The Sopranos does what any great fiction about the mafia absolutely has to do: it humanises the brutish subjects and makes of them more than flat cliches. The late James Gandolfini delivers one of the all-time great screen performances as Tony Soprano, the complex mobster who attempts to juggle a family life with his criminal enterprise, all while working out his own psychological issues with therapist Dr. Melfi (Goodfellas' Lorraine Bracco, in a highly inspired bout of casting). Naturally, much of the show revolves around assassinations and unpleasantness, but its epic scope and wide array of characters makes it impossible to look away from: seeing how these relationships strain and break, and the consequences of that, is both exciting and nerve-wracking. The show is also imbued with plenty of self-aware humour, and also the occasional delve into surreal territory. Its series finale may have proven divisive due to its ambiguous nature, but there's no denying the influential quality of the show, as well as its faultless performances, cinematic direction and postmodern take on the formula of the mob story.
2. Six Feet Under
Death is always going to be a curiosity among humankind, and Alan Ball's Six Feet Under took grand advantage of our collective obsession with it, crafting a thoughtful and deeply emotional tapestry revolving around the only certain thing we all as humans will one day experience. The show follows the Fisher family, namely Nate (Peter Krause) and David (Michael C. Hall), two sons who inherit their father's funeral home business after his unexpected death. While they're the focal point, Ball also trains his eye on their sister, Claire (Lauren Ambrose), their mother Ruth (Frances Conroy), and all of their extended relationships, and how death ultimately touches all of them. Almost every episode begins with the death of someone who ultimately becomes the focus of the episode, usually by way of arriving at the Fisher funeral home for preparation for burial. The other characters, be they the family of the bereaved or the Fishers themselves, usually reflect on the nature of the death and our presence on Earth as a species, making it easily one of the most vital and thought-provoking TV shows ever made. Its devastating final season defied convention in a number of ways, and the series finale is without question the most water-tight and brilliantly-constructed in TV history.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
