David Chase, the acclaimed creator of The Sopranos, is returning to television with a new limited series for HBO titled Project: MKUltra.. the show will explore the CIA's secret mind-control program and the chemist Sidney Gottlieb, promising a spiritual and ambitious narrative.

The $30 million toe in the water

Chase's post-Sopranos career has been sparse, with only a few notable projects, including the 2012 film Not Fade Away and the 2021 prequel film The Many Saints of Newark.. However, his return to teleision is a welcome event for fans of great television.

According to the source, Chase has described the project as ambitious and spiritual, delving into questions about creation and reality.. Whether it can live up to the legacy of The Sopranos remains to be seen.

An echo of Sydney's 2024 institutional buy-up

The show is based on John Lisle's book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA,which explores the real-life CIA program that experimented with mind control and drugs like LSD.

The series will focus on Sidney Gottlieb, the chemist behind the operation, who has been described as the unwitting godfather of the counterculture movement.. This echoes the 2024 institutional buy-up in Sydney, where a similar program was implemented.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

Chase's earlier post-Sopranos projects didn't reach the same heights as The Sopranos, but fans are eager to see what he brings to the small screen again. HBO has long been synonymous with prestige television, but before the era of groundbreaking dramas, the network was just another cable station.

It was The Sopranos that truly cemented HBO's reputation as the home of complex, irresistible storytelling. Premiering in 1999, the series folloed Tony Soprano, a New Jersey mob boss balancing the demands of his criminal empire with the struggles of his personal life.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

Now, after more than a decade away, Chase is finally returning to television. In late 2025, he announced a limited series for HBO titled Project: MKUltra. However, the identity of the unnamed buyer remains a mystery.

Open questions

Whether it can live up to the legacy of The Sopranos remains to be seen, but for fans of great television, the return of David Chase is a welcome event. However, several questions remain unanswered, including the identity of the unnamed buyer and the extent of the CIA's involvement in the program.