I was browsing the shows on HBO Go this morning and seeing The Sopranos listed reminded me that this show has long been on my to watch list.

I'm curious how well this show holds up now that it's been over 15 years since it's premiere. Still worth the commitment to watching it? I know the ending is controversial, but that doesn't really bother me.

I did not watch it back when it was on originally. I tried watching it about a year ago and got about half way through the first season and stopped watching. Got busy had other things to do but never felt the urge to pick it back up. After shows like Breaking bad and sons of anarchy it just didn't seem to be edgy like I think it was back when it first came out. I still would like to watch it someday but it's down on the list.

We've been binge watching it the last mont or two on Amazon prime. On season 5. It's good. I would say at this point in the show it's pretty edgey.

SoA was enjoyable for what it was, mainly through the first 3 seasons.

The Sopranos was just the first like it really, so it may not click with a new watcher if you didn't catch it when it was running live. I still think it would go in your top 10 shows though.

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It's not like this show is from the 1950s. Never understood the "it doesn't hold up" arguement

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Agree with this. It isn't like it leaned on special effects or time specific cultural references.

I watched the entire series of The Sopranos for the first time in 2014, and it held up perfectly.

For the record, I'd rank it #2 or #3 of all shows ever created in that Crime Drama with a Connected Story Line genre with Breaking Bad as #1 and The Sopranos & The Wire as #2 & #3 in some order.

Sons of Anarchy is probably ranked down in the 20's somewhere and probably should have never been mentioned in this thread.

Shield is definitely up there for me.

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I did not watch it back when it was on originally. I tried watching it about a year ago and got about half way through the first season and stopped watching. Got busy had other things to do but never felt the urge to pick it back up. After shows like Breaking bad and sons of anarchy it just didn't seem to be edgy like I think it was back when it first came out. I still would like to watch it someday but it's down on the list.

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Sopranos was never meant to be "edgy". If that's what you're trying/hoping to get out of it then yes it's going to disappoint.

If you're watching it as a 90's crime drama, it's still going to hold up.

Started watching it a few weeks ago and am thoroughly enjoying it. I would say it definitely holds up.

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I watched the entire series of The Sopranos for the first time in 2014, and it held up perfectly.

For the record, I'd rank it #2 or #3 of all shows ever created in that Crime Drama with a Connected Story Line genre with Breaking Bad as #1 and The Sopranos & The Wire as #2 & #3 in some order.

Sons of Anarchy is probably ranked down in the 20's somewhere and probably should have never been mentioned in this thread.

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I noticed you somehow left The Shield off your little list there.

It would be unfortunate is something happened to you due to that oversight.

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the shield is a really fun show. it only has about 25 filler episodes out of its 80 episode run. it doesnt belong on any lists with breaking bad, wire, etc. it is a solid step below all of those shows.

SOA was complete fanboy garbage.

I watched it for the first time a year ago. Just have to remember when it was made because in one episode they get very excited about stealing a truckload of DVD players.

Definitely worth watching.

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I watched the entire series of The Sopranos for the first time in 2014, and it held up perfectly.

For the record, I'd rank it #2 or #3 of all shows ever created in that Crime Drama with a Connected Story Line genre with Breaking Bad as #1 and The Sopranos & The Wire as #2 & #3 in some order.

Sons of Anarchy is probably ranked down in the 20's somewhere and probably should have never been mentioned in this thread.

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I noticed you somehow left The Shield off your little list there.

It would be unfortunate is something happened to you due to that oversight.

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the shield is a really fun show. it only has about 25 filler episodes out of its 80 episode run. it doesnt belong on any lists with breaking bad, wire, etc. it is a solid step below all of those shows.

SOA was complete fanboy garbage.

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Sopranos had at least as many filler episodes as The Shield, with the latter having far better "baddies of the season".

Sopranos was great, probably the best of it's time, but it doesn't hit as hard as it likely did when it was the only cable drama to do what it was doing.

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I watched it for the first time a year ago. Just have to remember when it was made because in one episode they get very excited about stealing a truckload of DVD players.

Definitely worth watching.

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i watched first season a year or so back and they were using AOL Internet.

Yeh they show the aol disk in the junk mail pile.

And tony complains to the family that he gives them everything; big screen tvs, etc.
They have a few 32" Sony trinitrons!

Definitely some things that date it to a very specific time period.

People complained about The Wire because of flip top cell phones. 15 years from now, people will complain about smart phones on Breaking Bad.

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I think if there's anything really period-specific to the Sopranos, it's that it shows the mob in decline after a period of major crackdowns. The "old world honor" mythology that permeates older mafia stories is pretty much out the window.

Part of the "edginess" was showing these guys as regular suburban dads and greeseballs running insurance scams, etc. Tony's consigliere isn't Tom Hagen, it's freaking Sylvio. There was nothing glamorous about the lives trapped in.

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My biggest complaint with The Sopranos was that the "bad mafia" guys it introduced every season didn't really differentiate themselves from one another. Season 1 had Junior as Tony's biggest foe. Season 2 swapped in Richie Aprile. Season 3 swapped in Ralph. Season 4 swapped in Johnny Sack. Season 5 swapped in Phil Leotardo.

Now, I imagine a lot of these guys are pretty interchangeable in real mafioso life as well, but I didn't feel like The Sopranos did a very good job of fleshing any of them out very much. "Oh, this is who we hate this season?" is what I felt much of the time.

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Livia Soprano might be the most evil character ever on tv.

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Yeah...I buried him on a hill...

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Livia Soprano might be the most evil character ever on tv.

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Yeah...I buried him on a hill...

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Tony does not hold a candle to his mom. His stuff had reasons. Hers did not, especially towards her kids.

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Livia Soprano might be the most evil character ever on tv.

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Yeah...I buried him on a hill...

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Tony does not hold a candle to his mom. His stuff had reasons. Hers did not, especially towards her kids.

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I was just quoting my favorite line to her. Its what deserved for being such a C

Tony said that to Janice, not Livia.

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Tony said that to Janice, not Livia.

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All afternoon I was trying to remember who Tony was referring to when he said "that" to Livia. But you're right....he said that to someone else.

Nice catch.

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Livia Soprano might be the most evil character ever on tv.

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Yeah...I buried him on a hill...

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Tony does not hold a candle to his mom. His stuff had reasons. Hers did not, especially towards her kids.

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I was just quoting my favorite line to her. Its what deserved for being such a C

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Um

He didn't say that to Livia.

It doesn't hold up as a "best show ever" which was the hype when it was on. It was solidly good but that's about all I'll give it.

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It doesn't hold up as a "best show ever" which was the hype when it was on. It was solidly good but that's about all I'll give it.

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I'd still give it Top 10 ever... But after watching it once I have little desire to go through it again, whereas I regularly watch Breaking Bad, The Shield, The Wire and (probably not on many people's lists but made it into mine), Justified.

it's a great show. if you haven't ever watched it, correct that now.

Justified for me too. Your list is similar to mine.

I feel one that gets left off a lot of lists, is The West Wing.

i think WW suffers slightly from being a network show, and moreso from the fact that Sorkin has proven to be a one trick pony.
newsroom and studio 60 both SHOULD have been hits based on the subject matter and actors involved, but were terrible because of sorkin.