Mob and Mafia news Archer Davis reporting. The Sopranos creator says HBO's mafia show was intentionally inaccurate in one key way it's been 25 years since James Gandolfini debuted as the New Jersey mob boss and suburban family man Tony Soprano, a character who would go on to become iconic. Gandolfini's death in 2013 may have ended the hopes of a Sopranos revival, but the original show continues to win new fans as younger generations discover the prestige tv classic