The Sopranos is universally thought of as one of the best tv shows of all-time and is at the top of every "best ever" list ever created for a reason...because it is! It follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) as juggles the problems he has to deal with both running his mob family and his own family. He starts having panic attacks which makes him talk to a therapist about his problems. This show is The Godfather of television. Every seasons had such high expectations, as much as any show I can remember, but it not only continued to meet those expectations but exceeded them season after season. There's nothing I can say about this incredible tv show that hasn't already been said. All you have to do is read through the reviews to see how loved this show really is. It's absolutely perfect!
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Rob133129 June 2023
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Supermanfan-1314 September 2021What can be said about The Sopranos that hasn't been said? It's absolutely one of the best tv shows of all-time. I just rewatched it all the way through again 15 years after it ended and it still holds up today as one of the best shows ever. The writing and acting is what makes this show so special. The entire cast is perfect for their roles, especially James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano. If it winning a million awards isn't enough for you to watch it then all you have to do is read through all the reviews to see how people feel about it. So, if you're one of the few people who hasn't seen this incredible show yet then do yourself a favor and go watch it as soon as you can. I promise you won't be disappointed!
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Johnny-Sack11 March 2006The Sopranos is arguably the greatest show in Dramatic Television history.
Its hard to think of another series that boasts so much intelligence, sublime writing or first rate performances.
Across its epic scope it produces fresh and iconic characters and a constant level of high quality. Centering around the life of one Tony Soprano, a man who lives in two families. One is the conventional wife and two kids nuclear family the other a huge New Jersey Mafia group, of which he is the boss of both. Played by James Gandolfini, of True Romance and The Mexican fame, Tony is a fascinating, scary but also likable guy. Full praise must be given to Gandolfini for making a womanising and horrifically aggressive brute a genuinely identifiable and perfect leading man. Contemporay American drama has never had such an arresting and iconic figure as Tony.
The cast of hundreds never boasts a flat performance and such stand out characters like Paulie Walnuts and Ralph Cifaretto will stick in your memory for ever.
The true genius of this tale however, is the creator and writers bravery and revolutionary take on a conventional drama series. Twenty minute long dream sequences, powerful and original use of symbolism and metaphorical imagery and truly shocking scenes of violence. Yet all this style is met by truly touching themes of love, honour and respect for family. The series never becomes cold hearted or gratuitous.
With TV now competitive and often poor The Sopranos stands tall above the rest as America's most original and compelling drama. Forget Family Redifined. This is Television Redifined. -
lee_eisenberg20 September 2017I can't believe that it took me this long to get around to seeing "The Sopranos". I had heard a lot about it, but I can affirm that with this show, "Six Feet Under" and "Game of Thrones", HBO revolutionized TV in the 21st century. A gritty look at a mob boss and how he tries to balance his work life and family, this show pulls no punches. One of the points that it makes is that there aren't really any "good" or "bad" characters. People do what they think best serves the family.
I don't know if I would go so far as to call it the greatest show ever - my personal fave of HBO's series is "Six Feet Under" - but the writing, acting and direction combine to make something that you won't get on the networks or basic cable. If you want to understand some of the best that TV can provide, then you owe it to yourself to watch "The Sopranos". Great show.
Too bad that James Gandolfini, Nancy Marchand and the recently deceased Frank Vincent are no longer with us. -
Inglourious_Basterd2126 August 2006What can you possibly say about a show of this magnitude? "The Sopranos" has literally redefined television as we know it. It has broken all rules, and set new standards for television excellence. Everything is flawless, the writing, directing, and for me, most of all, the acting. Watching this show you'll find yourself realizing that these characters are NOT real. The acting tricks you into thinking there is a real Tony Soprano, or any character. This show is also very versatile. Some people don't watch the show because it's violent, it's not all about the violence, it's about business, family, and many deeper things that all depend on what you, as a fan see. For me, I don't like when people refer to the show, a show about the Mafia. For me, it's a show about family. A family who, through generations, happen to be apart of the mob. Overall this is a masterpiece of a show. This is what television should be. Right here. Complex characters from stunning acting, magnificent story lines from brilliant writing, and what do you get when you mix these ingredients together? A show that defines excellence, and dares to be different.
