Well, yes and no. If The Sopranos was just about a Mafiosi wise guy it wouldn't have lasted this long, nor developed into the cultural phenomenon it is. Its genius is in being about so much more.

It could of course be viewed as straightforward entertainment.

Why not? It's brilliantly written, filmed and acted and manages to put complex characters in suspenseful and hilarious situations.

But while the same could be said of a few other shows on television, The Sopranos has managed to carry with it a weight of meaning that has generated over 50 books and countless academic articles. Creator David Chase still refuses to say what it's all about, but the very fact that the question is still being asked after 77 episodes is testament to all that is going on beneath the surface.

The Sopranos breaks many of the rules of episodic TV and in style is more akin to European cinema. Despite being packed with plot, many episodes feel slow as it takes the time to focus on the awkward pauses that exist in exchanges, every scene is lined with subtext and metaphor and it demands constant attention for storylines that unfold with the irregular cadence of real life.

Right from the off The Sopranos set out to be different. You'd have expected the title sequence for a mafia show to have hoods pointing or shooting guns, threatening people with baseball bats, sharp suits and the like. Instead The Sopranos opens with a man driving home, presumably after a day's work, and the camera stays resolutely beside him in the car as he passes various sights along the way and contends with the same traffic as anyone else. The suggestion is that this is an American Everyman, with the only hints towards his violent lifestyle in the music ("Woke up this morning, got yourself a gun") and the gun substituted for an "r" in the title card.

It could be argued that most people share nothing in common with Tony Soprano and it's just our fascination with the underbelly of society, once there's a TV screen separating us from it, that keeps us watching, but there is clearly something about the character that resonates. In his first meeting with Dr Melfi he bemoans the death of the strong silent type, epitomised for him by Gary Cooper. "That was an American. He wasn't in touch with his feelings. He just did what he had to do. See, what they didn't know is that once they got Gary Cooper in touch with his feelings, they couldn't get him to shut up. It's dysfunction this, dysfunction that." But even as he yearns for the past it's obvious that Tony is a modern creation, balding fat manhood in the throes of a mid-life crisis, enslaved by two of the tenets of American society, therapy and capitalism.

In three of its first four seasons The Sopranos was beaten to the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series by The West Wing. (Astonishingly the fourth gong went to The Practice but let's not even get started on that. ) While The West Wing was slick entertainment it was ultimately set in a fantasy White House that waged war on made-up countries, and it practically begged to be labelled "intellectual", with smart people making intelligent decisions on complex issues while still finding the time to walk fast and crackwise.

The Sopranos takes on the more difficult task of making an intelligent programme populated by largely stupid and almost uniformly uneducated people. While this aids Chase's style of having the viewer figure out what is going on rather than having it explained to them, it also provides brilliant comedy in various malapropisms, such as Paulie Walnuts warning someone off a business deal with a Korean . . .

"Remember Pearl Harbour" . . . or Christopher suggesting they "create a little dysentery in the ranks". And while the programme regularly takes flights of fancy such as elaborate and lengthy dream sequences ("Aren't you Annette Bening?") it sets itself against plot backdrops from the real world, with the Enron scandal, 9/11 and the war in Iraq all causing Tony and his crew various business headaches.

It's also one of the few programmes around that features so many strongly written female characters, although none of them are exactly paragons of virtue.

While machismo helps Tony rule over his mob family, mamismo comes into play as soon as he tries to deal with his real family, where the power associated with his mob position is virtually meaningless to the women in his life. Just as he saw his father worn down to a nub by his domineering mother, so he now sees the same happenhas never been a morality play and Chase and his team have never been into giving easy answers or pat conclusions. If the role of art is to hold a mirror up to society then we'll all probably see something different, and many more books will be exhausted on the subject. Irregardless (as Christopher would say), you'd still put your money on the show ending with a bangf Series seven of The Sopranos begins this Thursday, 10pm, RTE Two Key questions for the final season 51. What will become of Tony?

Befitting the existential bent of 'The Sopranos', this is essentially what we're all here for. According to the man himself there are only two ways it can end for a guy like him: "dead or in the can". But while the show has hinted at many possible conclusions along such lines . . . from Tony being ratted out in a Rico trial to an overdose of cholesterol . . . it's also made a habit of defying expectations. He will certainly be made to pay for his many sins, but it may not be with the bang expected.

2. Will Adriana come back to haunt the Family?

Could be the crime that causes it all to collapse. The tragic moll's 'disappearance' has already seen Carmela seek out a PI, the FBI snoop around, her distraught mother blab and Christopher fall off the wagon. If word gets out what really happened, a lot of loyalties will be tested.

3. Will New York go to war with New Jersey?

Certainly seemed likely up until the last episode of series six. New York's acting boss Phil Leotardo had been bent on revenge after the hit on his brother, but a health scare allowed Tony to assuage him. Given the volatile nature of Leotardo and his relationship with New Jersey it won't take much for trouble to flare again.

4. Will the Feds finally get their man?

Despite their portrayal as bumbling idiots, every series so far has ended with the FBI scoring a high-profile hit . . . and we're officially only half-way through this one. As they continue to build a case against Tony, the first part of series six seemed to open a few doors.

The most likely to "go Henry Hill", Christopher, is being increasingly alienated over his decision to go into movies, while he is also back on heroin. There are also the disconcerting 9/11 references with Christopher's two Middle Eastern associates Ahmed and Muhammad. Whether that's a red herring poking fun at American audiences' prejudices or the link that finally brings Tony down remains to be seen.

5. What of Tony's other family?

As in the lower-case family. A unifying theme of the show has been Tony's fear of losing them . . . so memorably symbolised by the ducks in the pool . . . but his tumultuous personality hasn't helped. Will Carmela finally tire of his philandering? Can either Meadow or AJ escape the legacy of their father? Will his relationship with dysfunctional sister Janice end like the one with his mother?

6. Is therapy finally going to pay off for Tony?

'The Sopranos' has always served as a satirical look at America's dependence on psychotherapy, with few of its morally corrupt characters ever changing. What price the show ends exactly where it started with Tony, more depressed than ever, wallowing in Dr Melfi's office again?