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
Marco Polo (The Sopranos) of the pool, Tony and Carmela find themselves alone. A few kisses in the pool lead to the two of them spending the night together. Tony B admires and envies Tony's wealth and family. He finds his sons are dissatisfied with returning to their own home after they had so much fun at the Sopranos' residence. He is shocked to find they stole A.J.'s 1996 Summer Olympics pin collection, justifying their action as A.J. having so many goods that he would not even notice anything missing. The next morning, Tony B calls Rusty and agrees to do the hit. He