Sonny Corinthos Connie Corleone, which is alluded to in Kate Howard's real name, Connie Falconeri. Similarities have also been noted between Sonny and Tony Soprano from "The Sopranos" and the characters that surround them both. Vincent Pastore, who portrayed Big Pussy Bonpensiero on "The Sopranos", came on the show to portray Maximus Giambetti, father of Sonny's bodyguards Milo Giambetti and Max Giambetti. Benard has described Sonny as "unpredictable," and stated that: "You never know from one second to the next what he is thinking, feeling or planning. He's a man in personal conflict who maintains an outward appearance of calm at all
The Sopranos popular culture of the last quarter century." In 2007, Roger Holland of PopMatters wrote, "the debut season of "The Sopranos" remains the crowning achievement of American television." "Time Out New York" 's Andrew Johnston had high praise for the series, stating: "Together, Chase and his fellow writers (including Terence Winter and "Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner) produced the legendary Great American Novel, and its 86 episodes long." Johnston asserted the preeminence of "The Sopranos" as opposed to "The Wire" and "Deadwood" in a debate with television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz, both of whom would later include "The