The Sopranos

The [first episode], along with two other episodes sent to critics, dispels any of last year's feeling that The Sopranos was losing a little steam. They demonstrate a constant ability to surprise. [4 Mar 2001]

It's apparent that "The Sopranos" is back in top form. [2 Mar 2001]

The show is as darkly gleeful as ever, shrewdly and even elegantly put together and, in a way that perhaps no other TV drama series has ever been, troublingly seductive and irresistible. [3 Mar 2001]

It is a show driven not so much by story line as by story telling. We may never have seen a TV program so adept at painting brilliant little vignettes that have nothing to do with anything except the sheer pleasure of watching a scene unfold or hearing pitch-perfect dialogue. [3 Mar 2001]

"The Sopranos" remains the elitist of the elite. ... Competing against its shimmery self, and the lofty expectations it creates, "The Sopranos" resurfaces once more as a superbly written and executed hybrid of popular entertainment and high art, offering up its own Golden Age of TV.

Display[s] more wit, emotion, humanity and brutality than ever. Even measured against insanely high expectations, the series is as good as it has ever been.

"The Sopranos," even as series creator David Chase changes pace this season from power struggles to family matters, is still as good as television gets: wonderfully written, superbly acted, always unpredictable. [2 Mar 2001]

Forget the sags and disappointments of last year. For season three, creator and producer David Chase gets it right again. [3 Mar 2001]

The series became an instant TV landmark because of its riveting stories, wonderfully drawn characters, superb acting and intelligent direction. If anything, the new season emphasizes these traits even more, as it probes the fascinating and usually emotionally charged relationships inside and outside the Soprano family. [2 Mar 2001]

TV's greatest show. [4 Mar 2001]

In its first season, I thought it was the best cop drama on television. Last year, I thought it was the best drama - period. What's left, the best series in American television? It almost goes without saying. [3 Mar 2001]

Extraordinary. [2 Mar 2001]

Continues to test traditional notions of television heroism, upend conventional storytelling rhythms and deliver its thematic points and comic payoffs with a revolutionary subtlety. [4 Mar 2001]

[The first episodes] offer the thrilling combination of provocative drama, bawdy comedy and ingenious production that has become the show's signature feature. [2 Mar 2001]

"The Sopranos" has renewed and refreshed its ability to surprise. [4 Mar 2001]

"The Sopranos" retains the title of the most involving series on television and James Gandolfini continues to be a powerhouse of a performer. [2 Mar 2001]

The Sopranos is better than ever.

The new Sopranos is as good as it's ever been -- ruthlessly emotional, cuttingly funny and frightening.

"The Sopranos" returns in better form this year than it did at the start of its second season. New territory is explored and Chase seems more willing to push the Soprano story forward. [2 Mar 2001]

Some of the edge is off and the buzz isn't quite what it was. [4 Mar 2001]

The series remains smarter and funnier than most anything on television. ... But be forewarned: the 'Sopranos' season starts slowly and a bit unevenly. [4 Mar 2001]

It is nearly impossible for [The Sopranos] to match expectations, which may be why it doesn't. ... The series has grown coarser, more base. [28 Feb 2001]

The show steadfastly avoids romanticizing characters who are repellent, violent and selfish, and it offers a dark, unsparing vision of family life. [4 Mar 2001]