"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. Cast Starring James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti Dominic Chianese as Corrado Soprano, Jr. Vincent Pastore as Pussy Bonpensiero Steven Van Zandt as Silvio Dante Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri Robert Iler as Anthony Soprano, Jr. Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Meadow Soprano Nancy Marchand as Livia Soprano Synopsis New Jersey Summer 1998. New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano, a capo in the DiMeo crime family, has been referred to a psychiatrist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi, after having a panic attack. Tony tells her he is a waste management consultant, but she knows who he is. After Melfi establishes what will and will not fall under doctor-patient confidentiality, Tony begins to partly open up. He has recently been dealing with tensions between his wife Carmela and teenage daughter Meadow, as well as trying to keep Christopher Moltisanti, whom he calls his nephew, in check. Tony's uncle, known as Uncle Junior, resents Tony's rise in the crime family and his own decline. Tony also has a strained relationship with his widowed mother Livia, who is resisting his advice to move into a retirement home. A confrontation with his mother triggers another panic attack, and he returns to Melfi. He tells her about a family of ducks that were living in his swimming pool, but left when the ducklings fledged. Guided by Melfi, Tony realizes he is sad to see them go because he dreads losing his own family; to his consternation, this makes him cry. When a Czech-American criminal organization bids against Tony for a waste management contract, Christopher acts on his own initiative and kills one of the Czechs, Emil Kolar. The Czechs withdraw their bid. Junior wants to kill turncoat "Little Pussy" Malanga in a restaurant he frequents, owned by Tony's lifelong friend Artie Bucco. Thinking the murder would ruin the restaurant's reputation, Tony asks Junior not to do it there, but he refuses. Tony tries to get Artie to close the restaurant for three weeks by giving him cruise tickets, but his wife Charmaine refuses them. Finally, Tony has his right-hand man Silvio Dante bomb the restaurant; Artie's reputation