Do we like Tony Soprano?
A character from The Sopranos (1999–2007)
Our score: 3 out of 10. Magnetic, funny and sometimes tender. He is also a violent criminal who keeps hurting people to protect himself. We'd enjoy his company, but we wouldn't vote for him.
Tony is a capo in the DiMeo crime family in North Jersey, and he is a husband and father of two. The series opens when panic attacks push him into therapy with Dr. Jennifer Melfi. He has to talk about his work and his family while keeping both secret from the outside world.
He is hard to dislike on screen. He is funny, vulnerable and sharp, and the show asks us to understand him. Britannica describes Gandolfini's Tony as by turns volcanic and brooding, honorable and devious, tender and cruel. Critics have noted that he makes viewers root for someone they know they shouldn't.
That charm sits on top of real monstrosity. He is a criminal and a bully with a temper. He lies to the people who love him, and he turns on anyone who threatens his position. Therapy gives him chances to change, but he usually uses it to justify himself. That is why he scores low: great company, terrible man to back.