Several crises threaten Tony and his crew; for starters, rival boss Johnny Sack is in prison, and the always-tense relations between the New Jersey and New York families are strained through the unpredictable behaviour of Sack's surrogates. Then there are the inevitable power struggles that ensue when certain family members are eliminated, by natural and other causes. What all soap operas should aspire to, though quite how so many of the central characters have remained alive and kicking is something of a mystery.