Gene Seymour : James Gandolfini helped elevate the medium of dramatic television . He was a great actor, but he also had an ability to make you feel like you were there with him in his world and that made for compelling television. Seymour : Six years have passed since the last episode of `` The Sopranos '' left the fate of its psychically damaged crime boss and suburban patriarch to speculation -- and you still want closure after all this time ? Complex , conflicted Tony Soprano paved the way for others such as Don Draper . He says it 's sad that we wo n't get to see Gandolfini make other dramatic breakthroughs .
Gene Seymour : James Gandolfini helped elevate the medium of dramatic television . He was a great actor, but he also had an ability to make you feel like you were there with him in his world and that made for compelling television. Seymour : Complex , conflicted Tony Soprano paved the way for others such as Don Draper . He says it 's sad that we wo n't get to see Gandolfini make other dramatic breakthroughs .