The Sopranos characters: Ranked from worst to best

David Chase created series debuted on HBO on January 10th 1999 and lasted 8 years until it's much talked about finale aired in June 2007 the show continues to be lauded as the best series in TV history and that's a fact and not at all Up For Debate show remained infallible throughout its six season run all thanks to its League Tony Soprano played by the late and great James gandini and the Fantastic Supporting Cast that surrounded him galini Ed Falco Michael peroli and Dre Deo brought some of the most beloved TV characters of all time to life delivering Emy worthy performances during the show's tenure it was obvious that most characters on The Sopranos lacked a moral compass but they also lived by their own codes and values like taking care of family which is the balance that made Tony a remarkable anti-hero While others on the show weren't crime minals or part of the mafia they were complicit or benefited in some way from those crimes resulting in incredibly complex TV car characters in honor of the show turning 25 look back at some of the show's most important figures and rank them according to the level of likability throughout the series a show that leaned so heavily into Psychotherapy and edius complex needed to have a memorable matriarch and Livia soprano was certainly that she oscillates between being manipulative constantly guilting everyone or conveniently acting bewildered and being downright villainous like you know abusing her children and then plotting to have her son killed even Janice believed her mother was not capable of Love or happiness everyone hated her so much that even her funeral turned into a debacle there are two real life elements to her character to keep in mind one Creator David Chase based the character on his mother claiming phrases like poor you and Another Toothpick are things his mother actually used to say two the real life death of actor Nancy Marshon changed the trajectory of the show she wasn't supposed to die that soon season 3 was supposed to have her testifying against Tony over the airline ticket arrest what the show would have been had marshan lived is a great what if but honestly we were just happy to have Livia out of our lives on a series full of bastards and villains it's hard to stand out accordingly but Ralphie certainly Takes the Cake introduced immediately as an unpredictable thorn in Tony's side Ralphie has few redeeming qualities and is a figure of pure Anarchy Ralphie's behavior is tolerated at best because of his connections to a highly important project but Tony can only condone so much and as soon as Ralphie murders Tracy his fate is sealed even if it takes a while for justice to come to him the most devilish figure on the show Ralphie's impact on The Sopranos is brief he was only around for a handful of episodes but his involvement casts a rightfully large Shadow over the series middle stretch in a way that's decidedly hard to shake Uncle June may have admired his Moxy but Richie aiel is one of the show's most unrelenting [ __ ] even the worst Soprano's characters provides occasional comic relief whereas Richie always keeps a mean mug and a harsh word he's not even a Savvy gangster he paralyzes Beany who was a useful associate he fails to split his enemies when he plots with Uncle junr and he lets Janice manipulate him being protective of his niece Adriana doing yoga and knowing red coolers sell better than blue ones might be his only decent qualities in later Seasons the show sometimes falls into the Trap of Tony constantly bickering with rival whom he inevitably has to whack by season's end Richie getting killed by Janice is shocking in terms of story but it couldn't have come any sooner let me preface this by saying that I am a supporter of Women's Rights and Wrongs but not when it comes to the women in Tony's family they are unbelievably insufferable and narcissistic and make Carmela look like a saint in comparison starting with his mom Lydia easily the worst character on the show and one of the worst moms in TV history Tony's Sister Janice is not much better as much as she tries to fight it and much to Tony's Chagrin she slowly starts transforming into their mother Tony has held a long-standing resentment toward her since she took off to California when they were younger leaving him alone with their mom Janice also has a bit of a murky past one that includes a son named Harpo from her first marriage who was never seen in the series which Tony uses against her Janice's impulsive and flighty behavior put Tony and the family at risk once she returns to New Jersey and she gets involved with men and in Tony's business like Richie aiel Ralph sefaro and Bobby Bleier Janice manipulated those three men in one way or another and their relationship with her no matter how awful they were all ended in their demise uro gave one hell of a performance as Janice and fans of the show can all agree that the character is one of the most irritating in the entire series one of the long-standing debates about The Sopranos is whether or not Tony Soprano is a sociopath when it comes to Christopher Malta Santi however one thing I've learned from multiple rewatches is that Chris is 100% a sociopath on initial watches it's easy to feel for Chris because he often languishes in Melancholy depressed over his shitty screenplay or succumbing to drug addiction eventually you realize he never feels bad for anyone other than himself in many ways he is worse than Tony when Tony kills someone they usually have it coming Chris hits a waiter with a brick For No Good Reason Tony has a real friend in Arty all of Chris friends are junkies and llies Tony has enough empathy to connect with animals like the ducks or pie Chris gets high and kills a dog when confronted about killing said dog Chris physically abuses Adriana the sole indignity that Tony spares Carmela his mised loyalty to Tony leads him to sell out his own girlfriend whom he never even Mourns compare that to the tailes spin Gloria trillo's death puts Tony in Chris might be less Charming than Tony but he's actually worse he lies Che beats Steals and kills like everyone else but he's somehow even more selfish be afraid of an old man in a profession where men Die Young of all the things that could be said about Junior Soprano one thing is for certain the man survived he outlived both of his brothers and he made it through the entire series run