An average of 10 million people tune in each week, prompting HBO to brag that The Sopranos is the most watched cable series ever. Even when Meadow gets drunk at a high school drug party, her only punishment is to have her Discover card confiscated for three weeks. This is a profane, sexually explicit, often shockingly violent drama. That's a serious understatement. Tony deals drugs, oversees a gambling operation and is a master of extortion.
Henchmen carry out hits in gruesome fashion.
One opponent's head gets blown off. A man's back snaps when he's repeatedly rammed with a car. And it's rumored that Tony attempted to kill his mother by smothering her with a pillow. Dialogue includes an average of one f-word a minute. Also featured are topless dancers, lengthy nude scenes, on-screen depictions of prostitution and sexual activity, and uninhibited discussions of straight and gay sex.