In The Sopranos, many characters come and go due to the battle between the different sides of the mafia and the criminal activities that provide their revenue stream. As characters die or end up in prison, other characters rank up in their place within the mob. Some characters return after doing time in prison hoping to pick up where they left off before going away. There are many changing of the guards moments in the show, mostly brought on by prison stretches by characters. One of the characters who returned from prison was Philip "Phil" Leotardo, introduced in the first episode of season five of The Sopranos.

Phil Leotardo arrived in The Sopranos after being in jail for twenty years. His character was closely aligned with the New York crime family, the Lupertazzis, and he embraced many conflicts with the Dimeo crime family, where Tony Soprano was the boss. Throughout...