Hmmm...the richness and seriousness you mention are not exactly the reason for defining a certain series or movie as drama or comedy, I think. There are quite a few intelligent comedies out there which deal with very serious issues and do so with great style and richness.

What I'm trying to say is that the issues alone, or their depth, are no indication to whether the show is a drama or comedy. What does define it is the WAY you convey these issues and their richness. Some comedies may have the most serious and complicated issues, and they will still make you laugh if the WAY, the actual delivery of content, is done humorously.

While I do think The Sopranos is more drama than comedy, must we make the distinction?

Can't it be both? how about two genres that overlap each other? can you say that "it's a drama and a comedy"?

I think some of Shakespeare's comedies are very serious and rich. Yet they are defined as comedies even before we learn their titles. Then we open the play and we are met with funny or witty lines inside that merit its definition of a comedy.

I think that when a series or a movie repeatedly makes you laugh in its approach, then it's a comedy as well. If we're only talking about certain characters that are funny, then it's not necessarily a comedy. Take "Lost" for example, another excellent series. There are times when I laugh so hard but it is almost ALWAYS the same characters that make me laugh in that show. Jack Shephard, the lead character of the show, for example, never makes me laugh. I will never call "Lost" a comedy. I think the Sopranos is different, in that at any given moment, any one of the characters of the show could make you laugh, even if it's not Paulie or Silvio. That's because humor is one of the defining characteristics of the show. It wont be The Sopranos without it.