Liz - the Sopranos was one of those shows that was really best gotten into at the very beginning. At the time it debuted, it was so uunigue and the writing so spot on a US subculture that it watching it was like belong to a secret brotherhood. the first 2 seasons were truly the best and its been downhill ever since but if you got hooked in the start of it, you feel compelled to watch. It helps if you grew up in NYC or NJ where the Italian subculture is most prominant. it's not just the mob stuff that intrigues, it's the references to a dying immigrant culture, the food, the music, in the first two seasons the funny interplay between the married women and the Church (the way they all sort of romanced a handsome priest with home-cooked food). I can see why it wouldn't play well outisde the culture.

It was a good show but it shall be a relief when it ends. It's been tedious and fairly pointless the past couple of years