An HBO Crime Drama Saw Robert De Niro Replace James Gandolfini — Then Lose The Role Himself

In 2016, HBO released “The Night Of,” a crime drama miniseries that starred Riz Ahmed and John Turturro in two of the best roles in their respective careers. At one point, however, James Gandolfini was set to star opposite Ahmed before he passed away and was replaced — not by John Turturro, but by Robert De Niro, who ultimately lost the role himself.

Ten years ago, a great travesty occurred when “The Night Of” debuted on HBO, won a bunch of Emmys, and was promptly forgotten about. The show remains one of the best HBO miniseries of all time yet is rarely talked about today. Why that is remains unclear, but the…