Whether this is just an urban myth perpetuated by writers on the show or not will never be entirely clear, but it's a fascinating story nonetheless. David Chase and his team frequently spoke about receiving phone calls from the FBI explaining that the series was all that its officers ever spoke about, which is testament to how excellent the writing on The Sopranos actually was. What is even crazier, and slightly less believable, is that the FBI reportedly told the writers that it wasn't just them enjoying the series - it was also the gangsters that they were spying on via wiretaps. Apparently the real-life mobsters were huge fans of The Sopranos, and were so blown away by its realism that they were convinced that the writers had someone working for them that was also a mole in the real gangs. Again, whether this is true or not is up for debate... It's certainly feasible though. Everyone loved The Sopranos when it aired, and its believability was one of the key reasons for its huge popularity.
