Shakespeare would have been proud to have written for Tony Soprano
When the Italian-American Defence Association filed a suit against Time Warner Entertainment claiming The Sopranos offended the dignity of Italian Americans, the group's lawyer Enrico Mirabelli said: "This is like no family I know. I don't know Italian mothers, ever, who try to have their son killed – that's not realistic." Mr Mirabelli missed a point that 8 million other Americans got over 86 episodes and six seasons. The mafia boss – who suffers from panic attacks, goes to a therapist, shoots, throttles, and bludgeons eight people to death with his own hands – was a huge character. Shakespeare would have been proud to have written for Tony Soprano or have him murder Big Pussy, an old friend he attempts to spare, but whom he knows he has to kill as an FBI informant. Not every mob boss in New Jersey has lines like "You know my feelings: every day is a gift. It's just, does it have to be socks?" But if they did, you would remember them.