The Sopranos (1999)

The Sopranos parents guide

For a TV-MA, this one goes further: strong sex and nudity. Beyond that, brutal violence and frequent strong language.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

None noted

Gore

Graphic gore

Blood and wounds shown clearly.

Violence

Brutal violence

Our top level for violence.

Sex and nudity

Strong

Strong means explicit or repeated sex, extended nudity, or sexual assault shown on screen, attempted or completed, even partly off screen. Any one of these is enough.

Language

Strong

Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Sopranos scary?

Only a little. The Sopranos has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is The Sopranos?

Graphic gore and brutal violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

What is The Sopranos rated, and is it OK for kids?

Rated TV-MA, and it earns it: strong sex and nudity, brutal violence, and frequent strong language. Not one for kids.

What is The Sopranos about?

The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. The show features Tony's family members and Mafia associates in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela and his cousin and protégé Christopher Moltisanti.

Cast and crew

More like The Sopranos

• Better Call Saul (2015)Dark satire · gritty · full attention · strong violenceA small-time lawyer's darkly comic hustles slowly transform him into a criminal underworld's fixer.
• Breaking Bad (2008)Dark satire · gritty · full attention · brutal violenceA chemistry teacher's bleak diagnosis ignites a darkly-comic, relentless spiral into the criminal underworld.
• Peaky Blinders (2013)Gritty · full attention · brutal violence · graphic goreA gangster family in 1919 Birmingham rises through the criminal underworld with gritty, suspenseful ambition.
• Sons of Anarchy (2008)Gritty · full attention · brutal violence · graphic goreAn outlaw motorcycle club navigates gritty, tense, and bleak criminal enterprises in a small California town.
• Joker (2019)Bleak · graphic gore · brutal violence · emotionally devastatingA measured descent into madness unfolds as a comedian's dark satire fuels Gotham's gritty, bleak chaos.
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)Dry wit · gritty · full attention · strong violenceA grieving mother's darkly comedic quest for justice ignites a small-town war with measured, gritty suspense.
• Fargo (2014)Dark satire · gritty · late-night trip · brutal violenceMidwestern lives unravel into darkly comedic violence as absurd choices echo through a chilling, measured atmosphere.
• Dexter: New Blood (2021)Dark satire · suspenseful · full attention · strong violenceA decade later, a familiar darkness resurfaces in a snowy town, bringing gritty, darkly comic suspense.

The Sopranos is on our Most violent, Tearjerkers, Mob and gangsters, Dark and 1990s lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “funny but not stupid, under two hours”