The Sopranos (The Sopranos episode) The Sopranos (The Sopranos episode) "The Sopranos", also known as "Pilot", is the first episode of the HBO television drama series, "The Sopranos", which premiered on January 10, 1999. It was written and directed by the series creator and executive producer David Chase. New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano passes out while barbecuing. Tony's collapse is diagnosed as a panic attack, leading to his referral to psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi. Tony is initially uncooperative, but soon tells Dr. Melfi a story about a family of ducks which nested in his swimming pool. He goes over tensions between Carmela and Meadow over a
The Second Coming (The Sopranos) suicide attempt, Silvio, Patsy, and Carlo attempt to comfort him with stories of their own children's tough times. When Tony tells Carmela he feels depressed, an argument between them erupts. Carmela blames A.J.'s condition on Tony's family's genetic predisposition towards depression. In Dr. Melfi's office, Tony says he is ashamed of his son because of his suicide attempt and dismisses Melfi's suggestion that A.J. subconsciously didn't really want to die. Tony talks about the "Sopranos curse" that Carmela mentioned but refuses to shoulder all the blame. Melfi tells him Tony should understand his son, since he has dealt with depression