Apropos of Econlog on Sopranos...

The Wire and The Sopranos both showcase the pitfalls of managing characters’ strengths. The Wire kills off Stringer Bell after he’s become too strong of a character and fails to fill the resultant gap. On the other hand, The Sopranos fails to kill Tony to make way for Carmela in season 2 and it never recovers.

For The Wire, it could be argued that the story arcs match the city itself, now consigned to walk amongst shades and their dim memories of better times. Doing so doesn't do the city justice: each of Charm City's corridors of power has a vibrant story that can be used to balance the pain the city lives with on a daily basis.

Likewise, one could argue The Sopranos mirrors how the mob actually works: one strong-man with a background of poor secondary characters. Doing so means trading away a source of suspense for the hindering of other characters -- while it may be more life-like, it doesn't make for great stories.

The show to watch is Billions, which is currently in a quandary with its secondary characters....