The comeback no one saw coming
The legacy of The Sopranos looms so large—so defining—that many assumed its creator would never again attempt long-form television. And yet, in late 2025, the announcement arrives: David Chase is adapting John Lisle’s nonfiction book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKUltra into a new limited series for HBO.
It’s official: the man who ushered in “prestige TV” is returning to the field he once dismissed, to tell a story as unnerving as it is timely.
From mob bosses to mind control: a thematic leap
Chase’s prior television work—primarily The Sopranos—rooted itself in territory familiar: family, identity, morality, violence. Now, he pivots from DNA to the synapses, from New Jersey streets to clandestine laboratories. The focus is Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA chemist dubbed “The Black Sorcerer,” architect of the MKUltra program (1953–1973), the U.S. agency’s secret mind-control experiments on unwitting subjects.
Gottlieb’s dual role—as cold scientist and tragic paradox—gives Chase fertile psychological ground. The very man behind LSD dosing, hypnosis, interrogations, and chemical coercion also unwittingly seeded the counterculture. That tension—the craftsman turned catalyst—feels deeply haunting, especially in an era obsessed with truth, control, and surveillance.
MKUltra isn’t abstract. From Operation Midnight Climax to experiments on vulnerable populations, the program’s horror is documented. Chase is building his return on real—not mythic—shadows.
What we know so far: structure, timing, collaborators
- The new show is a limited series (i.e. not open-ended) under HBO’s umbrella.
- Chase is personally penning the scripts.
- His production arm—Riverain Pictures—is working under a first-look deal with HBO.
- The public has not yet seen casting announcements, release dates, or festival plans.
It’s a slow drip—measured, cautious. But in that patience lies intention: Chase may be betting that the story’s intrigue is enough to draw audiences.
While we await more concretes—trailers, cast, premiere date—this feels like more than a prestige play. It feels like a statement.
Why this matters: resonance in 2025
Television’s “Golden Age” is long gone, or so many say. Streaming algorithms, audience fragmentation, and formulaic crowd-pleasers dominate. Chase’s return—on a subject uncomfortably political, morally ambiguous, and experimentally illicit—goes against every current grain. But maybe that’s the point.
This isn’t nostalgia for a time when HBO was untouchable. This is audacious: a creator re-entering the space with something difficult, layered, even repellent. In a moment when power, information, and consent are contested, a show about the CIA dosing people without permission reads less as period thriller than cautionary mirror.
And for film and TV critics, this is electric. Will Chase retain his tonal subtlety? His willingness to let characters sit in silence, in dread? Will he allow disgust, moral murk, even ambiguity?
In short: can he still surprise us?
On the horizon
We’re in early act, but a few watches and bets:
- Casting will define tone. If the lead is a cold scientist, knowing whether he becomes monster or martyr (or both) is key.
- Budget and visuals matter. Laboratory interiors, psychedelic sequences, testimony horrors—these need ambition.
- Festival or preview slot. Given Chase’s stature, a Venice or Cannes TV sidebar premiere isn’t off the table.
- Impact on prestige drama. A success may rekindle appetite for complex, morally fraught TV in an age of franchise comfort.
What to watch for
- How Chase stages the unseen horrors—what happens offscreen, in whispered confession, in blank stares.
- Whether MKUltra is a metaphor or flesh: how literal will the show go?
- The tension between patriotic intention and violent violation—the program’s dual self-justification and horror.
Expect none of this to be easy—but very possibly necessary.
What We’re Learning from Chase’s Return
- A creative comeback with purpose. This isn’t a safe rehash—it’s a deep dive into moral chaos.
- Science as intrigue, not spectacle. The material is dense; Chase must balance clarity without flattening complexity.
- Tone sets stakes. If the series starts clinical, it can spiral into terror—on our terms or his.
- Trust in silence. Given his past, Chase may let dread live between lines.
- The archive as ghost story. MKUltra is historical, but its aftershocks haunt us still.
FAQ
What is the scope of this new series—fictional or documentary?
The series is a dramatic adaptation of John Lisle’s nonfiction book, focusing on Sidney Gottlieb and MKUltra’s clandestine activities. It is not a docuseries.
Does this mark Chase’s first TV work since The Sopranos?
Yes. After The Sopranos ended in 2007, Chase’s primary returns to visual storytelling were film projects—not episodic television.
How faithful will it be to historical record?
That’s uncertain. Chase must navigate gaps in archival records (many MKUltra files were destroyed) and respectful portrayal of victims. The show will inevitably mix fact and interpretation.
This is more than a comeback. It’s an invitation—to scrutinize history, to examine control, to watch as a master revisits the terrain he once reshaped. For filmofilia readers, keep your eyes peeled: this could be the kind of event we talk about for decades.
