The second series of The Sopranos, David Chase's ultra-cool and ultra-modern take on New Jersey gangster life, matches the brilliance of the first, although it's marginally less violent, with more emphasis given to the stories and obsessions of supporting characters. Sadly, the programme-makers were forced to throttle back on the appalling struggle between gang boss Tony Soprano and his Gorgon-like Mother Livia, the very stuff of Greek theatre, following actress Nancy Marchand's unsuccessful battle against cancer. Taking up her slack, however, is Tony's big sister Janice, a New Age victim and arrant schemer and sponger, who takes up with the twitchy, Scarface-wannabe Richie Aprile, brother of former boss Jackie, out of prison and a minor pain in Tony's ass.

Other running sub-plots include the hapless efforts by Chris (Michael Imperioli) to sell his real-life Mafia story to Hollywood, the return and treachery of Big Pussy and Tony's wife Carmela's ruthlessness in placing daughter Meadow in the right college. Even with the action so dispersed, however, James Gandofini is still toweringly dominant as Tony. The genius of his performance, and of the programme-makers, is that, despite Tony being a whoring, unscrupulous, sexist boor, a crime boss and a murderer, we somehow end up feeling and rooting for him, because he's also a family man with a bratty brood to feed, who's getting his balls busted on all sides, to say nothing of keeping the government off his back. He's the kind of crime boss we'd like to feel we would be. Tony's decent Italian-American therapist Dr Melfi's (Loraine Bracco) perverse attraction with her gangster-patient reflects our own and, in her case, causes her to lose her first series cool and turn to drink this time around.

Effortlessly multi-dimensional, funny and frightening, and devoid of the sentimentality that afflicts even great American TV like The West Wing, The Sopranos is boss of bosses in its televisual era. --David Stubbs

My wife and I are half way through the second series of 'The Sopranos'. We both really enjoyed series one, but have already become a bit bored with series two, since it doesn't seem to take things a great deal further than series one did, and we both agree that we probably will not bother getting further series, even if someone lends them to us - luckily we borrowed series two. I have given this DVD three stars since the acting is good and the stories are okay. I've watched series one of 'The Wire' and 'Oz' and series one and two of 'Deadwood' and 'Rome' and think that all four of these HBO series are better than 'The Sopranos'. For far better on-screen Mafia antics than 'The Sopranos' has to offer, I would recommend the first two 'Godfather' films, 'Goodfellas', 'Casino' and 'Once Upon a Time in America'. As for the disfunctional family thing that is apparently a selling point of 'The Sopranos', surely there are umpteen number of soap operas that do the same thing.

The Sopranos is the best TV show I've ever seen. Reviewing this particular series should substitute for sending a full review--pending the complete box set.

The 2nd series of The Sopranos is perhaps the best. It's a close run thing between this and series 5. The horror and attraction runs full tilt through each episode as T tries to hold his genetic and extended families together. The d??nouement is written from a level that causes altitude sickness compared to the nonsense passing for good TV currently. 24 can go and take a running jump and Prison Break can stay in lockup.

The Sopranos is grownup TV for adults. I'm at the end of series 6 and I saw it coming--the life never ends Mr Soprano. They will always pull you back in. It's all you know. You will never leave.

Season two of the award winning HBO produced series lifts off from where series one landed and brings new meaning to the word stunning,this is the most vital of dramatic tv,laughs come and go in the show but the tension remains throughout and thats a credit to a team of writers who Shakespear would certainly approve off.
Where series one started off a tad slowly,series two races along in full pelt as the 13 episodes unravel and unfold with an addictive quality.For those in the dark the show centres around tony soprano who as of series two is a capo,as in mob boss,he has his associates some of whom he trusts,some of whom he shouldnt,and then he has his family,in series two his sister janice shows up and she adds to his wife,his mum who tried to have him killed in series one,his daughter and son,and they inflict as much pressure to his existence as the mob life he lives in.Then there is his therapist who goes into hiding at first but then decides to help tony after he haunts her dreams.
I dont wish to give much away,but series two delivers twists and plenty of killings and moments fit to take the breath out of your body,as usual uncle junior is a character that steals each scene that he is in and the spisode where he is under house arrest is brilliant in that its funny and claustrophobic at times.
The arrival of richie aprile is brilliant,he is a gangster that spent ten years in prison and isnt up to speed with the modern day mobsters life so everything he does is old school and while he pledges loyalty to tony,he isnt as trustworthy as one would think,we learn more about tonys family and indeed his mob family as each character gets little segments to themselves,including tonys cousin christopher who is trying to write a screenplay and heads to a director with it,we view the return of sal who fled in series one and again he isnt the loyal servant he once was either.
The show as with series one,doesnt tidy itself up at the end of an episode but and that leaves you screaming for the next episode,and with that in mid series 3 is next on my shopping list and i have expectations higher than an eagles top hat now.

After watching the whole 13 hours of the first series in 2 days, i purchased this series. I was thrilled at how brilliant it was, and subsequently, watched the whole 12 hours....in one day! Call me sad but buy this and i'll bet you you'll do the same!

It's alot darker then the first series, there's more violence too, but that just adds to the excitment! We say good bye to one of the gang (I won't tell you who), after Tony finds a wire in his bedroom. We also see the arrival, and 'bloody' exciting departure of Richie, who also get bumped off, but no by Tony... Janice also hits the scene as Tony's sister causing havoc in the household, whilst Tony blanks his mother out of his life.

The series is very funny at times, but can be moving also. the first few episodes start off alittle slow but watch a couple and you'll not stop till it's over. The final episode it great!

Please for the sake of humanity buy this series, however if you haven't seen the first series yet, make sure you watch it before you watch this, and everything will fall into place nicley!

Brilliant!!

James Gandolfini has a charisma that leaps off the screen in a character (Tony Soprano) that evokes sympathy as well as disgust from the viewer. The fascination of Tony Soprano (JG) is absorbing and irresistable, what's he going to do next? The tension and the need to know 'what happens next' is great - serious entertainment. J.G's acting and the writing is so good that the viewer feels they get to 'know' Tony to the point of guessing how he might react to the varied situations he faces.

Like Series one, the magic starts with the punchy theme tune and continues through the episodes, the great storylines/acting carried along with great music.

Marvellous!!