobile phones the kids used in the Blockbuster scene.
20. I believe I missed all the Yacht references :(

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