In the real Jersey mob just before this show premiered, Jersey had a boss in prison, a street boss dying of cancer, and a feud that ensued between people who wanted to take over as street boss. The Sopranos patterned the DiMeo Crime Family after the DeCavalcante Family in season 1. By season 2, most of the mob story lines were fictional, or based on stand alone events.
"...the successful annihilation of organized crime's subculture in America would rock the 'legitimate' world's foundation, which would ultimately force fundamental social changes and redistributions of wealth and power in this country. Meyer Lansky's dream was to bond the two worlds together so that one could not survive without the other." - Dan E. Moldea
