The series revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey–based Italian-American mobster who struggles to balance his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization, which he reluctantly explores during therapy sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco).

The series also features Tony's various family members, Mafia colleagues, and rivals in prominent roles—most notably his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and his protégé and distant cousin Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli).

The executive producers throughout the show's run were Chase, Brad Grey, Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, Ilene S. Landress, Terence Winter, and Matthew Weiner.

He puts his life at risk on multiple occasions and finds himself at odds with his uncle Junior, his wife Carmela, other Mafia members and non-Mafia criminals, and New York City's Lupertazzi family.

[26][27] He had been employed as a staff writer or producer for several television series, including Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Switch, The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure.

Baer argued that he had introduced Chase to Tony Spirito, a restaurateur and gambler with alleged mob ties, and Thomas Koczur, a homicide detective for the Elizabeth, New Jersey police department.

The series has 27 actors in common with the 1990 Martin Scorsese gangster film Goodfellas, including main cast members Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico.

[27] Michael Imperioli beat out several actors for the part of Christopher Moltisanti; he said that Chase had "a poker face, so I thought he wasn't into me, and he kept giving me notes and having me try it again, which often is a sign that you're not doing it right."

[53] Chase was impressed with Steven Van Zandt's humorous appearance and presence after seeing him induct The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and invited him to audition.

[63] Numerous well-known actors appeared in one or two episodes, such as Lauren Bacall, Daniel Baldwin, Annette Bening, Polly Bergen, Sandra Bernhard, Paul Dano, Charles S. Dutton,[64] Jon Favreau, Janeane Garofalo, Hal Holbrook, Tim Kang, Elias Koteas, Ben Kingsley, Linda Lavin, Ken Leung,[65] Julianna Margulies, Sydney Pollack, Wilmer Valderrama, Alicia Witt, and Burt Young.

[66] Ray Liotta, who was eventually cast as two of the Moltisanti brothers in The Many Saints of Newark film prequel, was approached by Chase at one point to appear in the third or fourth seasons of the show, but the plan did not work out.

A notable example is "Con te partirò", performed by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli,[87] which plays several times in relation to the character of Carmela Soprano.

[95] After the series was picked up by HBO, the producers leased a building with a storefront in Kearny, New Jersey[95] which served as the shooting location for exterior and interior scenes for the remainder of production; renamed Satriale's Pork Store.

[99] In the first three seasons, between Tony leaving the tunnel and passing through the toll plaza, the title sequence included a shot of the World Trade Center towers in the right side-view mirror.

[101] Because he is prone to bouts of clinical depression and reflex syncope, after a fainting spell (triggered by a panic attack), Tony's physician refers him for treatment by psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) in the show's first episode.

Tony and Carmela default to anger, criticism and yelling in their parenting, and so have challenging relationships with their two children: the intelligent, but rebellious, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler)[104] and underachiever Anthony Jr.

The starring cast includes members of Tony's extended family, including his narcissistic, disapproving, manipulative mother, Livia (Nancy Marchand),[106] his aimless, histrionic older sister Janice (Aida Turturro),[107] his crafty, paternal uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano (Dominic Chianese) who is nominal boss of the crime family following the death of then-acting boss Jackie Aprile Sr. (Michael Rispoli),[108] Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli)[109] his immature and hot-headed cousin and protégé[110] and his maternal cousin Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi).

Other significant characters in the DiMeo family include Bobby "Bacala" Baccalieri (Steven R. Schirripa);[117] Richie Aprile (David Proval);[118] Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano);[119] Eugene Pontecorvo (Robert Funaro);[120] and Vito Spatafore (Joseph R.

Friends of the Soprano family include Herman "Hesh" Rabkin (Jerry Adler);[122] Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo);[123] Rosalie Aprile (Sharon Angela);[124] Angie Bonpensiero (Toni Kalem), along with Artie (John Ventimiglia)[125] and Charmaine Bucco (Kathrine Narducci).

Although the Lupertazzis' and DiMeos' interests are often at odds, Tony maintains a cordial, business-like relationship with "Johnny Sack", preferring to make mutually beneficial deals, not war.

Matthew Bevilaqua and Sean Gismonte, two low-level associates dissatisfied with their perceived lack of success in the Soprano crew, try to make names for themselves by attempting to kill Christopher as a favor to Richie, even though he didn't ask them to.

Tony and Ralph invest in a racehorse named Pie-O-My, who wins several races and makes them both a great deal of money until the horse dies in a stable fire.

After covering up a murder that occurred at The Crazy Horse, Adriana is arrested and pressured by the FBI to start sharing more relevant information about the family to avoid being charged as an accomplice.

During the first half of the season, Christopher and Little Carmine head to Los Angeles in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to try to sign Ben Kingsley for a slasher film they are trying to make called Cleaver, which is a mix of The Godfather and Saw.

The show has also received considerable attention from critics and journalists for its technical merit, music selections, cinematography, and willingness to deal with difficult and controversial subjects including crime, family, gender roles, mental illness, and American and Italian-American culture.

[81][153][154] The Sopranos is credited for creating a new era in the mafia genre deviating from the traditional dramatized image of the gangster in favor of a simpler, more accurate reflection of ordinary day-to-day mob life in a suburb.

"[165] Time Out New York's Andrew Johnston had high praise for the series, stating: "Together, Chase and his fellow writers (including Terence Winter and Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner) produced the legendary Great American Novel, and it's 86 episodes long.

"[196] The Sopranos has been characterized by critics as one of the most influential artistic works of the 2000s and has been cited as helping to turn serial television into a legitimate art form on the same level as feature films, literature, and theater.

[80][153][197] Time Magazine editor James Poniewozik wrote in 2007, "This mafia saga showed just how complex and involving TV storytelling could be, inspiring an explosion of ambitious dramas on cable and off.

"No one-hour drama series has had a bigger impact on how stories are told on the small screen, or more influence on what kind of fare we've been offered by an ever-growing array of television networks.