There are myriad reasons why The Sopranos is considered the best HBO show of all time, but a big one is that every season is excellent. Following mafia capo Tony Sopranos as he juggles his family and criminal lives, all while attending therapy, The Sopranos forever changed television when it premiered in 1999.

Having a morally ambiguous antihero protagonist was revolutionary at the time, paving the way for other prestige dramas like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Despite all of the terrible things Tony did throughout The Sopranos‘ six seasons, his villainy didn’t alienate viewers — it attracted them. While the Sopranos series finale is notoriously divisive, everything leading up to it was television gold.

The Sopranos Has No Bad Seasons

Many of the greatest shows ever made have a bad season or two. Iconic series like The X-Files, Seinfeld, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer had lackluster first seasons, while other shows came out swinging with some of the best first seasons in TV history, only to plummet in quality with subsequent installments — Westworld is a notorious example.

To be not only one of the best shows of all time, but have absolutely no season missteps is a near-impossible feat, but The Sopranos pulled it off. It’s become a cliche to refer to TV episodes as “mini-movies,” but long before Stranger Things was using this as an excuse to bloat their runtimes, The Sopranos really was treating each episode as a cinematic production.

Filmed on 35mm, The Sopranos‘ feature film aesthetic provided an immersive experience, allowing the audience to fully engross themselves in the lives of the characters. Plumbing the depths of Tony’s psyche makes for some of The Sopranos‘ best scenes, and the show’s masterful, slow-burn approach to character development is what makes each of its six seasons so successful.

Some Sopranos Seasons Are Better Than Others

Every season of The Sopranos is great, but not all are created equal. While season 1 was phenomenal in establishing the Soprano family and the mafia world Tony inhabits, The Sopranos took a while to find its footing and evolve into the classic crime drama it became.

Seasons 2 through 4 are widely considered the best; here, The Sopranos has fully figured out its characters, tone, and story, and is firing on all cylinders. Far and away, season 3 is considered peak Sopranos for its note-perfect blend of black comedy and intense drama, with episode 11, “Pine Barrens,” considered one of the best TV episodes of all time.

What Is The “Weakest” Season Of The Sopranos?

The Sopranos grew notably darker in seasons 5 and 6, which was somewhat of a polarizing direction. The show’s final season was released in two installments, and though season 6A had its high points, many felt it was the lowest point of The Sopranos.

While The Sopranos succeeded precisely because it’s not a breakneck-paced crime drama, the show’s signature slow pace veered into plodding territory in season 6A. Tony’s coma storyline goes on far too long, and his alternate reality as Kevin Finnerty, while interesting, was too surreal and artsy for the series.

Splitting the season into two parts was a controversial move — it still is in today’s current TV landscape —, but thankfully, The Sopranos ​​​​​​recovered in season 6B. Regardless of opinion about its ending, the lead-up to The Sopranos‘ famous cut to black was a thrilling ride worthy of the show’s culture-defining characters.

Release Date

1999 – 2007

Network

HBO

Showrunner

David Chase

Directors

Tim Van Patten, John Patterson, Alan Taylor, Jack Bender, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Attias, David Chase, Andy Wolk, Danny Leiner, David Nutter, James Hayman, Lee Tamahori, Lorraine Senna, Matthew Penn, Mike Figgis, Nick Gomez, Peter Bogdanovich, Phil Abraham, Rodrigo García

Writers

Michael Imperioli, Jason Cahill, Lawrence Konner, David Flebotte, James Manos, Jr., Salvatore Stabile, Toni Kalem, Mark Saraceni, Nick Santora

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  James Gandolfini

  Tony Soprano

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