Ranking The Major Antagonists Of 'The Sopranos'

My wife and son are on a trip to see some family of hers this weekend, which means dad has the house all to himself.

And when dad has the house all to himself, that means it's the perfect time for a rewatch of "The Sopranos."

Although it's my second favorite show of all time (I may have to rank my favorites to reveal what number one is), I can objectively say "The Sopranos" is the greatest television show ever created, and one of the reasons for that is the villains of the show.

Sure, everyone is basically a scumbag throughout the program's six-ish seasons, but if we view Tony as our main character and protagonist, that means there has to be a villain or antagonist.

By my estimation, there are four overarching main antagonists of the show.

An argument could be made for more, but I don't count people like Johnny Sack or Big Pussy, who started as friends and became adversaries, nor do I count the FBI.

I will also be ranking these antagonists solely on their impact on Tony and the show, as well as how enjoyable they are to watch.

Okay, paisans, let's get started! *SPOILERS AHEAD*

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4. Richie Aprile

As you will find throughout this list, the separation between the different antagonists will be razor-thin.

Richie Aprile is one of my favorite characters on "The Sopranos."

Between his mood whiplash from doing yoga with Tony's sister in one scene and crippling Beansie with his car in the next, to his obsession with Rocco DiMeo's jacket (sorry, "the jaaaaackkkkeeeet"), Richie was an excellent foil to Tony.

Even the height difference made for a striking contrast between the two (he's got tremendous moxie for his size, though).

However, the elder Aprile brother has the dubious distinction of being the only antagonist on this list not to spend multiple seasons on the show, so his impact isn't felt quite as long as some of the others.

He presents a great threat to Tony's livelihood and even plots to take him out towards the end of the second season, but he's killed off by Tony's sister Janice, of all people, and doesn't even make it to the last episode of season two.

Don't give me those Manson lamps, Richie! It's not my fault you came up short!

3. Ralph Cifaretto

Why, oh why, was he born handsome instead of rich?

While the other characters on this list are funny through mostly unintentional means, Ralph Cifaretto opens his time on the show as a wisecracking, ball-breaking clown and doesn't slow down until his last episode.

Introduced in season three, Ralphie is a guy you absolutely hate to love.

He is a despicable human being on a show full of them, but his actions stand out above even the other sociopaths he fraternizes with.

Some of those actions include banging Janice while his girlfriend grieves the loss of her son (whose hit he ordered), making jokes about a guy in a coma while his brother was in the room, and beating a stripper to death while she was pregnant with his child.

He's almost comically evil.

You want to hate the guy. You're SUPPOSED to hate the guy. But he's just so damn funny and charming, you find yourself hanging on his every word.

THAT is a good villain.

As far as his impact on Tony, he is more of a nuisance than an actual threat for the most part.

His worst offense is telling a fat joke about a boss's wife that nearly starts a war between the New Jersey and New York mob families, but as we see in the same episode, it could have been anyone who made that joke.

Besides that, he's mostly a source of indigestion for Tony, so I have to knock him some points for that.

Otherwise, Ralph Cifaretto is the most charming scumbag you'll ever meet.

2. Phil Leotardo

When it comes to traditional villains, Phil Leotardo might be as good as it gets.

After doing "20 f***ing years in the can," Philly makes his way back into the mob world at the beginning of season five as a member of the New York Lupertazzi family.

One of his first actions as Johnny Sack's enforcer (aside from moonlighting as the Shah of Iran) is to execute the Lady Shilock, Lorraine Calluzzo, for failing to kick up to Sack.

After Tony's cousin, Tony B., takes out Phil's brother Billy (47-years-old, practically a kid), Leotardo becomes a full-on villain for basically the rest of the show, impeding Tony's progress at every turn and threatening violence against him and his crew multiple times throughout the show's run.

Played by the legendary Frank Vincent of "Goodfellas" fame, Leotardo is the perfect balance of unintentionally hilarious and frightening.

He is the owner of some of the best quotes in the entire series, with too many to list in this short article. He is also perhaps the most effective of the major antagonists at damaging the Soprano crime family, roughing up soldiers like criminal mastermind Bennie Fazio while also taking out third-in-command Bobby Bacala and sending consigliere Silvio Dante into a coma near the end of the final season.

Phil is my personal favorite antagonist in "The Sopranos," and if it wasn't for the sheer impact of the number one antagonist on this list, he would be a shoo-in for the top spot.

But there is one person who has impacted Tony and the show more than anyone…

1. Livia Soprano

Oh! Mama Livia! Como esta, my darling?

That's right, if we were ranking these characters purely on how enjoyable they were to watch, this black hole of despair would be at the bottom.

But it's hard to argue anyone had more of an impact on Tony and the show than Livia Soprano.

The world's worst mother is the whole reason Tony is even in therapy to kick things off in season one, and everyone she comes in contact with is worse off because of it.

It could be argued "The Sopranos" as a whole wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Livia, so that alone earns her this top spot uncontested, but her track record during the show isn't bad either.

In season one alone, she convinces Tony's uncle Junior to execute Christopher's friend Brendan, and to order a hit on her own son.

Can you blame her, though?

She gave her life to her kids on a silver platter, and her only son repays her by sticking her in a nursing home!

In all seriousness, Livia is a deplorable person, a racist, an anti-semite, and a psychopath who tries to kill her own son.

If she was born after the feminists, she'd be the real gangster.

I'd like to think she'd be proud of ending up at the top of this list, but pleasing Livia is a fool's errand.

In the end, it's all just a big nothing.