The Sopranos: Ranking Every Main Character Worst To Best

More so than Tony or any of the mafia characters, Carmela Soprano is the most fascinating presence the show has to offer. There can be few creations with such a rich internal life, such complex morals as Carmela, who strives to convince herself that she’s a good person in the face of mounting evidence that she’s anything but.

The show makes no bones about Carmela’s complicity in everything Tony does and has done. As her cutting psychiatrist puts it in season three, she lives on blood money. She’s fully aware of her moral culpability, but makes no effort to change her ways because she’s far too used to the good life she enjoys.

Carmela’s arc of corruption is more subtle than Tony’s. Over the course of six seasons we see her come to accept more and more of the dark side of her existence, to question less, to go with the flow. She makes a token effort to push Tony in the right direction and clearly loves her kids, but other than that she’s every bit as amoral as her murderous husband.

Without the flashy storylines and action sequences, Carmela manages to be the most fascinating character on the best TV drama of all time.