The Sopranos gangster, but more so that Tony's mother, Livia, was vengeful and possibly psychopathicare revealed. His complicated relationship with his wife Carmela is also explored, as well as her feelings regarding her husband's "cosa nostra" ties. Meadow and Anthony Jr.—Tony's children—gain increasing knowledge of their father's mob dealings. Later, federal indictments are brought as a result of someone in his organization talking to the FBI. Tony's uncle Corrado "Junior" Soprano orders the murder of Brendan Filone and the mock execution of Chris Moltisanti, associates of Tony, as reprisal for repeated hijackings of trucks under Corrado's protection. Tony defuses the situation by
The Sopranos pilot episode which was shot in 1997. Chase directed it himself. They finished the pilot and showed it to HBO executives, but the show was put on hold for several months. During this time, Chase considered asking HBO for additional funding to shoot 45 more minutes of footage and release "The Sopranos" as a feature film. In December 1997, HBO decided to produce the series and ordered 12 more episodes for a 13-episode season. The show premiered on HBO on January 10, 1999 with the pilot episode. "The Sopranos" was the second hour-long television drama series produced by HBO, the