despite ordering a hit on Tony in the very first season Tony let Junior Live for political reasons of course murder is no way to forge a lasting peace but also for sentimental reasons Junior at least took a young Tony to baseball games which is more than Livia ever did but even though junior did not die in a physical sense he died in a psychological sense dementia is sometimes called the long goodbye and watching Junior fade into a shell of himself losing his memory and any recognition of his old life is an underrated part of this modern Greek tragedy the burden of expectation is always difficult doubly so when you're the heir to the throne one of the most intriguing stories of The Sopranos is what T's son AJ doesn't receive when it comes to his father's Tendencies there's a case to be made that AJ reflects all Tony's perceived weaknesses sensitive unfocused a drift which further make his troubles and struggles understandable the epitome of post 9/1 youth there's an nihilism to AJ that makes him deeply relatable to people of a certain generation and makes his Arc all the Richer upon further reflection and time in the mob world the worst thing you can do is be a rat falling pra to this outcome is largely the impact and Legacy of Salvatore big [ __ ] binero who is one of the lingering and looming threats to Tony throughout the early stages of the series a betrayal from within is always brutal especially with sell who always appeared to be one of Tony's most stalwart crew members but s serves as the vehicle for one of the most surprising elements of the series how it Embraces anticlimax as a tool to keep viewers on their toes Tony finding out big [ __ ] is a rat via hazy dream in induced by food poisoning is one of the series first alliances with the Supernatural and one of its very best Johnny sack is a loving father and an adoring husband making him one of the most decent gangsters on the show sure he plots to murder his boss as a brutal War for control of his crime family and admits to the existence of kostra in court but that's par for the course Johnny's downfall is his anger though his outbursts are hilarious initially the calm and collected pragmatist he turns into a hotthead after his wife wife is insulted one of the few characters who never cheats on his wife and becomes increasingly insecure after Carmine dies still Johnny always keeps his eye on the prize like when he insists he doesn't stick his beak in even when he does or plays pully like a fiddle not to mention he has impeccable style the way he smokes his cigarettes that Maserati coupe and too bad he gets blooded up while beating up that dude for laughing cuz one thing about Johnny sack that man knows how to sport a berbery coat veto spor has perhaps one of the most sad but preventable stories in The Sopranos being Tony's highest earner doesn't spare him when his bisexuality comes to light but in all truthfulness it only becomes known because he's sloppy he could have easily lived out his double life elsewhere far from New Jersey and kept his mob life and his wife and kids separate veto knows that homosexuality was considered a major no no in the mafia but does very little to prevent people from finding out he has a way out when he escapes to New Hampshire but can't hack it not even one full day doing a regular job he finds love and freedom but he gives it all up to return to Jersey and meet his demise in the saddest and most tragic of ways unfortunately some things are simply unforgivable in that world when I think of Adriana I can only think of her final moments she's sitting in the back of sylvio's car and you see it Dawn on her in real time that she's a dead woman when Sylvio finally stops the car she doesn't go out with dignified resol or put on a brave face she collapses in a terrified Panic the last time we see her alive she's crawling away from Sylvio on her hands and knees like an animal about to be euthanized Adriana is no hardened criminal and because of that everyone uses her for what they can get it's how the FBI scares her into cooperating and it's why she makes the Fatal mistake of telling Christopher everything so many of the Mobsters on The Sopranos die for power or money or Foolish Pride Adriana dies for loving someone who doesn't love her back she deserves better which is why it hurts so damn much outside of Dr melie the most moral figure in The Sopranos is Bobby who is about as innocent as they come in the gangster World in some respects Bobby's naivity is what ends up getting him killed but gangster stories are often more compelling with someone of Bobby's moral character involved what does a reluctant gangster look like how can he function alongside all the other Wolves at the door that's the beauty of Bobby he somehow finds a way to stay above the fry confessing to Tony that he had never killed a man until he reaches a point where not even he can escape getting pulled into the dark alongside everyone else rybo never commits any crimes or is on the take so by default he's one of the better human beings on the show most of the time we feel for Arty he's a regular working stiff who runs Vu and just happens to have gone to high school with a mob boss problem is like many other Soprano's characters he is downright annoying party is at his slimiest when he repeatedly foolishly lusts after his restaurant hostesses Adriana elodi Martina only to embarrass himself in such cringeworthy ways seriously the earring that we actually feel bad for him Tony was right when he told him he should stick to the kitchen CA no one wants to hear his corny jokes and stupid stories mid soprano proved to be the determined firstborn daughter that Tony and Carmelo were proud of while AJ was in his own world and giving his parents trouble meow was a good student focused and ambitious meow was aware and a bit resentful of her family's business and what her father does for a living especially after the death of her ex-boyfriend Jackie aiel Jr separating herself from her family's involvement in the mafia meow gets into Columbia University and starts working at a bronx Law Center helping minorities in need she foregoes a career in medicine and decides to pursue a career in law instead while part of what inspired her decision was Tony being arrested Ed by the FBI Tony having a lawyer as a daughter is one of the most ironic storylines on the show furio is the best of both worlds he gets to be a sensitive Thug with Carmela and