HBO Original drama series brings to TV screens "The Sopranos" which tells the life of a modern-day mob boss named Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini ("Get Shorty," "A Civil Action"). The leader of New Jersey’s most powerfrul crime organization, he is confronted by the pressures of mob rule and the complexities of an imperfect family life. All is not well for him with his brash and savvy wife Carmela (Edie Falco); he is a loving father who couldn’t spare her daughter Meadow (JamieLynn Sigler) from seeing the world of mobsters and have gotten enough worries from his good-for-nothing son and namesake, Anthony, Jr. (Robert Iler).

As somewhat contrast to his profession, Tony’s a mama’s boy who considers his mother Livia (Nancy Marchand) as the most important person in his life. More often than not she is a liability to Tony’s life, like in one scene where she almost put the house on fire because she couldn’t operate the gas range well. But he loves him too much he’s out to carry the load for his mom.

Add to the list of characters Tony’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) whom he treats as a paternal figure, and ‘Uncle Junior’ Corrado Soprano (Dominic Chianese) who has deep affection for him. It was he and Tony’s dad Johnny Boy who first affiliated themselves to the DiMeo crime family, thus, sealing the Sopranos’ entry to the dirty world of organized crime.

Tony finds the headache of dealing with life too insurmountable that he needed the services of a psychiatrist (Dr. Jennifer Melfi, played by Lorraine Bracco). The sessions between Tony and Dr. Melfi serve as Pandora’s box from which some of the scenes and subplots in Tony’s life come back to life for viewers to witness.

Combining drama with comic twists, "The Sopranos" mirrors the absurdity of today’s times fashioned via the facts of suburban mob life. The first television series set against the family life of a modern–day Mafioso, this series is part satirical, with influences from the great American gangster films. One scene you find a hapless person getting killed, the next you’ll laugh after a witty punchline.

If you’re a lover of gangster movies in the tradition of "Goodfellas," "The Untouchables," "Mobsters," and "The Godfather," then "The Sopranos" is a must–see TV series for you.

"The Sopranos" is an HBO Signature’s Event of the Month for April, scheduled on consecutive nights. Plus a repeat of the entire 13 epsiodes during a weekend marathon. You can catch its 2 episode–premiere tonight at 10, with the rest to be shown until April 15 and the weekend marathon on Apr. 22 and 23 starting 1 p.m., only on HBO Signature.