'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Unveils Shocking CIA Mind Control Series

Olivia Bennett, 10/23/2025David Chase returns to HBO with "Project: MKUltra," a gripping limited series based on the CIA's dark history of mind control. Through the lens of Sidney Gottlieb's chilling experiments, Chase explores paranoia and ethics in Cold War America, promising a narrative that resonates with today's societal fears.

Chase's new limited series "Project: MKUltra" marks his first return to HBO since that infamous cut-to-black that had viewers checking their cable connections. Based on John Lisle's non-fiction stunner "Project Mind Control," the series dives deep into the twisted tale of Sidney Gottlieb — a man whose real-life exploits make Walter White look like a chemistry teacher who just played it straight.

Picture this: Cold War America, paranoia thick as smog, and at the center, a CIA chemist nicknamed "The Black Sorcerer." Gottlieb wasn't just pushing boundaries — he was demolishing them with a wrecking ball of ethical catastrophes. His MKUltra program reads like a horror script that would've gotten laughed out of a pitch meeting for being too far-fetched. Except it actually happened.

Throughout the '50s and '60s, Gottlieb's experiments involved dosing unsuspecting subjects with psychedelics and employing torture techniques that would make Jack Bauer flinch. All this madness was supposedly justified as a counter to Soviet and Chinese "brainwashing" advances. Sure, because nothing says "protecting democracy" quite like secretly drugging your own citizens.

The delicious irony? This government chemist accidentally became "the unwitting godfather of the entire LSD counterculture." Talk about unintended consequences. When Gottlieb retired in '73, he tried burning all evidence of his work — but some skeletons refuse to stay in the closet, especially ones this fascinating.

Chase's return feels particularly loaded given his recent funeral oration for television's Golden Age. Just as "The Sopranos" celebrates its 25th anniversary, here's Chase at 80, potentially breathing new life into the medium he helped elevate. The project falls under his first-look deal with HBO through Riverain Pictures, with Nicole Lambert joining as executive producer.

Let's be real — Chase hasn't exactly been twiddling his thumbs since Tony Soprano's story ended. There was that "Sopranos" prequel "The Many Saints of Newark" and his 2012 feature "Not Fade Away." But this? This marks his first real plunge back into series storytelling since that fateful night at Holsten's.

In our current landscape of deepfakes, social media manipulation, and rampant conspiracy theories, Chase's exploration of MKUltra might hit differently than expected. It's not just history anymore — it's a funhouse mirror reflecting our own paranoid present. And who better to guide us through this labyrinth than the storyteller who once made us empathize with a sociopathic mob boss?

Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction. And in Chase's hands, this stranger-than-fiction tale might just remind us why we fell in love with prestige television in the first place.

David Chase is trading Jersey wiseguys for government spies, and television might never be the same. The mastermind behind "The Sopranos" — who once showed us therapy-seeking mobsters could make compelling TV — has set his sights on one of the CIA's darkest chapters. And honestly? The timing couldn't be more fascinating.Chase's new limited series "Project: MKUltra" marks his first return to HBO since that infamous cut-to-black that had viewers checking their cable connections. Based on John Lisle's non-fiction stunner "Project Mind Control," the series dives deep into the twisted tale of Sidney Gottlieb — a man whose real-life exploits make Walter White look like a chemistry teacher who just played it straight.Picture this: Cold War America, paranoia thick as smog, and at the center, a CIA chemist nicknamed "The Black Sorcerer." Gottlieb wasn't just pushing boundaries — he was demolishing them with a wrecking ball of ethical catastrophes. His MKUltra program reads like a horror script that would've gotten laughed out of a pitch meeting for being too far-fetched. Except it actually happened.Throughout the '50s and '60s, Gottlieb's experiments involved dosing unsuspecting subjects with psychedelics and employing torture techniques that would make Jack Bauer flinch. All this madness was supposedly justified as a counter to Soviet and Chinese "brainwashing" advances. Sure, because nothing says "protecting democracy" quite like secretly drugging your own citizens.The delicious irony? This government chemist accidentally became "the unwitting godfather of the entire LSD counterculture." Talk about unintended consequences. When Gottlieb retired in '73, he tried burning all evidence of his work — but some skeletons refuse to stay in the closet, especially ones this fascinating.Chase's return feels particularly loaded given his recent funeral oration for television's Golden Age. Just as "The Sopranos" celebrates its 25th anniversary, here's Chase at 80, potentially breathing new life into the medium he helped elevate. The project falls under his first-look deal with HBO through Riverain Pictures, with Nicole Lambert joining as executive producer.Let's be real — Chase hasn't exactly been twiddling his thumbs since Tony Soprano's story ended. There was that "Sopranos" prequel "The Many Saints of Newark" and his 2012 feature "Not Fade Away." But this? This marks his first real plunge back into series storytelling since that fateful night at Holsten's.In our current landscape of deepfakes, social media manipulation, and rampant conspiracy theories, Chase's exploration of MKUltra might hit differently than expected. It's not just history anymore — it's a funhouse mirror reflecting our own paranoid present. And who better to guide us through this labyrinth than the storyteller who once made us empathize with a sociopathic mob boss?Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction. And in Chase's hands, this stranger-than-fiction tale might just remind us why we fell in love with prestige television in the first place.