“ | It's bad enough that I don't get credit for my own ideas, now I'm supposed to take responsibility for some shit that's gonna get me in trouble? Fuck that, man.
|
„ |
― J.T. to Christopher Moltisanti about telling Tony Soprano that the main antagonist of Cleaver was his idea |
J.T. Dolan, portrayed by Tim Daly, is a screenwriter and Christopher Moltisanti's friend and acquaintance from rehab. He struggled with all sorts of addictions, but ultimately put himself together again, writing the script for Christopher's movie, Cleaver.
Quick Answers
Who portrayed the character J.T. Dolan in the Sopranos?
What was the relationship between J.T. Dolan and Christopher Moltisanti?
Why did Christopher Moltisanti kill J.T. Dolan?
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How did J.T. Dolan's addiction affect his career and relationships?
Biography[]
Season 5[]

J.T. at an AA meeting.
J.T. first appears in the season 5 episode "In Camelot", where he is seen attending an AA meeting, introducing himself as an alcoholic and an addict, saying he is also a TV writer and that he got himself into a rehab program in Pennsylvania, where, with the help of some friends, including Christopher Moltisanti, whom he shoutouts, he got himself back together. He and Christopher are later dining at a restaurant, where they discuss how J.T.'s coming back home to New Jersey. Things quickly get out of hand, however, when J.T. says he would like to play some poker at an Indian casino, with Christopher saying that if he wants a "real game" he can let him play at one of their games. J.T. borrows some money from Christopher so he can gamble but he quickly wastes it all after a losing streak. When J.T. doesn't repay Christopher in time, he and Little Paulie go to his apartment and beat him up, confiscating his BMW as a partial payment for his debts, after J.T. tried unsuccesfully to sell his Emmy Award. The debt causes J.T. to relapse, and Christopher takes pity on him and decides to freeze the debt while he's in rehab, assuring him he will return to screenwriting.[2]
Season 6[]
Part I[]

J.T. is abducted.
In "Mayham", J.T. is working in Los Angeles as a full-time professor of a writer's class "The Writer's Block". As he is teaching the class, Benny Fazio and James "Murmur" Zancone abduct him and take him outside and inside a car where Christopher angrily screams at him demanding he write the script for the movie he's putting together, Cleaver. When they kick him out of the car J.T. reprimands the writers he was teaching his lesson to about how not one of them tried to intervene when he was being abducted. Later on in the episode, when J.T. pitches the idea to the mobsters of the DiMeo family, they are generally misunderstanding of the project, but Christopher is convinced it'll earn lots of money.[3]
Part II[]
Cleaver is screened for the first time in the episode "Stage 5" in 2007, and it is a commercial success. However, when talking about the people who helped him make the film, Christopher mentions Tony, not J.T., which humiliates him in front of his girlfriend. Later, when Christopher notices Tony thinks the main antagonist of the movie is based on him, Chris goes to J.T.'s apartment and asks him to tell Tony it was his idea, and after he staunchly rejects to it, Christopher beats J.T. with his Humanitas Prize over his head. J.T. goes over to the Bing to subtly tell Tony it was his idea, though it doesn't seem very convincing.[4]

J.T.'s dead body after Christopher shot him in the head.
In the episode "Walk Like a Man", after Christopher relapses again over his latest feud with Paulie Gualtieri, he goes over to J.T.'s apartment to seek comfort, but J.T. is not in the mood. He is busy staying up at night writing a Law and Order: SVU episode. After noticing that he is severely drunk, J.T. tries to lecture Christopher on staying sober and wants to call his wife, but Christopher is highly emotional, and he almost starts talking about the many murders only he knew about, with J.T. repeatedly saying he doesn't want to know about it. Christopher continues to mess up the conversation until J.T. finally snaps and screams "Chris, you're in the Mafia!". Christopher is taken aback and simply says "fine". He begins to walk towards the door, then turns around, pulls out his gun, and shoots J.T. in the head, killing him instantly.[5]
Appearances[]
Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
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Season 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Season 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Season 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Season 5 | ✔ | ||||||||||||||||||||
Season 6 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
References[]
- ↑ In "In Camelot", J.T. asks Christopher after his losing streak, "You think you could spot me for a while? I got some child support too." Implying he has a son or daughter he needs to support.
- ↑ "In Camelot"
- ↑ "Mayham"
- ↑ "Stage 5"
- ↑ "Walk Like a Man"