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prodigy30105 May 2018I ve just finished watching "The Sopranos" for the 4th time. I think its flawless. I wouldnt change anything about it. Cant wait to watch it for the 5th time.
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pronins23 July 2020This is The Godfather of TV series. I've rewatched all 86 episodes a few times and it's quite amazing how they'd kept up the quality over so many episodes. Aside from the great acting and writing, the directing is incredible - there are many scenes where nothing special happens, yet the atmosphere makes these scenes unforgettable. Character development at its best: I felt like I was there, experiencing their world throughout the series. A masterpiece.
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Simply the best writing, and the best acting... I've seen it five times and it never gets old... I'm an absolut tv and movie geek, thousands of hours invested in this "lifestyle" and still nothing beats The Sopranos... And nothing will ever beat it... James Gandolfini steals every second of his screen and non-screen time, makes you wish these guys would still be in the 20th seasson if James would be alive! Can't wait for The Saints of Newark... Johnny Boy Soprano played by Jon Bernthal OMFG!!
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BlackJack_B9 March 2001The only show on T.V. worth watching in a sea of bad. Great acting, excellent music, intriguing storylines, and even hilarious situations are combined with HBO's no-holds-barred content. James Gandolfini is mesmerizing as Tony Soprano, a lynchpin in the Italian Mafia. However, instead of seeing Tony as just a one-dimensional thug, we see that he has a life outside of his criminal activities, and that's what makes this show different from it's competition. It's a different side to the story of criminals, that they have normal lives when not breaking the law. The entire supporting cast is brilliant, especially Edie Falco, as Tony's wife Carmela, a deeply religious woman who stands behind her man despite all of his sins and Lorraine Bracco, as Dr. Jennifer Merlhi, Tony's psychiatrist; a woman who fears him when she is giving him therapy, but secretly is attracted to him when they're apart. This is indeed "the show that revolutionized T.V." See it!!!
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From masterpiece to good. ( There is no such thing as a Soprano's bad season)
Season 5. Masterpiece.
Season 2. Masterpiece.
Season 1. Masterpiece.
Season 6b. Masterpiece.
Season 3. Excellent.
Season 4. Very good.
Season 6a. Good.
10 Favourite episodes:
Fun house.
Long term parking.
I dream of Jeannie Cusamano.
Soprano home movies.
Whoever did this.
Pine barrens.
Whitecaps.
All due respect.
Made in America.
Employee of the month. -
srk0891424 July 2020There are no words in dictionary to describe the awesomeness of this tv series. Right from the beginning, you get drawn toward charisma and simplicity of Mr Tonny Soprano( RIP James). Without James Gandolfini, this tv series would have been a normal mob based ordinary story. James made this series something extraordinary.
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THE SOPRANOS (1999-2007)
Number 1 - Television Show of all Time
Everyone thought this would be a stupid thing that wouldn't go past a pilot episode. The Sopranos has become a cultural phenomenon and universally agreed as one of the greatest television shows of all time.
James Gandolfini plays the enigmatic New Jersey crime boss, Tony Soprano, accompanied by a stellar cast. Edie Falco is superb as the worrying, loving upper-middle class mother; Tony Sirico is tremendous as a superstitious, greying consiglieri who is often very funny.
While the show has often been criticised for the negative stereotype of Italian-Americans as mafiosi, and to an extent this is undeniable, I can see so many positives from the show. The portrayal of strong family values, friendships, love and compassion; could this be present in a coarse television show about gangsters? Yes. Furthermore, other burning issues are discussed such as terrorism, social inequality and injustice, homosexuality, drugs etc. This is no shallow, dull show about tough guys and violence. It has so much more. Many of the issues we see on the show are very real.
The writing which has been pretty much great has infused so successfully current issues and managed to imbred them within the characters' lives, which makes the whole thing more interesting.
