James Lileks, on "Mad Men" vs. "The Sopranos":
His wife is the flip of Carmella – as the years pass, frankly, I’d prefer the rich-girl sulk ‘n’ snit to having Carm spit out venom and toss a plate. Sterling and Cooper are the bosses – you could even say that crazy old Cooper is the Uncle June of the show, but again, he’s the flip side, all strange smiles and Zen-flavored Randian calm. The guys in the office are the crew, but unlike the mobsters slouching around the back of the Bing cursing and eating and preening, they’re clever sorts - young, anxious, cavalier, full of themselves but aware of their position in the organization, and their interchangibility. Really, if the fact that they don’t dese-dem-dose their dialogue while contemplating the finer points of stealing cigarettes from a truck makes them less interesting, then we’re a bit too steeped in the romance of the gangster.For more, see "What Would Don Draper Do?"
From what I gather in readding this guy's opinion, he prefers a waspy-like Manhattan show over middle class Jersey show. I still think Soprano's is the best TV drama written.
Kudos goes to Man Men for being able to have a well written show that's not on pay cable but still nearly as appealing, but better? I say no.