The Greek government has staged an elaborate tribute to The Sopranos by suddenly shutting down public broadcaster ERT in the middle of a broadcast.
The final scene of 'Made In America', the series finale of The Sopranos, ended with an abrupt cut to black, followed by several seconds of silence. When the episode first aired, many viewers initially believed their cable had cut out at a crucial moment.
Under pressure from its creditors to cut public employment, the Greek government decided to have a little fun with the unpleasant business by staging a recreation of the scene from Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' favourite TV show. The three ERT television channels — the Greek equivalent of the ABC — cut to black at 11pm local time; BBC, Deutsche Welle and the Greek Parliament Channel were also shut off suddenly.
"I have no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there," Samaras told reporters who asked him to explain the station's ambiguous closure. "No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God. We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds, or thinking, 'wow, this'll piss them off'. People get that impression that you're trying to fuck with them and it's not true."
Newsreader Antonis Alafogiorgos, one of the 2,500 public workers laid off in the wake of the closure, was unsure how to feel about the shocking decision.
"Congratulations to the Greek government," he said. "This is a blow to democracy... and an absolutely brilliant tribute to the creative genius of [Sopranos creator] David Chase. I mean, it sucks that we can't provide for our families anymore and that Greece no longer has a public broadcaster, but on the other hand, we're all massive fans of the show. Meadow Soprano for life, you know?"
Riot police have been deployed outside ERT buildings in several parts of Greece, as Sopranos fans have gathered to protest Samaras' failure to play Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin' before the screen cut to black.