Credit must go to David Chase who has created an excellent television treasure and to James Gandolfini, for envisioning, television's most complex and enigmatic character.
Simply exceptional.
10/10 -
ShoeBuckle5 October 2013The entire series had some very bad flaws and had poor writing off and on. I am not on the Soprano bandwagon. There were so many side stories which were just a complete waste of time. The longer the series went on the worse it got.
I really dislike watching things which are not that great but some people insist are the "best ever" or "flawless". It's an attraction to people until they actually see it for themselves. This show had many parts to it which were designed to hook certain demographics to the show. What is funny is that these same people now state that if you don't get the show then you are not up to par with them. Excuse me but you are the ones who are manipulated and don't even realize it.
The show was mediocre with some good characters and acting at times. There was some good writing at times as well. There were however some episodes which were not needed. This series could have been done much better in half the time. I would not recommend this show to anyone. -
carzellako045 December 2016I just finished the show yesterday, and couldn't wait to do so. While I am late to the game viewing it by years, I seriously cant understand the high ratings and hype this show gets.
I give it a 5/10 and while there are many reasons for this I will just focus on one reason. This being the clear lack of depth to the shows plots and characters. I am a viewer that wants in-depth character studies and to really grow to understand the psychology of the characters. I also enjoy layered story-lines and while they don't necessarily have to be resolved, I love analyzing multiple angles. Chase in my opinion failed in this area.
Kudos to Edie Falco and the late James Gandolfini as their performances were great but not enough to carry the show.
Mainly, Chase fails to give the characters any true depth. No - the recurrent sessions with Dr. Melfi where he appears to grapple with his issues with his mother, numerous affairs and dual lifestyle nor the "change of heart" Tony experienced does not count. And suffice it to say I almost threw my remote at the TV by the 10th time Tony kept trying to "philosophically" tell others they were "in pity for themselves". After six seasons I knew the characters no better than I did at the start of the show.
The plot jumped around entirely too much and while I have read that it is not Chase's thing to resolve his story lines, I think too much time was wasted on pointless story lines (Junior in a nursing home, the writers had no clue what to do with AJ and the whole Carmella and Furio thing really?)
In any case, I could keep going as to many other factors that held this show back from being better but it mainly boils down to the fact that this show is OK but not great. In no way does it belong in the league of truly great HBO shows such as The Wire, Six Feet Under and Boardwalk Empire. -
helgethuv24 April 2006The Sopranos is one of the best TV-shows I have ever seen. If you like gangster/mobster/mafia movies, I can strongly recommend "The Sopranos". The show is mainly about Anthony "Tony" Soprano and his life as a father, husband and leader of a mob in the 21st century. The show is (as far as I know) realistic, compared to many other mafia shows and movies I have seen. The actors fit like a glove to their parts. This show made me realize how good many of these actors are in other shows and movies. This show has it all; humor, action, drama, good music, good actors, good "behind the camera" people and a good plot. The show displays all sides of the mob business; "buisness", private life, the cops/FBI point of view, the victims side of the story and much more.
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feddomw29 March 2019Name any other show you like, I've watched it. And the other great ones, all of them. Numerous times. Loved them, even. But this is the best thing ever made, bar none. This is not Goodfellas Godfather shlock. This is the finest character study ever filmed. And James Gandolfini is the most mesmerizing protagonist in television history. Come at me.
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TheLittleSongbird2 February 2023Actually watched 'The Sopranos' for the first time just before the final season was about to end, when at the age where watching 15 plus certificate films and shows was allowed. It left a big impression on me even then, back when my knowledge of film and such was actually pretty limited (am still learning). Especially for the very much missed James Gandolfini, the unyielding storytelling (if by late teens standard a little too much at times) and the complexity of the writing.
'The Sopranos' is often on lists of the greatest shows ever made and one of the few to be near-universally acclaimed everywhere, and it is a distinction that is richly deserved. It really is that masterful and it not only is every bit as wonderful as remembered but also even better, due to understanding more of the material and themes and appreciating uncompromising approaches to tough subjects a lot more. Watching 'The Sopranos' feels so much more than watching a television show, it's like watching an epic grand opera and there is really not much to add to what has already been said.
