The Sopranos: Family or Glorified Crew? 

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Historically speaking, Borko always said that Pure Kino is nothing but a glorified Sopranos clipper channel.

Let me tell you a couple of three things: the sopranos are a glorified crew

"The Sopranos is fictional." Why would you do this to me? Next you'll tell me Santa isn't real.

People who say little carmine was an idiot must have missed the golf scene where he plays his dad like a fiddle while laughing and provoking johnny sac, hes smarter than people realize and he survived a war by being under estimated and knowing being boss is not everything.

Tony - the Boss stormed into enemy territory alone just to lay a beating on the schmuck stupid enough to harrass his daughter Phil -the Boss hid behind curtains and shouted insults out his window like a punk There was never any doubt who the REAL gangsters were

You should have put in that joke from Futurama where Fry is apartment hunting goes to all kind of weird places and eventually finds the perfectly affordable apartment but then passes on it because it's technically in New Jersey - saying "not one place remotely livable".

This Kino is an old-fashioned kind of guy, very allegorical.

You have to remember that in the series we only really see Tony's 'inner circle', or those closest to him. The actual full crime family would be about 50 made guys (most of whom we never see) and hundreds of associates.

When youre in waste management, everyone thinks youre mobbed up. There is no mafia.

I found it funny that the New York family supposedly didn't care for the Jersey Family, yet hung out with them all the time and was in so many business deals with them. And Johnny was concern enough about them he needed Paulie as a mole to find out what businesses they were in so they can get a piece of the action.

That's what Tony's panic attacks were really about. His subconscious was telling him that everything he recognized as family was dying.

It's a glorified crew; I realized when Paulie said "fuck her", talking about Carmella and how little he and Vito cared about Tony's family when he was in a coma. In actuality, everyone was for himself, despite them telling to themselves they were a "family", it was just a lie to somehow diminish the guilt they felt for doing what they were doing.

I wanted to be an organized crime family. But I compromised. I chose to be a glorified crew instead.

Jersey crew was definitely a glorified crew. - Carmine Sr. didn't even know who Paulie is, despite him being pretty high on the family's food chain. - When the FBI had Junior by the balls, they instead let him walk in favor of getting Johnny Sack later. Keep in mind, Junior was the boss of Jersey crew while Johnny was the underboss of the Lupertazzis. - Davey Scatino thought he could get away with being in debt to guys like Tony and Richie. If the Jersery Crew was truly feared, a weasel like Davey wouldn't be so casual as he probably saw them as some loan sharks, not mobsters. Tony had to punch him in the face so Davey would have any idea how fucked he was. - They tried to collect a protection racket from Starbuck, only for the manager to politely tell them they know jack how corporations work. - Ade didn't even have a lawyer. Fuck, did Chris even remember the number of a lawyer? Being the girlfriend of a capo and the owner of the mob's hangout spot, you'd think Ade would have her lawyer's number written under her eyelids, but nope. It was on Chris' part as well for not even bother to have 'the talk' with her and they were in 30s ffs. - Tony ended up with like 12 guys on so by the end of the series while Phil had 200 soldiers. The Jersey guys ended up hiding in a safe house, eating takeaway pizza while subtly throwing shades at Tony whenever they could and he couldn't do anything about it. One of them was on the verge of flipping, and Tony couldn't do a thing either. - The only reason Tony was able to whack Phil at all was because the FBI wanted to get the bigger fish.

Carmine may have called the Sopranos a glorified crew - but in this video Kino comes out and calls them "fictional" and says they are "not real" ... in my opinion these comments are more hurtful . Especially if they get passed on in front of anyone's girl cousins .

I just wanted to add that Micheal Franzese also thought the show was about him, too. I think that it is a Mobster thing to think so highly about themselves that the media that they consumed was really about them. So many gangsters (Black or Italian) watch media about them and even try to make their own films, music videos, and tv with themselves as the main characters. Just food for thought that the recorded string clips might not mean anything.

The fact carmine had a hissy fit over the money Ralph was bringing in stands to show The Sopranos where a family!

