Okay so this is a speculation topic. We all know that the show is fiction and not a real life version of the mob. But i got to thinking, of all the murders that took place on the show, which character do you guys think would have been killed in real life, if the circumstances where the same as on the show? Personally i think the murder of cousin Tony would have been hard to avoid, since he killed the brother of a powerfull captain in a big family.... But taking into account that the violence in the mob has gone down, and that muders rarely occur anymore, i would think a lot of the characters would have been spared in real life - i have a hard time imagening that the owner of the nursing home would have been killed. It would have been pretty careless to risk a murder indictment just to kill a civilian with a big mouth.... what do you think? (English is a second language to me, so bare with me, if it isn't perfect)

Chris would have been hit long ago.

def he'd be gone being a big junkie and running his mouth to his junkie friends

what about junior?

Tony and Jackie Aprile Snr for jacking the card game of a made guy(Feech).

That back story was never that believable to me.

Tony says in the following episode to Melfie that he had no choice but to go into the life because of his old man.

Yet he's going to the effort of jacking card games just to get noticed as a rising star.

Why did he need to get noticed when his old man and junior ran North Jersey, surely he'd need no introduction to the life if he wanted to make the step up.

well as i recall, tonys father and uncle junior were not that big. I remember in one of the first episodes, tony saying "my dad never reached the heights like me"....

They were powerful captains, while Tony eventually rose up to become the boss, as we know him.

Maybe he didn't want to be looked at as his dad's shadow. (shrug)

I dont think many of the hits would have gone down in real life, i think more than likely people would have been cut out. To be honest there were too many bodies dropping in the whole series, it made the crew seem like serial killers, in real life would have meant too much heat.

An example the Colombian in the room Paulie shot why leave the body but then hide the koala bros son.

Whenever I think things in the Sopranos got too crazy I read up a little on the Philly mob in the eighties and nineties and realize that it was a little more realistic than it's given credit for.

Wait, was it ever stated in the show that Tony's father was a Capo? I always figured he was a soldier, albeit a highly respected one, but a soldier none the less. In the first episode, Tony says that his dad never "reached the heights" like him. And at that time, Tony himself was a capo. Proof of this is Jackie Aprile being Acting Boss, Junior being under him, Junior & Tony were sort of competing to be the next boss, but I think Junior was the official Underboss. With Tony being a highly respected and acknowledged Captain. During the last scene of the episode,where they're throwing that dinner for Junior being officially declared boss. The FBI agents are rearranging photos to fit with the changes, and once they get to Tony's picture, I believe it says "CAPO" which is crossed out, then at the top of it they write "STREET BOSS".

So, Tony's old man, may have just been a soldier, at least that's what I think. But nonetheless, he would've been killed had this been real life for robbing the card game of a made man. Christopher would've been long gone once his drug use became common knowledge amongst the family. Artie would've been whacked for pointing a hunting rifle at a boss.

Personally I agree about Chris being whacked in real life for being a junkie. I also could realistically see matt and his friend the two jerkoffs being killed for what they did. Richie as well for making a power play and being uncontrollable. Also jimmy altieri for being a suspected rat and pussy and Mikey for also being part of a power play. Tony b I could see being whacked. Paulie I cwould see being whacked tOk if they found out the truth. But more likely just bumped down or taxed hard.

Johnny Boy was just a button I believe.

I do not believe it was specifically spelled out, but Johnny Boy was likely a capo. Paulie and Pussy rolled up through Johnny Boy and supported Tony moving into the capo role after Johnny Boy's death from emphysema.

A couple things on the "never reached the heights" comment by Tony in the pilot:

- There are several continuity errors in the pilot as compared to events throughout the series. With the pilot being shot almost two years before the series debuted, I tend to discount minor details and discrepancies.

"I think about my father. He never reached heights like me. But in a lot of ways, he had it better. He had his people. They had their standards. They had pride. Today, what do we got?"

- Tony's comment is in a voiceover as the camera pans the elaborate suburban house. Contrast that with the house that Livia was in. He's talking about material wealth and how the "family" had lost its core - family, pride, honor - in lieu of materialism.

That's how I always saw it. Tony was referring to his wealth and possessions as "the heights", not his particular position within the organization.

Look at guys like Chin and Gambino and even Gotti, small, humble homes

Artie for beating Benny to a pulp ?

Maybe not because he was best friends with Tony.

Carm got sick, nice touch...

I am not sure if Benny was even made.

He was. Tony told him right after he got beat up by Phil.

Tony said his dad ran his own crew in the same scene he said he didn't resch the heights he had

tony would've been killed by paulie, carlo and silvio to prevent the jersey/ny war

chris would've been killed for a multitude of reasons