Tony Soprano often displays behavior traits characteristic of a violent sociopath, but also struggles with depression and is prone to panic attacks. He seeks treatment from Dr. Jennifer Melfi in the first episode and remains in therapy on and off up until the penultimate episode of the series. Both the Tony Soprano character and Gandolfini’s performance garnered widespread critical acclaim, with Soprano being often cited as one of the greatest and most influential characters in television history. Gandolfini, for his portrayal of the character, won three Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series, three Screen Actors Guild Awards for
The Sopranos (The Sopranos episode) production being shot on a weekly basis, HBO acquired an abandoned auto parts store in Kearny, New Jersey which became Satriale's Pork Store for use in future episodes. David Chase won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series for his work on this episode and a Primetime Emmy Award for Joanna Cappuccilli for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series. It was also Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for David Chase. The Sopranos (The Sopranos episode) "The Sopranos", also known as "Pilot", is the