Gandolfini plays an enormous part in what makes 'The Sopranos' so brilliant. He is absolutely masterful as one of the most iconic and most complex TV characters to have ever existed, full of chilling intensity but also equally powerful nuance. All the cast are fabulous in their fascinatingly written, compellingly real roles as well, coming over as real people with strengths and flaws and not caricatures. The chemistry scintillates throughout between the whole cast, every emotion in all the universal and relatable issues covered embodied.
Writing is also of exceptionally high quality, very hard boiled with a lot of gritty edge but with enough subtlety to avoid heavy handedness. It never felt soap operatic or heavy in melodrama, and the crackling energy of it and the amount of thought probing and emotional complexity there is is non stop. The storytelling is consistently transfixing in one of the few shows to exist to not have a bad season or an episode that disgraces the show, faltering only a little with the abrupt feeling latter stages of the final episode which was not enough to ruin what was absolute perfection up to then. The atmosphere never holds back and hits hard while not being in your face or gratuitous, nothing feels glamourised or sugar-coated.
Production values are tremendously stylish and cinematic worthy, while the music fits beautifully throughout. Direction is pacey and tight, while sympathetic enough in more intimate parts.
Summing up, one of the greatest shows ever made and a work of art. One of the easiest 10/10s given so far this year. -
timdasilva30 June 2023Don't stop believing in The Sopranos. Years after the epic conclusion, this may still be the best TV series of all-time.
Set in the beautiful state of New Jersey, The Sopranos offers a look into the life of Italian mafiosos. Following the life of The Don of North Jersey as he claims his position as boss of the family, this series provides twists and turns to keep the viewer guessing. Through these twists and turns, Tony Soprano proves to be the most dynamic protagonist in the history of television. Despite his heinous actions, Tony remains a compelling character that one can't help but root for throughout the series. Through sessions of therapy and introspection, the viewer is drawn into not just Tony's life as The Don, but also his psyche... the psyche of a lovable sociopath. Hope remains to never stop believing in Tony, just as he never stops believing in his family, but often times the theme of "the more things change, the more they stay the same" rings true. All in all, don't stop believing in Tony Soprano, just enjoy the ride till it fades to black.
Recommended for everyone, not just members only. 10/10. -
martinpersson971 July 2021There have been a lot of great TV since its conception. The fact remained though that it was overall beneath movies in quality.
Enter the first of many similar HBO masterpieces. This show presents itself as the story about a family man tackling the every-day problems of life, only one difference: he is in the mafia. This show dared to go where no TV and not many movies had gone before. It actually portrayed the players in the criminal life as complex human beings and made them relatable.
The Godfather and Scroreses works are all fantastic, but Sopranos truly broke new ground in not romantisicing the inner playings of the mafia in any way.
The actors are all fantastic, especially the late James Gandolfini, and do a great job of conveying this unique and never-before seen story.
Whilst being great in its own right, it paved the way for pretty much all great TV shows since and HBO shows such as Game of Thrones, The Wire, Treme, Rome, The Outsider and so on.
