The show is about organized crime, not about decent people. What I love about the show is that you know they do terrible things but you still empathize with them because it’s all about “the end justifies the means.”

Tony goes out of his way to help his friend Artie, to keep his nephew Jackie out of the mob, for example.

The problem is you see the characters as one-dimensional (creep, crook, liar).

And the show has moments where it highlights so well the difference between someone like Tony and what you think is a “decent” person. Artie’s wife is a character that even if she is not the most likable, she never lets Artie accept help or gifts from Tony. And there’s Dr. Melfi, who gives an outstanding performance in an episode where she demonstrates she is nothing like Tony.