The Sopranos: The Complete Series

This brilliant series gave “family crisis” a whole new meaning, brought a renewed sophistication to TV drama, and was HBO's first must-see—and highest rated ever—original series. Emmy-winner James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano, a blue-collar mobster living in an upper-middle-class neighborhood, battles panic attacks and assassination attempts as he juggles two families: the first with his wife, Carmela (Emmy-winner Edie Falco), kids Meadow and A.J. (Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Robert Iler), and bitter, emasculating mother, Livia (a brilliant Nancy Marchand, who died after filming the second season); and the second being the New Jersey mob. Lorraine Bracco is Dr. Jennifer Melfi, the therapist who tries to help Tony balance a comfortable suburban existence and a violent criminal lifestyle. The Sopranos quickly became a cultural phenomenon, and creator David Chase ended its six-year run with a finale that evocatively proclaimed that mob life would never afford closure to the Sopranos—a conclusion that thrilled, impressed, frustrated, and enraged viewers, generating endless conversations across the media spectrum. Written with a marvelous ear for language and a sharp sense of character, The Sopranos made full use of cable's no-holds-barred opportunities, consistently delivering shocking violence, casual sex, and epithet-laced gangster-speak, while also presenting a modern mob drama with intelligence and insight. Previously released on DVD, all 86 episodes from 1999-2007 have been remastered here for Blu-ray. Extras include an exclusive new documentary on the creation and evolution of the show, roundtable dinners with cast and crew, audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, and deleted scenes. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (S. Axmaker)