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
University (The Sopranos) bashing her head into a metal guardrail, killing her. In violation of Mafia code, Tony assaults Ralphie, a fellow made man. Tony takes Tracee's death badly and becomes emotional during a therapy session with Carmela and Dr. Melfi. The other Bada Bing strippers ask amongst themselves where Tracee went. Georgie, sporting a bandaged eye, trains a new stripper in place of Tracee. According to actress Ariel Kiley, who plays Tracee, the stripper murdered by Ralph Cifaretto, a lot of subscribers canceled their HBO service because of the episode. University (The Sopranos) "University" is the 32nd episode of the HBO original