It is definitely a recommendation any day of the week if you haven't (for unlikely reasons) watched it yet! -
On January 10th, 1999, a mobster walked in a psychiatrist's office, and the rest is history. I watched The Sopranos just recently, and the first thing that came to my mind after finishing that last episode was, "why haven't I watched this earlier??". I never underestimated this show, because I heard great stuff about it, but also bad stuff. And that's okay, because it is not a show for everyone. If you enjoy mafia movies, even on a small level, you are definitely going to enjoy this. If you don't enjoy mafia movies, then you're probably going to enjoy it anyway. The reason why I am comparing this to movies, is because it is a movie on some level. It is a cinematic show. Before The Sopranos, shows such as Friends, Seinfeld, etc, all shared the same thing. A 20 minute episode, they weren't necessarily connected to each other, but people still enjoyed them. Now The Sopranos, it has been said by many that it is basically a 13 hour movie. That is because each season has 13 episodes (except for the last one). I imagine what a challenge it must have been for David Chase (the creator) to get a television to pick the show up. Naturally, he got turned down. It would have been impossible for The Sopranos to be part of a network television. I believe that the limit in network tv, is about 42 minutes per episode (then you have the commercial breaks and other things). Luckily, HBO decided to put the show on the air. An episode is around 52-60 minutes, and it was this show, that put HBO on the map (later producing shows like Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Westworld etc). When the first episode aired in 1999, it started a new age of television. The viewers were introduced with the concept of an anti-hero, being the protagonist of the show. This shocked a lot of people, because they were used to seeing bad guys in movies, then getting killed at the end. Having said this, The Sopranos was immediately revolutionary. I imagine how people felt when watching it, thinking "a show about a bad guy"? It was never done before... But after the first season, people realized that it was special, and the reason for that is because it was different, unique. The greatest thing about this show, except the story line and structure, I have to say that it is the casting. It is not one of those shows where the lead actors are good, and then the extras are there to just do the part. Every single person withing the shot, is so spot on. I have to give credit to David Chase, who I know pays a lot of attention to detail. It is crazy how you can't imagine other people playing those characters, and that is because no one could play them like the cast did. James Gandolfini's performance is probably the most powerful performance on TV. I have watched a lot of shows, and I have never seen such brilliant acting. I hate it when people compare his performance to Bryan Cranston's on Breaking Bad. Don't get me wrong, it is also one of the best performances, but you have to know that if it wasn't for The Sopranos, there wouldn't be Breaking Bad, or Walter White for that matter. The Sopranos opened the doors for many shows, such as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, etc. The other great thing about the show is the writing. Every character has its own arc. You can see how they develop during the show. Except for the anti-hero concept, I think that it was also the first show to introduce character development. There's something about how the characters are written. Just the main idea of the show, the professional and personal life of a mobster, struggling with his work and family, is brilliant. It treats subjects like illness, the importance of it, loyalty, love, trust, hatred, death, and many others. You see characters change, evolve, you start to like them, you start to dislike them. It is the best written show to this day. It is dark, witty, cynical, and most importantly, addictive. David Chase decided to do what no other director did before. He showed violence, drugs, sex, and other elements that no one thought of putting in television. It pioneered cinematic television, it took mental illness seriously, it changed how we watch TV. I am not reviewing the episodes and story line, because I don't want to spoil this masterpiece, but I have to say one more thing... Whatever you're doing, stop! This show is a necessity, something that you need to watch, so do it.
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It took me around two years to complete the series, but I think it was for the better. I was kind of not used to this TV-show structure where the episodes are more like a series of discrete, independent from one another, complete mini-stories with barely palpable main plot thread happening somewhere in the background sewing all the episodes into one fabric of a cohesive world. That being said, I feel like I lost nothing by not binge-watching the whole series in a matter of weeks. Since there wasn't any intricated and convoluted story many details of which I would had to remember in order to enjoy it, I gave myself time to savour each episode independently from one another. Initially, you may not grasp the greatness of "The Sopranos", but as the seasons pass, the multifaceted and deep characters start to grow on you, levaing you no choice but to appreciate the genius of the scriptwriting as well as the perfomance of the actors it was written for. Take, for example James Gandolfini, who seems to have been born for the role of Tony Soprano. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that his performance in the show is the most prominent in all of the history of television. As a result, "The Sopranos" transformed the industry and set a new standard for TV series to strive for.
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kosmasp4 March 2012When everyone is telling you how great a show is, it is possible to expect too much. Not in this case. While both subtle and sublime, it also is very violent at times. And while it was playing at HBO and therefor was allowed to do anything it liked to do (nudity and violence/blood), it never did anything just because it could do it. If you had bare breasts, it was at a strip club. If there was violence it occasionally lingered upon it, but sometimes cut away from it too.
