The 10 Best ‘The Sopranos’ Episodes to Watch

Often considered the greatest show of all time, it’s no surprise that The Sopranos produced some of the greatest television episodes ever.

The Sopranos centralizes around the Soprano family, led by mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), who pretends to work in waste management while trying to maintain both his criminal and family personas. Throughout the series, Tony attends therapy sessions with Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), providing a deep, compelling and complex look at what makes an antihero tick.

The series is critically acclaimed and revolutionized television in many ways. Aside from Galndolfini and Bracco, the series features an ensemble cast, including Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano, Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano, Robert Iler as A.J. Soprano and Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti.

For the 25th anniversary of the series premiere in 2024, series creator David Chase spoke to PEOPLE about the show’s enduring legacy.

“I still feel this tremendous sense of gratitude that it’s still going on … I can’t remember this happening with any other television show ever,” Chase said. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done … it’s probably the best thing I ever will do.”

In honor of the finale’s 18-year anniversary, here are the 10 best episodes of The Sopranos to watch.

Season 1, Episode 5: “College”

With such a large legacy, it’s natural that The Sopranos would have more than one episode considered arguably the greatest television episode of all time — and “College” is no exception. During the episode, Tony goes to visit potential colleges with Meadow, but runs into someone who was an FBI informant and put many of his friends in jail.

Tony ultimately helps his daughter plan her future while secretly strangling a man with his bare hands on the same trip, cementing the concept of a TV antihero.

Season 1, Episode 13: “I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano”

The Sopranos developed a reputation for having epic season finales — and that began in season 1. Having survived an attempted hit on his life, Tony meets with Dr. Melfi in therapy, who suggests that Tony’s mother Livia (Nancy Marchand) put the hit on him.

Tony reacts by threatening his therapist and storming out, but with some secret tapes, her suspicions are confirmed that Livia coaxed Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) into putting a hit on Tony. Upon hearing this, Tony goes to her retirement community, intending to kill her, but sees her being wheeled out with something resembling a smile on her face after having a stroke.

Season 2, Episode 12: “The Knight in White Satin Armor”

Throughout season 2, Tony and Richie Aprile (David Proval) had been having issues due to his continued abuse of Janice (Aida Turturro), Tony’s sister and Richie’s fiancée. Richie ends up attempting to plan a hit on Tony, but after his request is denied by mob superiors, Uncle Junior tips Tony off.

Naturally, it was expected that Tony would be the one to whack Richie. However, Janice got her redemption as she guns down Richie during an intense argument in the kitchen.

Season 2, Episode 13: “Funhouse”

In yet another shocking Sopranos season finale, Tonys gets food poisoning and has a dream in which Big Pussy Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore) tells him he’s a government informant. Tony goes to Pussy’s house and finds a wire, confirming his subconscious dreams are telling the truth.

Knowing this, Tony, Paulie (Tony Sirico) and Silvio (Steven Van Zandt) take their close friend Pussy on a boat, talking like usual, but eventually shoot him and dump his body in the river. While the episode is known for the dream sequence, it’s also known as one of the episodes that gave HBO its reputation for killing major characters.

Season 3, Episode 6: “University”

“University” once again broke television barriers with arguably The Sopranos’ most heinous act. Brute tough guy Ralphie (Joe Pantoliano) is dating a 20-year-old good-hearted stripper named Tracee (Ariel Kiley). Things take a turn for the worst when Tracee comes to Tony to ask for advice — she’s pregnant with Ralphie’s child, but hasn’t told him yet.

Ralphie finds out about the child and ends up brutally murdering her, infuriating Tony — partially because he could have done more to help.

Season 3, Episode 11: “Pine Barrens”

“Pine Barrens” is not only one of the best Sopranos episodes, but is often considered one of the best episodes in television history, bringing a whole new meaning to the term “interior decorator.” Tony needs Paulie and Christopher to collect some cash from Russian mobster Valery (Vitali Baganov) — whom Paulie thinks is an interior decorator due to a phone connection mishap — but things go astray after they seemingly kill Valery.

After driving to the Pine Barrens to bury Valery in a snowy forest, Valery seemingly rises from the dead and runs away. The two must search for him, continuing the series’ exploration of potentially supernatural events. It turns into a darkly comedic affair with moments that feel like a campout as they survive with little sustenance.

Season 4, Episode 9: “Whoever Did This”

After murdering Tracee, Ralphie gets his comeuppance. Ironically, this was the one episode where viewers were beginning to feel some sympathy for Ralphie, as his son got critically injured while roleplaying Lord of the Rings.

Ralphie cries to Tony, expressing a desire for redemption, but when a fire burns down the stable that kills Tony’s favorite horse Pie-O-My, all hell breaks loose. Tony suspects Ralphie did it as the fire would cover his son’s medical bills. This suspicion, coupled with Ralphie’s murder of Tracee, causes Tony to brutally kill Ralphie.

Season 4, Episode 13: “Whitecaps”

With a runtime of one hour and 16 minutes, “Whitecaps” is the closest fans came to a Sopranos movie during the series’ initial run. After all the grief Tony has put his family through, he returns home to find Carmela throwing out his things after his mistress called her.

This scene features some of the series’ best acting as Gandolfini and Falco trade emotionally charged blows. The episode begins with Tony looking for a summer home with his family, but ends with him moving in there by himself.

Season 5, Episode 12: “Long Term Parking”

One of the most devastating episodes of The Sopranos features the death of one of the most innocent and beloved characters in the series: Adriana La Cerva. After helping cover up a murder, Adriana was blackmailed into becoming an informant — or facing prison time.

When Tony found out about this, it was only a matter of time until her death. Silvio drives her out into the woods and ruthlessly kills her, although it isn’t shown on-screen. Many moments made viewers question Tony’s morality, but this may have been the one that swayed viewers towards truly believing Tony wasn’t a good guy.

Season 6, Episode 21: “Made in America”

“Made in America” entered the cultural zeitgeist with its ambiguous fade-to-black ending, making it unclear whether Tony lived or died in one of television’s most controversial series finales. During the episode, Tony visits many figures from his past, including his sister Janice and his Uncle Junior.

After Tony coordinates a hit on his rival mob boss Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent), he knows he will have to live in fear for the rest of his life. While eating dinner with A.J. and Carmela at a restaurant, shady figures walk inside. Meadow crosses the street before Tony looks up to see someone enter, all while Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” is playing.