The Super Bowl is supposed to be an emotions safe zone. Sure, an occasional Budweiser ad might slip through and jerk a tear, but nothing prepared me for when Chevrolet went for the jugular with its surprise first half clip featuring Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler. The Sopranos stars reunited for a nod to the original series, whose opening credits featured Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) driving a 1999 Chevy Suburban from Manhattan to New Jersey. More than 20 years later, Sigler, who played Gandolfini's on-air daughter Meadow, has taken over the driver's seat in a 2024 Silverado EV. Sure, she's opted to ditch that cigar in favor of a lollipop, but my God are the vibes still there.
If the commercial weren't enough to make your eyes a bit misty, Sigler told People,"[Gandolfini] was, particularly, Robert and I's biggest supporters and biggest fans, so there were many mentions of him. His presence was very much felt throughout it all, of course, because anything we ever do having to do with Sopranos, he is there." Gandolfini died in 2013, after suffering a major heart attack. The series, which ended in 2007, has recently found a major resurgence, spurring a prequel movie last year, The Many Saints of Newark.
While every Super Bowl commercial doesn't land well with viewers, The Sopranos crossover with Chevrolet registered as definitely among the top tier, if not the best, of the night.
When it comes to The Sopranos, we are officially proclaiming that this commercial is canon. Somewhere in North Jersey, Meadow has a car that self-parks. AJ is alive and well. And we're crying into our gabagool.
Justin Kirkland is a Brooklyn-based writer who covers culture, food, and the South. Along with Esquire, his work has appeared in NYLON, Vulture, and USA Today.
