HBO Max is letting anyone in the U.S. watch Season 1 of groundbreaking Jersey crime drama “The Sopranos” — for free in the app — for a limited time. The promo is timed for the release of film prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” on Oct. 1 simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. The film will be available on the HBO Max ad-free plan ($14.99/month) for 31 days after release.
The first season of “The Sopranos,” which debuted in 1999 on HBO, will be free to stream in the HBO Max app until Oct. 8. It’s part of the long-standing sampling strategy HBO has used for years to give people a taste of its original programming — and try to convince them to pay for the premium service.
According to WarnerMedia, users do not need to register with an email address to access the free “Sopranos” episodes domestically. However, users in Latin America markets do need to provide an email address to watch the content.
In addition, HBO Max has launched a spotlight page for “The Sopranos” celebrating the iconic series with curated selections including Essential Episodes and the Evolution of Tony Soprano. After “The Many Saints of Newark” premieres, the page will change over to focus on the movie.
In New Line Cinema’s “The Many Saints of Newark,” young Anthony Soprano (played by Michael Gandolfini, son of the original series star, the late James Gandolfini) is growing up in Newark in the late ’60s and early ’70s — one of the most tumultuous eras in the city’s history — becoming a man just as rival gangsters begin to rise up and challenge the all-powerful DiMeo crime family’s hold. Caught up in the changing times is the uncle he idolizes, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who struggles to manage both his professional and personal responsibilities-and whose influence over his nephew will help make the impressionable teenager into the all-powerful mob boss we’ll later come to know: Tony Soprano.
