James Lileks chimes in:

Ah, the vulgar, vulgar language of “Rome.” I’ll never recover from
hearing Cicero shout “You Svck!” in the Senate.
For the Sopranos, it may have disabused people of the notion that
mobsters wear bespoke suits and talk in hushed, careful voices in
elegant, dimly-lit rooms while weddings take place on the lawn
outside. Until the Sopranos, I thought all mobsters were either
elegant figures who held power with calm repose, or colorful figures
who spoke like Damon Runyan characters. Why, Gotti couldn’t have been
a mobster – he used contractions!
The Sopranos’ revelation that mobsters dress poorly, cuss a lot and
probably reek of cigarettes was hard to take, but I’m starting to
believe it might be right.
(I agree about Rome – it’s superb. And we’re so used to CGI
reconstructions it’s hard to believe sometimes that those are
actually sets. The sets for the show are supposedly the largest ever
built, although I think they only built four of the seven hills.
Sorry I missed you in Mpls –sounds like you had fun. See you at the
gigantic party we’re having during the convention, perhaps.
Regards,
Lileks