The Sopranos debuted in 1999 and quickly became a television show. David Chase’s top-grossing crime drama follows New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano as he runs his illegal business (or, as he calls it, “a waste management business”) while juggling his family obligations.

Now, thanks to video on demand, you no longer have to make an appointment. With all six seasons currently available on Max and Hulu, here are the ten best episodes of The Sopranos to watch right now. Although, to be honest, all 86 episodes are unmissable.

And if you’re a fan of prestige dramas, be sure to check out our list of the top ten Sopranos episodes—at least according to us, and selected from a pool of episodes rated 8/10 or higher on IMDb.

Who Did It (Season 4, Episode 9)

The death of Ralphie Ciffaretto (Joe Pantoliano) was long overdue. He finally gets hit in this episode and it couldn’t have happened to a more obnoxious guy. It’s also graphic. Tony cracks his skull before cutting it off and disposing of the corpse. That’s what you get for messing with Tony’s horse Pie-O-My.

Made in America (Season 6, Episode 21)

Made in America is best known for its daring ending. Tony and his family are eating in the dining room when the screen suddenly goes black, leaving the audience to fill in the gaps. Sopranos creator David Chase was involved in all aspects of the production, but only wrote and directed two episodes at a time. It was the pilot episodes and the show finale that bookended the show perfectly.

Test Dream (Season 5, Episode 11)

Dream sequences are often divisive. Viewers tend to dismiss them as pointless, but The Sopranos has never been shy about exploring Tony’s psyche. This episode is the most developed dream sequence in the series, featuring 20 continuous minutes of eerie imagery, portraits of dead characters, and Tony riding a horse through the living room.

Funhouse (Season 2, Episode 13)

The first major death in the series is Salvatore ‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero, who is beaten by his longtime friends Tony, Silvio and Paulie. As the men take Bonpensier out to sea and have a last drink, there is much resentment before Tony confronts him about being an FBI informant and shoots him dead. His body is then weighed down and thrown into the ocean.

The Knight in White Satin Armor (Season 2, Episode 12)

Janice shoots Richie in one of the biggest twists in Sopranos history. The audience thought that if anyone was going to take him out, it would be Tony. Either that or she reluctantly accepts him into the family after his upcoming wedding to Janice, so what happened surprised millions. This episode was directed by Alan Taylor, who also directed the 2021 prequel The Many Saints of Newark.

Employee of the Month (Season 3, Episode 4)

Tony’s ever-patient therapist Dr. Melfi herself is the subject of this exceptional third season episode. When she is attacked, Melfi asks Tony to help her get justice and revenge. He is more than happy to do so, for once putting his life-learned skills and natural, almost instinctive violence to positive use. It speaks to the strength of the show that any of its characters could last an entire episode.

The University (Season 3, Episode 6)

Ralph brutally murders stripper Tracee when he discovers she is pregnant with his child, which finally sets his streak in motion. However, the episode focuses more on the impact on Tony, who feels guilty about not being able to protect someone in his protection. She faces a setback later in therapy when Dr. Melfim about a ‘work accident’.

Whitecaps (Season 4, Episode 13)

Not every episode of The Sopranos is written by the same team, but you can bet it’s good when certain names pop up. This one has the strongest roster of Green, Burgess, Patterson and Chase, who together write an emotional commentary on a domestic dispute. When Carmela kicks Tony out of the house for even more extramarital activity, the two reveal their feelings in a raw encounter that showcases the impeccable acting skills of James Gandolfini and Eddie Falco.

Pine Barrens (Season 3, Episode 10)

One of the most memorable episodes in the show’s history, Pine Barrens is a dark comedy with shades of the Coen brothers’ Fargo. It follows Chris and Paulie as they ineptly hunt down a Russian mobster in the snowy woods that they tried to kill and failed, bickering and half-frozen in the process. Steve Buscemi did such a good job directing this episode that he later joined the show as a cast member.

College (Season 1, Episode 5)

Tony is revealed to be the ruthless killer that he is in the fifth episode of the first season when, during a father-daughter tour of prospective colleges, he crosses paths with an informant in witness protection and brutally strangles them. In Alex Gibney’s 2024 documentary David Chase: Wise Guy and The Sopranos, Chase reveals that he was warned by producers not to show Tony getting his hands dirty for fear that his leadership would be irredeemable. However, Chase argued that it would be irredeemable for a mob boss to meet a rat and not immediately beat it up.