Would the show have been more interesting if Tony had been a Capo, at least for one full season? So many mob movies and whatnot have focused on the Boss or the Administration of a family--The Godfather for example--and so many others have focused on the low level soldiers or associates (Goodfellas, Casino).

We've never really had a Mob show or movie that focused on a Capo, the middle management--We've only seen the highest and lowest levels displayed.

I think for one as a character Tony was better suited toward being a Captain--he wasn't Boss material--and it would've been interesting from a plot standpoint to have the show start with Tony as a Capo.

It could've started in 1998. Jackie is first diagnosed with cancer and Tony's panic attacks begin (reoccur after years of being dormant) as a result. Jackie would be Boss, in and out of the hospital all throughout the first Season, but would start off in relatively good shape, in command still. The tension would grow between Tony and Junior and their crews as Jackie grew sicker, but Jackie being an amazing Boss would be able to mediate it as much as he could while sick (like Dellacroce did between Gotti and Castellano while he was alive).

Then during the final episode of the first season, Jsckie would die, leaving the first season on a cliffhanger, with the second season perhaps encompassing a war between Tony and Junior, with Tony giving Junior the title of Boss (but really making him a front as he did in the show). And then Season 2 would end as Season 1 did. And Season 3 would be Season 2 in essence...

I agree. I would've much rather scene him in the start and for the first few seasons as a Capo and climbing the ranks. He was a good Boss in my eyes but he certainly didn't ever seem like Boss material. He's very self-conscious of himself as a Boss. I would've like to seen Silvio as the Boss after Junior and then maybe Tony, with Silvio stepping down to be his Consig.

Silvio was made out not to be Boss material in any way shape or form, and even turned down the big seat. He would have been subverted if he was boss and it would be less interesting imo

The whole idea of the show was that Tony (as the main character) was a powerfull mobster and a leader. Leadership and responsibility that comes with it were major themes in the series, if Tony was only a captain in one of the smallest families it wouldn't be so interesting. It would be different if he was let's say a captain of a powerfull Genovese crew in NJ, but Chase wanted the series to represent the DeCavalcante NJ family. Anything lower that the boss would make him look like some small time mobster IMO.

It's a shame that Sil couldn't handle acting boss. I liked him as the Consiglieri.

nvm

Tony was a capo the first half of the first season

He was actually acting boss until he made Junior boss.

ehh I think that could be debatable considering Jackie was still alive and they show tony and junior bringin a beef to him outside satriales within the first few episodes...but for the most part yea he was the boss from prob episode 5 or so to the finale

I'd say it would have been better with Jackie as Boss and Tony as Underboss with Sil as Consigliere up until the NY-NJ war where Tony leads them because Jackie got hit

Keeping Jackie around for a season or two would have amplified the Junior/Tony crew rivalry. It would have been interesting to see if Tony would have undermined Jackie's authority. He was lying to Jackie about the Hasidic motel deal early on. Who knows what else he would have run behind Jackie's back.

In hindsight, I think the early demise of Jackie was necessary. From a plot standpoint, that real threat and tension of Tony and Junior going to war was necessary to hook viewers. I remember watching the first season thinking Junior wasn't going to make it past the fourth episode, and again in the season finale. Besides, elevating him to the upper echelon of the DiMeo family made the series what it was - a guy trying to run both a crime family and a real family.

Did anyone else realize that in the pilot Tony was the boss? It was in the second episode when they made Tony and June capos and Jackie boss.

I always thought the pilot was a little vague where Tony was in the food chain. Tony talked about his father not reaching Tony's accomplishments, but he's also making a collection with Chris. I figured he and Junior were at least equals when Junior ranted "You may run North Jersey, but you don't run your uncle..."

Of course the pilot was shot a year before the rest of the first season, so there was a good opportunity to tweak some details. For example, in Silvio's first scene, he made it seem he wasn't too aware of the Tony/Artie/Vesuvio connection. But in later episodes, not only do their daughters attend the same school, the three of them grew up together.

Arties wife refers to Tony as "the Don of new Jersey." When June says he runs north Jersey it means he's the boss. The soprano family is based in north Jersey. Junior was a north Jersey capo.

Sure enough, in this early draft of the Pilot, Hesh refers to Tony as the boss. (Of course Tony is Thomas Soprano in this version, but the episode dialogue is about 95% the same as what aired):

http://goodinaroom.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Sopranos-pilot-script.pdf

They made Silvio look useless as acting boss, here's Tony's right hand man and Consigliere, yet he's suddenly nearly dying from asthma after a week in charge.

Ill always laugh at the scene where Silvio is being taken away in an ambulance and Bobby is still trying to find out his beef.

Or Sil feeding Gab the line about he was being considered for Boss when Jackie was dying.

Which I chuckle, because he wasn't even a Capo at the time.

I would have loved to see him lead a big, young, crew in a family equivalent to the Gambino Crime Family. Then, rise up to the administration with time. After the whole Jersey Mob got taken down, the show was more unrealistic by default.

That, and when the show started off I'm sure nobody had any idea how long the series would last.

It would have been a major disappointment for Tony to achieve something like street boss, then have the series end. It would be the cliffhanger of all cliffhangers.

They could have moved him up to street boss or something by season 3.