I realize this is a belated reaction, as I was in school and juggling several jobs when it initially aired, which meant I wasn’t really engaged with what was happening culturally at the time. Now that I've finally seen it, it feels very much like those recurring Mafia-themed movies and television series that pop up roughly every ten years—they just don’t seem to ever lose their appeal. The subject matter of organized crime lends itself well to certain elements: a sense of pressure and anxiety, which are excellent for dramatic storytelling, alongside sudden bursts of violence and moments of levity that also work really well together. You only notice when it's handled poorly, but *The Sopranos* executed it exceptionally well. It was highly enjoyable, intensely dramatic, and featured outstanding performances—so, it’s bound to be entertaining. And, in contrast to films, the format of a television series suits the Mafia storyline particularly effectively, especially with the creative freedom afforded by a network like HBO.

Source on TMDB