But let's get to where the show is great: It's acting cast. I had seen quite a few movies with James Gandolfini, but it's a real eye opener seeing him as Tony Soprano. He uses a special "voice", that he made up for the character. And it suits him and the story. The show as it is, is trying not to judge too much. It leaves quite a lot of things open for interpretation. It does ground the Gangsters into reality, but it also lets you know that, there is more to some of them than meets the eye.
Of course the charismatic portrayal by Gandolfini might lead to impressions that were not entirely intended (just as Pacinos Scarface wasn't meant to be an idol either). But you can't fault the actor or the filmmakers for conclusions other people reach about their creation.
Having said that, the first season did seem a bit dated decorations wise, when looked upon in 2011 or '12 for that matter. But it does not take anything away from the show. And while I will still state that "West Wing" is my favorite TV show (the first 4 seasons were superior, the latter 3 not as good), the Sopranos is consistently good throughout it's 6(.5) seasons!
Another great thing about the show is, that it builds upon the story it set out. So there are strands of the story that will be explored later. But as in real life, some things might go unnoticed forever. You never know with the Sopranos what i's going to be. And it's a very good thing.
I drew my own conclusions concerning the ending, but I'm sure there other interpretations out there .. and the ending couldn't have been anything else. It just couldn't! -
Abduldent22 February 2020Best writing , Best characters , best drama , best crime , best of comedy . The best tv show ever
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kevsh24 July 2012After hearing for years about how great The Sopranos was, along with being an avid viewer of more recent HBO shows, I took a chance and bought the first two seasons on DVD. Having just concluded the final episode in the 2nd season I am astonished at how disappointing the show has been so far.
In a relatively short review it's impossible to touch on all the things I saw wrong with the show so I'll use a few examples to illustrate my point.
1) Anthony Jr. (aka A.J.) is perhaps the most bland, uninspired and essentially pointless character I've seen in any series, ever. Story lines he's involved in feel like they were thrown in at the last minute to take up space. Just watch the episode that starts off with A.J. involved in a swim meet for instance. It's so uninspired, no foreshadowing or buildup of any kind -- just starts in the middle of a race, no ending, just him noting his father isn't there and ... oh well.
It's scenes like this that anyone with a fragment of imagination could have made so much better, and relevant. But it's just one of so many missed opportunities and seemingly pointless sub plots in this series.
2) Christopher and Adriana are sitting in a bar with his two "assistants" when she screams at him for nearly burning down the apartment cooking up his heroin. Later we see him in Italy shooting up and it seems to be building towards a drug addiction and potentially interesting story line. Sorry, it goes nowhere. Back home he still wants to write screenplays, then he doesn't, then he does, then he doesn't when Tony confronts him about it.
Another missed opportunity that was replaced by a pretty pointless affair with a Hollywood executive and messy, uninspired scenes including an episode ending with him dumping his screen play in the garbage complete with melodramatic music that seems to indicate that chapter of his life is over (thankfully!) -- it's not, yet.
3) While in Italy we get a scene with Paulie in bed with a prostitute. The scene stretches on for several minutes as Paulie seems to want a nice conversation while she just wants to go home (and I just want to fast-forward). The scene has no point, no tie-in with the story, doesn't reveal anything about Paulie that we don't already know and seems, like so many other scenes, that it's just filler.
All in all it feels like the writers were creating this series on an episode-by-episode basis, with little if any long-term vision for a season or the series as a whole. What's worse is the impression that they had about 10-15 of solid material each episode then sat around thinking about how to fill up the other 40 or so.
I'm sure die-hard fans will disagree with me on this, but I couldn't help feeling that if this show wasn't about the mafia not only would it have not been as popular or critically acclaimed, but it wouldn't have made it to season 3.
Then again, maybe I've been spoiled and jaded by The Wire, a show so far superior to The Sopranos on every level it's almost insulting to compare them. -
jimmyngp6 December 2018Every season kind of runs together . You could watch the first season only and have everything you need to know about the entire series. Every time someone was about to get killed there would be several clues it was about to happen . What was surprising to me that someone was getting killed almost every episode but no one ever thought they could be killed and of course they were never prepared for it . Not sure why so many people rated this as high as they did . It was so so at best for me .