‘Sopranos’ cleans up with a vengeance

THE abrupt blackout ending of “The Sopranos” finale may have left some fans dissatisfied, but the HBO drama is poised to exit the television landscape with closure of another sort.

The epic mobster tale racked up 15 Emmy nominations Thursday, including one for outstanding drama series, a recognition the program won only once before in its seven-year run. Stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco were also nominated as outstanding leads.

The raft of nominations -- double the number the show received last season -- was widely regarded as a salute to an iconic television series obsessively dissected by viewers.

“It’s great to be patted on the back on the way out,” said director Alan Taylor, whose work on the program garnered him his first Emmy nomination. “I think it’s a real acknowledgment of the show and the fact that people are aware it’s the end of its run and the brave, respectful thing of going out when it was very strong.”

Perhaps no episode got more scrutiny than the finale, “Made in America,” and the controversial ending that left the fate of Tony Soprano unclear. The episode spawned a spoof by Democratic presidential contender Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, among others, and generated furious debate among fans.

On Thursday, the finale earned creator David Chase a nod for outstanding writing, one of the show’s three writing nominations.

Michael Imperioli, nominated for supporting actor for his portrayal of Christopher Moltisanti, said the recognition of the last episode was apt, especially considering the reaction it provoked.

“I think it was interesting that when it first was on the air, people were really divided about whether they liked it or not,” Imperioli said.

“Then a few days later, people who initially weren’t sure kind of came around.

“I thought it was perfect,” he added. “I thought he hit the bull’s-eye.”

matea.gold@latimes.com