The Sopranos Ended the Antihero Era Before Breaking Bad Even Started

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When The Sopranos first aired on HBO in 1999, it offered a television experience like nothing viewers had seen before. While successful gangster films were common, the show was the first to bring that world to television in such a detailed and compelling way, captivating audiences and even making them sympathize with the criminals.

I don’t think The Sopranos actually created the antihero – there were plenty before Tony Soprano, and lots more after. But I do believe it kicked off a whole new wave of TV. It really changed things and paved the way for so many of the complex characters we see on television today.

Tony Soprano Appeals to Viewers Because They Can Relate

Okay, so I remember watching the very first episode of The Sopranos when it first came out, and what struck me wasn’t the ‘mob’ part, honestly. It was how… normal it felt. They immediately show you this powerful New Jersey crime boss, but he’s also a dad and a husband dealing with a lot of personal stuff. He’s in therapy, which was a pretty big deal to see on TV back then – even 26 years ago, people didn’t really talk about mental health or going to therapy openly. It made him surprisingly relatable, even as he was, you know, a mob boss!

The very first scene, featuring Tony Soprano’s initial therapy session with Dr. Jennifer Melfi, immediately engaged viewers by putting them in a similar vulnerable position. Tony’s obvious discomfort felt incredibly relatable, mirroring the challenges many people face when addressing their mental health. The show powerfully depicted the difficulty of simply talking about personal problems, with Tony Soprano embodying that struggle on screen.

When The Sopranos first aired, it was revolutionary in how it portrayed a complex criminal. At the time, many people were hesitant to admit needing help, but the show made it easier to sympathize with even a violent and cruel character like Tony Soprano. He wasn’t just a villain; he was a father, husband, and son – a flawed but relatable human being that viewers could see aspects of themselves in.

Tony Soprano is a complex character, and as viewers, we often find ourselves trying to excuse his questionable actions. Even his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, struggles with this, wanting to help despite recognizing his deeply flawed nature. It’s easy to start rationalizing his behavior, attributing it to his upbringing or believing he’s motivated by providing for and protecting his family. We begin to see him not as simply ‘bad,’ but as a product of his circumstances.

The Sopranos Deconstructs Tony Through the People Around Him

Throughout the series, even people who admire and look up to Tony Soprano start to recognize his darker side. Christopher Moltisante, who initially sees Tony as perfect and wants to emulate him, is a prime example. As Christopher becomes more involved in the criminal world, he struggles with the realities of Tony’s life and the consequences of their choices.

Tony consistently belittles and undermines Christopher, even threatening his recovery from addiction after he’d initially gotten sober. Christopher’s loyalty to Tony was absolute; when he learned his girlfriend, Adrianna, was speaking with federal agents, he immediately betrayed her to Tony. Tony then had Adrianna murdered without hesitation, definitively revealing his true, ruthless nature to Christopher and the audience.

Choosing Tony’s side instead of Adrianna’s led to a downward spiral, especially after the car crash caused by his drug use. Surveying the damage, Tony’s attention is drawn to the baby seat. When he sees a tree branch has pierced it, he understands that Chris’s actions will likely harm an innocent person – most likely his own daughter.

As a film buff, I have to say that scene with Tony and his nephew is just… chilling. You can practically feel his anger building, and it’s terrifying. It really hits you then – no matter how far gone Chris was, Tony is capable of anything. He’ll protect himself, even if it means hurting the people closest to him. It’s a brutal moment, and it solidifies that Tony isn’t a guy you’re ever going to root for to turn things around – he’s just… beyond redemption.

The Antiheroes Who Followed Tony Soprano Were Built From His Template

In 2008, the show Breaking Bad used a similar approach, revealing that Brian Cranston’s character had terminal cancer. A kind father and husband who happens to be a teacher is someone many viewers can connect with, even more so than someone raised in a criminal world. When facing a terrible illness and the prospect of leaving his family financially vulnerable, it’s understandable he’d do anything to secure their future. Walter White feels he has nothing to lose and everything to gain, driving him to take desperate measures, even if they’re illegal.

When I first started watching Breaking Bad, Walt seemed like a genuinely relatable guy, a bit like Tony Soprano. But as the show went on, it became clear he wasn’t just a good person making bad choices. He really started to reveal a darker side, and it got harder and harder to sympathize with him. It’s easy to think of him as a decent man pushed to extremes, but honestly, I think that cold, calculating personality was always there, hidden beneath the surface.

In the same year that Breaking Bad premiered, Fox launched Sons of Anarchy, offering viewers a new group of flawed heroes – a motorcycle gang. SoA built on the success of The Sopranos, bringing the antihero archetype to a western setting and offering a unique take on gangster dramas. Like Tony Soprano, Jax Teller was a character audiences easily found themselves supporting. He was raised within the dangerous lifestyle, pressured by his mother to succeed where his peaceful father hadn’t, and haunted by the knowledge that his stepfather was involved in his father’s death.

What sets Jax Teller apart from Tony Soprano is his desire to escape a life of crime and build a legitimate future, wanting better for his children than he had. Ultimately, though, he fails. The heartbreaking part is that the only way to prevent his sons from following in his criminal footsteps is to sacrifice himself completely.

Jax, unlike Tony Soprano, struggles with genuine doubt, making him a different type of antihero. While inspired by Tony—and similar to Walter White—his character evolved the antihero mold. Though shows like The Sopranos popularized the antihero, by its end in 2007, it had both perfected and broken down the archetype that’s now so familiar to audiences.

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2025-12-02 03:08