The Sopranos: The Complete Third Season

Ranked by TV Guide among the top five greatest series ever made, The Sopranos justified its 11-month hiatus with a brilliant third season that contained some of the best, most brutal, and most hotly debated episodes in the continuing saga of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, who juggles the pressures of his often intersecting personal and professional lives. Garnering 22 Emmy nominations (and winning lead actor and actress honors for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, as Tony and his increasingly conflicted wife Carmela), the third season served up some memorable episodes, including: "Proshai, Livushka," which bids a more bitter than sweet adieu to malignant matriarch Livia (portrayed by the late, great Nancy Marchand); "Employee of the Month," in which Tony's analyst Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco in her finest hour) is raped and considers whether to exact revenge by telling Tony of her attack; and the darkly comic "Pine Barrens," directed by Steve Buscemi. Other story arcs concern the rise of the seriously unstable Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano), Tony's affair with "full-blown loop-de-loo" Gloria (Annabella Sciorra), Tony's estrangement from his daughter, and Carmela's crisis of conscience. With the fourth season well underway, this set is sure to be in great demand. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)