Tony Soprano is back, and he’s had his dirty mouth cleaned out.
Tonight A&E begins airing reruns of the acclaimed crime drama, scrubbed up for basic cable with less cursing, less violence and less sex but the same compelling plotlines and whip-smart dialogue.
The show’s first appearance outside HBO comes four months before the mob drama returns for its final eight original episodes in April and could lead to an uptick in viewership if people who had never watched the show before become fans.
A&E paid a bundle, a record $2.5 million per episode, to acquire rights to the show’s 86 episodes. It took a year for the editing team from HBO and A&E to clean up the episodes, including popping bathing suits on the Bada Bing strip club dancers, and A&E has rolled out a very aggressive ad campaign to promote “Sopranos,” which will air back-to-back episodes Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
A&E is also hyping the show with an online “Sopranos Connection” game that promises $100,000 to the winner. Players must collect game pieces from “Sopranos” ads that run online, in magazines and elsewhere, which help them predict the plot of the episode.
A&E has had huge success with high-profile off-network dramas in the past. “Law & Order” ran on the network before moving to TNT a few years back, “CSI: Miami” airs there now, and smart shows like the British import “MI-5” have drawn solid ratings in the past.
Since losing “L&O,” A&E also has made a successful shift to reality television, most notably with last year’s “Gene Simmons Family,” “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and the trashy “Growing Up Gotti.” After what A&E paid for it, “Sopranos” better top the ratings for all of them.
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A look at this week’s top TV draws |
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10 |
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Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
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7 a.m. |
NBC |
"Today" (N) |
Stuart R. Levine guests and the crew revisits “Today” in the 1970s. |
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8 p.m. |
CBS |
"Armed and Famous" (R) |
Series premiere. Fading (or never-lit) celebrities try to become cops in Muncie, Ind. |
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9 p.m. |
PBS |
"Science Investigators" (N) |
Series premiere. Modern technology takes care of some of science's biggest mysteries. |
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9 p.m. |
ESPN |
"NBA Basketball" (S) |
Tim Duncan and the Spurs face the Nuggets and new guard Allen Iverson. |
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10 p.m. |
NBC |
"Medium" (D) |
Shades of Jessica McClure as Allison starts to see images of a child trapped at the bottom of a well. |
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10 p.m. |
CBS |
"CSI: NY" (D) |
A man is found dead in an apartment, but it's revealed he might be a kidnapper. |
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10 p.m. |
MTV |
"The Real World" (R) |
The housemates learn a little about themselves during a mountain-climbing trip. |
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THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 |
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Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
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8 p.m. |
NBC |
"My Name is Earl" (C) |
Earl's treasure is gone, and Joy, Darnell and Randy all have different stories about what happened. |
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8 p.m. |
ABC |
"Ugly Betty" (D) |
Betty finds some dirt that puts Daniel's relationship with Sofia in jeopardy. |
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8 p.m. |
CW |
"Smallville" (D) |
Tori Spelling guests as a gossip columnist working for the Daily Planet. |
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9 p.m. |
ABC |
"Grey's Anatomy" (D) |
George's dad is forced to endure heart surgery followed by surgery for his cancer. |
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9 p.m. |
NBC |
"Scrubs" (C) |
Dr. Cox and the janitor move in together, and Turk thinks Carla should get some help for her depression. |
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10 p.m. |
MTV |
"Real World/Road Rules Challenge" (R) |
After a challenge involving swimming, the final two male and females are identified. |
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10 p.m. |
NBC |
"ER" (D) |
Abby gives a patient some extra attention, which irks Luka. |
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 |
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Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
|
7 a.m. |
NBC |
"Today" (N) |
Author Ann Brashares guests, as does Jill Hennessey. |
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8 p.m. |
CBS |
"Ghost Whisperer" (D) |
A ghost who doesn't want to be reincarnated threatens the health of Melinda's friend's unborn baby. |
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8 p.m. |
NBC |
"1 vs. 100" (G) |
Fabio and a host of child geniuses take part in tonight's panel. |
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9 p.m. |
CBS |
"Close to Home" (D) |
A woman dies during routine plastic surgery. Her husband suspects murder, not malpractice. |
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9 p.m. |
G4 |
"G4 Presents the Adult Entertainment Expo 2007" (A) |
A two-hour celebration of the adult entertainment industry's annual love-fest. |
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10 p.m. |
NBC |
"Law & Order" (D) |
The husband of a daytime soap star turns up dead. |
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 13 |
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Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
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1 p.m. |
CBS |
"College Basketball" (S) |
Nice matchup between Tennessee and Ohio State. |
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2 p.m. |
NBC |
"NHL Hockey" (S) |
Regional action as the NHL comes back to NBC. |
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4:30 p.m. |
CBS |
"NFL Football" (S) |
An AFC divisional playoff game. |
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8 p.m. |
Fox |
"NFL Football" (S) |
No “Cops” tonight, but Fox should do better with an NFC divisional playoff game. |
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9 p.m. |
Sci Fi Channel |
"Grendel" (M) |
A made-for-cable version of the classic epic “Beowulf.” |
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10 p.m. |
HBO |
"Louis C.K.: Shameless" (A, C) |
A taped performance of the comic at Henry Fonda Theater. |
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 14 |
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Time |
Network |
Program |
Description |
|
1 p.m. |
Fox |
"NFL Football" (S) |
Another divisional playoff game in the NFC. |
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4:30 p.m. |
CBS |
"NFL Football" (S) |
More AFC divisional playoff action. |
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7 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
"Tennis" (S) |
Early-round coverage of the year's first major, the Australian Open. |
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8 p.m. |
Fox |
"24" (D) |
Season premiere. Picks up 20 months after last season ended, with Wayne Palmer now president and terrorists still wreaking havoc in the U.S. |
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8 p.m. |
Univision |
"Bailando por la Boda de Mis Suenos" (R) |
A new incarnation of Univision's highly rated Sunday night show. |
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9 p.m. |
ABC |
"Desperate Housewives" (D) |
Gaby's secret admirer comes to light and Tom's pizza business is in trouble. |
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9 p.m. |
HBO |
"Rome" (D) |
Season premiere. The new season begins right after Caesar was murdered. |
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A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show. |
