There wasn’t a bettera more influential show in the early 2000sthanThe Sopranos. It should be mentioned that the ranking is in no way a knock on the “lesser” season. Every single one is a masterclass in storytelling, drama, and humor. Kicking offthe Golden Age of Television,The Sopranosstands the test of time as one of the most creative and thematic dramas ever created, breaking the mold for what was expected out of a TV series, and obliterating the line between television and movies, perfectly blending them to a state of deep respectability, a comment creator David Chaseexplicitly said he was aiming for. Here is a ranking of all its seasons:
7Season Six A
The weakest season ofThe Sopranosis still better than the best season of most television programs. The main questioned asked by the season relates to Tony’s true ability to change, as he faces what is perhaps the toughest task of his life. Meanwhile, tensions start to brew between the families, as New York becomes more and more distant and pedantic towards New Jersey. The conflict is brought to the forefront when one of Jersey’s highest earners, Vito Spatafore, is revealed as a homosexual after a slip-up. While interesting in its own right, the storyline felt stale and redundant, spanning too many episodes as if trying to stretch time. Not much story is given to Carmela or Meadow, acting more as vessels for the central stories instead of central characters.
Related:The Best Episodes of The Sopranos, Ranked
6Season One
The show was still trying to establish its identity and brand of humor during this season. The lighting and tone was a little different as well, with many comparing it to thelook and feel of Goodfellas, the Martin Scorsese gangster epic. We explore throughout 13 episodes how Tony’s relationship to his mother, Livia Sopranos, has been the root of many insecurities and pent-up anger, causing him to suffer from panic attacks and leaving him to seek counsel through psychiatric therapy. Over the course, we thoroughly explore Tony and his psyche, getting a peek of all the discovery left to come while being treated to a captivating scuffle between affiliated crews and their capos. Tony’s relationship with his uncle, Corrado “Junior” Soprano, is the source of most of these tensions, coupled by the ailment of his higher-up, Jackie Aprile Sr. We also explore the lives of his wife and children, Carmela, Meadow, and AJ, and his nephew, Christopher Moltisanti. Each one forms a fantastic contrast and commentary about living a criminal life and its psychological consequences, giving us a brutal and honest glimpse into the damage it causes, further amplified by the subsequent seasons.
5Season Six B
The final season concludes with a visceral and shockingly grim outlook into Tony and his actions. Creator David Chase pulled no punches, constantly bombarding us with misdeed after misdeed, culminating into what many consider one of the most powerful and creative endings ever conceived. We see how broken Tony has become as a person; how shallow, angry, and insecure he is, and how little he ultimately cares about anything. Practically every episode of the season features a death, further emphasizing the absolute decay we have witnessed. The central plot of the rapid escalation between tensions in New York and New Jersey officially culminating into an all-out war, is treated as a side-piece to the underlying banality of the evil brooding within Tony. This is a season that sees Tony launching a scorching campaign against everything he held sacred, defacing the temple and throwing away the riches. It was meant to acclaim the viewer to the fact that living the way Tony lived will only bring out misery, and that if one wants to avoid this fate, it must pay attention to the message given by Chasein its final scene.
Related:Tony Sirico Remembered by The Sopranos Co-Stars: ‘So Funny, So Talented’
4Season Four
The Sopranoswas at the height of its popularity during its fourth season, reaching its highest viewership numbers, and its status as a cultural icon of the 2000s was all but solidified. It was also the first season to tell a more subtle and psychological story; one where our characters emotions dictate their actions more than any other. The storylines, much like season three, were sprinkled throughout instead of maintaining a season-long arc. Tony is tasked with dividing up profits between New York and New Jersey, all but cementing the tension which will come to dominate their relationship for the rest of the show’s run. It further explored the decay between Tony and Carmela’s relationship, which has always been on shaky grounds, but now even more so thanks to Carmela’s newfound romantic feelings toward Furio, a captain in Tony’s crew. The dynamic comes to a head in its most riveting season finale. The season’s sub-plot follows Christopher’s recurrent drug addiction and Adriana’s cooperation with the FBI.
3Season Five
After a one-year break from production,The Sopranosreturned for its fifth season in a more calibrated and re-focused tone. The season-long story-arc features the introduction of Tony Blundetto, Tony’s cousin, who was in prison following a carjacking gone wrong. The introduction serves as a reminder of Tony’s guilt, and the emotional toll his lifestyle has driven him to. This is also the season where things began to escalate with New York and New Jersey, as the New York family was in the midst of a power struggle with the death of Carmine Lupertazzi. Both stories complement each other through Tony B.’s involvement, culminating in what amounts to a horrendous decision for Tony, but one that needed to be done. The season significantly shifted its color tones to a more dark and moody picture, one that serves as a purposeful metaphor for its downward trajectory. It reflected the bigger picture, and signaled how the slow process of poisonous activities ended up rotting what was first shown in season one. The bodies that kept piling up became part of a very vicious cycle of crime and resentment.
2Season Three
Perhaps the darkest season of the show,The Sopranosfollowed the high-wave it was riding and produced another fascinating and entertaining piece of social commentary. Introducing Jackie Aprile’s son, Jackie Jr., to the recurring cast, his character served as an avatar for the consequences of living off an image you’re not capable of usurping. With this in mind, Chase left not a single stone unturned in his quest to de-stigmatize what many consider the show’s glorification of violence. While the claims where unsubstantiated, Chase all but ensured it as such, featuring characters committing terrible and atrocious acts of violence towards innocent people to demonstrate their true nature, a trend he would continue for the rest of the show’s run.
The dark tone brought a new edge to the show’s already mature content, brilliantly capturing our attention with perfectly constructed characters like Gloria Trillo and Patsy Parisi. What really sets this season apart, however, is how downright funny it actually is. It begs to question how something as morbid and bleak as The Sopranos is capable of being incredibly funny, but not only does it work in the show’s favor; it inexplicably enhances the experience to an absurd degree. “Pine Barrens” is considered by many to be one of the funniest episodes in TV history, made even more impressive by the fact that it comes from a serious plot-driven show.
1Season Two
A notable critic once saidThe Sopranoscould’ve ended on this season, and it still would’ve beenone of, if not the greatest show ever created. Everything that worked about its first season was beautifully replicated for its second, and everything that didn’t work was enhanced and modified to a perfect pitch. While developing a fantastic story-arc for Tony with the introduction of Richie Aprile, Jackie Aprile’s older brother, it was the addition of multiple subplots spanning across the season, from Christopher’s struggles with identity to Janice’s, Tony’s older sister, conniving ways, that truly differentiated the show’s style to that of its predecessors.
It made for more complex television while keeping the stories active and complimentary of each other. This season also finally had them perfecting their humor, blending its absurd sensibilities into a vivid image of reality. The way it managed to tie up any loose ends in what feels like a fluid 650+ hour movie set the standards every other show began to follow. Once the standard was set very few have been able to top it. Their place in television was all but solidified at this point, and by the good graces of its record-breaking viewership numbers, it managed to continue for four more seasons.
