Cult Crime/Drama Series Challenge Soprano one of the greatest shows of all time is far from a controversial opinion. It may not even be interesting anymore, because by now everyone is well aware of how excellent it is. It was a huge success between 1999 and 2007 and helped define HBO as the powerful network/production company it remains to this day. Since its first airing, it has retained a certain level of popularity and cultural relevance, whether viewed on physical media or streaming services.
Its greatness means that trying to rank all six seasons (or seven, given that the last season had 21 episodes instead of the usual 13 and was split into two: 6A and 6B) proves to be a surprisingly difficult task. It should be noted that all seasons of the show are fantastic, and Soprano at its worst, still better than most shows at their best. What follows is a ranking of all seasons - counting 6A and 6B separately from each other - from the greats to the masters.
7 Season 6A (2006)
Sorry season 6A but one season Soprano should be considered the weakest. Either way, it’s still great TV, opening the show’s final (and highly dramatic) season in style. This 12-episode compilation is best suited to the start of the season, and the first episode features a shocking event in which protagonist Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) life is in danger, and he spends the next two episodes in a series of surreal coma dreams while his family and associates come to terms with the fact that he may not be able to cope.
Once that particular storyline is resolved, the rest of the season feels a little aimless at times. The next nine episodes of Season 6A may well suffer compared to the best of the first three episodes and the excellent 6B that aired a year later, because overall they still make an impression on TV. There probably isn’t another multi-season show with such a good “worst” season, so this low rating should in no way suggest that 6A is bad or even missed. It’s still a great TV. It’s just that the other seasons are even better.
6 Season 1 (1999)
Naturally, it all started with the first season. Soprano. While many characters have come and gone throughout the show, thanks to frequent (and often unexpected) deaths, there are many characters who make a great first impression in the first season and then stay the rest of the show. Straightaway, Soprano makes it clear that the people the audience recognizes are not the most likable or the most heroic.
The first season introduces Tony’s family life and shows him starting therapy, which he goes on and off throughout the show. The main conflict is between Tony and Junior (Dominic Chianese), his uncle, as both want to be the new boss of the DiMeo crime family after the previous boss, Jackie Aprile (Michael Rispoli), dies. Its tone is a bit more comedic than later seasons, and while they’re not devoid of humor, they don’t lean as much into sitcom-like territory as season 1. It’s an incredibly solid foundation for future seasons, and despite the fact that she’s pretty much brilliant, newcomers to the series should know the best is yet to come.
5 Season 4 (2002)
Season 4 is notable for the slowdown Soprano a little down. At first, this may seem like it makes it a little less exciting or interesting than previous seasons, but its willingness to go slower eventually sets it apart from the show’s other seasons. It feels more down to earth and melancholic than the more explosive first three seasons, and some may find they need to end the show and let the memory of it all marinate for a while before properly appreciating its fourth season.
While in many seasons Tony faces a central antagonist similar to him (but more ruthless), the central storyline of season 4 is the dissolution of his marriage to his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) (and for numerous episodes Ralph (Joe Pantoliano) does a good job of being more of a traditional thorn in Tony’s side). The peak of the season concludes with the White Hats finale, which focuses on family drama. Soprano in a more visceral and devastating way than any episode before or since, with Season 4’s destination more than justifying the sometimes slow journey there.
4 Season 3 (2001)
season 3 Soprano comparable in many ways to Season 4, though perhaps a little more action-packed. It lacks a sequence as devastating as the White Hats or the final episode of the second season, “The House of Fun”, but is notable for its consistency. The episodes get mixed up a bit when it comes to Season 3, but when the episodes are as good as they come, it’s obviously good consistency.
Well, there is one standout episode that ultimately gives Season 3 a slight edge over the also excellent Season 4: Pine Barrens. This is perhaps the most famous episode of the series, the plot and general atmosphere of which are reminiscent of the great The Coen Brothers film, but with characters already familiar to the audience. Poly (Tony Sirico) and Christopher (Michael Imperioli) a chaotic and darkly comedic failed execution of the Russian mafia Valery (Vitaly Baganov) is legendary and a highlight of a still remarkably strong television season.
3 Season 5 (2004)
As fantastic as season 5 Soprano that is, it should be noted that it starts off with a bit of a rough start. As the season begins, various mafiosi emerge from prison trying to return to their lives of crime, throwing Tony’s team routine off balance. Chief among these new characters is Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent), the main antagonist of seasons 5 and 6, and Tony Blundetto (played by Steve Buscemi), cousin of Tony Soprano.
For a while, all the new characters seem a little overwhelming, and given that Blundetto is considered Tony’s cousin, it’s strange that he was never mentioned in the first four seasons. However, once Season 5 gets on its feet (and it won’t take long), it will present the show at its best. The last two episodes of the season are perfect, setting up a very emotional one-two that masterfully paves the way for the conflict that eventually plays out over the extended final season.
2 Season 6B (2007)
If season 6A had fans a little worried that the final season might end Soprano well, season 6B certainly dispelled those fears. Season 6B is basically the perfect final nine episodes of the show, featuring an escalating conflict between the DiMeo crime family and a rival New York City team that eventually leads to all-out war and numerous (often shocking) casualties on both sides.
He presents the show at its most dramatic and unexpected, but that’s fitting given that this is the show’s finale, and it obviously should have ended on a high note. Season 6B also can’t be named without mentioning the infamous “Made in America” finale. It wasn’t what people were expecting, and the way the show ended was no doubt a controversy. However, viewers who sit with him for a while and think about it will surely come to the conclusion and understand that it is really great. If not, they’ll surely agree that it’s bold and memorable, and in the end, it should at least mean something.
1 Season 2 (2000)
Second season Soprano saw Tony finally become the boss of the DiMeo crime family, a position he would retain for the rest of the show. However, in the second season, the show showed that being king isn’t always great, because Tony’s difficulties this season have surpassed those he faced in the first season, which is due to the ongoing family drama, a chaotic new antagonist in the form of Richie Aprile, and the slow realization that one of his closest friends might be denouncing him to the FBI.
It was a darker season than the first, but it still kept the level of black comedy where it needed to be. It feels amazingly well balanced and constantly well developed, producing a great penultimate episode and an even more great finale that could be one of the best TV episodes ever. Front to Back, Season 2 Presents Soprano at its best, and seeing how Soprano overall represents television at its best, Season 2 can safely be considered one of the best television seasons of all time.
Source: Collider
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