crack jokes with the guys and he has one of life's most underrated skills knowing how to exit a conversation gracefully he rocks his signature ponytail and immigrant accent and he's all around likable however when it comes to business he will viciously lay the smackdown when it's called for many Sopranos characters act violent ly but they never seem to be in control whereas furio never seems to let his emotions get in the way unless it comes to Carmela of course he's also ruthlessly intimidating all his best qualities come together in one of the show's best scenes is Tony strong arms Uncle Junior's doctor on the golf course as furio fiercely gazes on chiming in stupid a [ __ ] game before delivering the show's funniest line you got to be on your head memory can be hazy so it might be easy to Simply consider poly gualter as the comedic Lynch pin of The Sopranos but don't let his foolish demeanor fool you Paulie is a stone cold killer credited with having the highest number of kills on the show a stalwart and loyal member of the family he gets meteor stories throughout the latter portion of the series that reveal him to be just as frightened as all people are Paulie's relationship with Christopher is also the show's most rewarding partnership exemplified by Pine Barons which remains one of the finest hours of Television ever filmed Dr melie is a psychiatrist who treated Tony for S years following his panic attack in the first episode the therapy scenes between melphy and Tony serve as Windows into Tony's psyche and his past which helped the viewers slowly learn about his motivations and how he feels about the life he is living as a Mafia Boss mie is patient and caring and slowly gains Tony's trust Tony finds it difficult to express his feelings inside and outside of her office and is afraid to show vulnerability given his position he begins telling her more than he does his wife and longtime friends and camaraderie begins to grow between them which eventually Tony wants to develop into something romantic melie is an admirable character because even if she feels an attraction to Tony she knows a romantic relationship with him would be immoral and unethical after all he is her patient trying to help a criminal change his ways is an impossible feat but it takes long before melie gives up on Tony and it becomes one of the most special relationships we see him have on the show Carmela soprano is tough as Nails she holds her own in a sea of powerful chauvinistic men and keeps the Soprano's household and her two kids in check all while dealing with her husband's extramarital Affairs but Carmela knows exactly who she's married to and what comes with the territory of being a mob boss's wife that includes the lavish lifestyle that seems impossible for her to give up sure she feels neglected at times but she's also a willing recipient of the luxurious gift Tony gives her to keep her satisfied and quiet still Karm is not afraid to make some noise and even tries to find her own independence outside of Tony Carmela is no dmat and while Tony has his gumars Karm plays the game too she has a peculiar relationship with Father Phil and tintilla an almost romance with furio and an incredibly inappropriate relationship with ajs guidance counselor Robert wigler she also uses her wealth to put down her friends like Charmaine bcho until main reminds her that she could have had her life but chose not to it wasn't for me she tells Carmel stop worrying about me we both made our choices I'm fine with mine in the end once Carmela realizes divorce isn't an option she seems to accept hers too she doesn't take any [ __ ] from Tony but she also doesn't hesitate to look the other way to maintain the life he has provided for her regardless of where that money comes from Tony is a powerful No Nonsense kind of guy but in my eyes Carmela is his equal and the most fitting female counterpart to match him and his ways if I needed a friend in my corner in a high pressure situation I choose Sylvio every time Sylvio serves as a loyal and reliable consilier to Tony throughout the series and since he is older than Tony he goes above and beyond to counsel him and keep him calm in situations that could set off Tony's temper being level-headed makes him a suitable right-hand man for someone like Tony even when he's overlooked and Tony Cho es to put Christopher in charge he doesn't let that stop his loyalty to the family and continues standing by Tony Sylvio handles some of the most heartbreaking executions throughout the series including Adriana when they find out she was an FBI informant Sylvio also knows his limits While others want more power he realizes the pressures that being the boss comes with and he's content with remaining a steadfast adviser to the family that makes him wiser than many of these characters combined it couldn't be anyone other than Tony Tony Soprano's anti-hero archetype set the mold for the Golden Era of television with dozens of similar characters following in his weake Tony reflects America itself as someone who is endlessly relatable and likable but also flawed dark and violent any sympathy the viewers have for Tony is because of James Gandolfini Star Performance which brought such pthos to the character despite all the Monstrous things he does audiences root for Tony because they understand him Tony's concerns and anxieties and fears mirror the audience allowing them to continually welcome him into their homes weekly even as he does one awful thing after another endlessly fascinating with a depth of complexity that's hard to achieve in any medium the character Tony Soprano continues to transcend the medium and the show that made him a cultural icon who cares if he did or didn't make it out of holston's that night his legacy and impact will live on for decades to come

Channel: AllInTogetherNow

Views: 2,707

Keywords: aj, analysis, carado, carmella, christopher moltisant, christopher moltisanti, ending, hbo, italian mafia, jackie, johnny sack, junior, kino, livia, max, meadow, richie, soprano, soprano theories, sopranos, sopranos best moments, sopranos death, sopranos ending, sopranos finale, sopranos made in america, sopranos season 6, sopranos shinebox, sopranos tony, sopranos tony christopher, talking sopranos, the sopranos, the sopranos ending, the sopranos explained, tony, tony soprano

Id: C_-hyfmv5RA

Length: 18min 26sec (1106 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 14 2024