As a mafia afficinado and someone with an all around interest in organized crime, you did a very good analysis here. One thing I'll add is a good way to think of the difference between a mafia crew and a mob family is a crew is generally a group of guys committing crimes - usually under a leader who might be a made guy (such as a capo or soldier) or a high ranking associate - where as a family is collection of different crews working under the umbrella of an organization usually led by a boss, an underboss, and a consigliere. For example, the Gambino family had/has somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 made guys which could roughly be broken down into twenty crews of soldiers and associates, each crew has a capo as a leader that reports to the administration (i.e. the boss/underboss) and each soldier within those crews usually has a group of guys working under them. Looking at this, you can see how much stronger a family from New York would be over a family like the fictional Sopranos. Even a New York family half the size of the Gambinos or Genovese with just, say, 100 made guys would be more than what the Sopranos could handle. Adding to all this is in real life some of the New York families have a sizable number of Jersey guys as members of their families. The Genovese and Lucchese families in particular have their own Jersey factions within them.

DiMeo's was a family. The Soprano's were a glorified but very profitable crew. If Tony could have controlled his temper and impulsiveness then not kill Ralphie. He would have made the entire lot of them rich 4x over. But the difference between a boss and a glorified capo. Is being able to control his crew and he couldn't. Christopher was always screwing up always thought he was entitled to a higher status because he did minor at best work. Tony said it himself Christopher was capable but the ego and drugs kept him from making it to the top. We're it not for Tony and his pushing Christopher would have gotten killed by a harder family. Then later you had a homosexual cappo who wasn't discreet, he had a cappo who beat, berrated and killed pregnant stripper. He also had a cappo who turned states evidence because of Tony's antics, and finally how can you be a boss who's a digenerate gambler, occasional drug abuser, and just a horrible person in general. I loved this show and the characters but Christopher said it himself. He'd follow Tony to hell, well he did and Tony led his family/crew all straight to it.

Started as a family, became a glorified crew

The one factor that didn’t get explored enough on the show was how the NY families giving some legitimacy to NJ provided a buffer from the Philly family (who traditionally owned south Jersey including Atlantic City). That power dynamic would also lead NY to look at them as not being on level terms.

NYC just had superiority complex. The money the Soprano family was bringing in, they definitely weren't a glorified crew. One capo alone making 1-3 mil a week (iirc). Also whilst the Five Families exist, there's families all over the States, from NYC to Nevada. In real life though, the New Jersey family is completely opposite to that in The Sopranos. The DeCalvacante's were a bunch of bozo's and got their ass caught by literally getting wire tapped laughing about themselves in The Sopranos. Sopranos lore though, they were a real full fat wholesome mafia family

The Bonnano crime family in New York used to call their splinter group in Toronto a glorified crew, until the Bonnanos got hit hard by the FBI and the Canadian group, taking advantage of lax anti organized crime laws in Canada, became just as powerful as them.

Time to go from watching Sopranos clips to watching Sopranos analysis videos. Good stuff, Kino 👍

If I recall correctly, Tony had to check with NY about 'opening the books' to make new members. That tells me they weren't totally autonomous.

I'll tell you a couple of three things; As a New Yorker, whoever made the roads over in New Jersey is definitely a glorified architect.

If the Saprono’s were a glorified crew Carmine wouldn’t have referred to Tony as a “Don” when he said “A Don Doesn’t Wear Shorts”

I told ya once and I'll tell ya a fourth time . They're a glorified crew!!! Those funooks aren't a family

I must say from a technical standpoint your videos are great... that transition into Nordpass was as seamless as Paulie walnuts trackpants.

Let me tell you a couple of three things: kino never misses

I think Carmine Lupertazzi Sr didn’t really think that the jersey crime family was just a glorified crew. He was in distress, and probably didn’t mean it, and even before he said that their families had been doing business in a peaceful manner for a long time and he wants to keep it that way. Tone and the DiMeo crime family make Carmine a lot of money. Carmine Sr was heavy business oriented.

So what Phil was an old fashioned kind of a guy, stuck in an era hey maybe 20 years or so past. He must have had to lay low for those 20 or so years- the show never really says what he was doing or where he was for 20 years. They should have just all had a sit down about it---shared some grilled cheese and passed out complimentary boxes of tissues. That would have resolved everything.

The Sopranos are DEFINITELY a family, officially speaking. You only need to be recognised BY the Commission to be an official family. You don’t need to have a seat ON the Commission. Only the most powerful families have a seat ON the governing Commission. This is why mid-20th Century you had at least 27 official Cosa Nostra families, but fewer than 10 on the Commission. When the Bonannos lost their seat on the Commission, it still recognised them as a family. Equally, you could have a very powerful Italian organised crime group, but if it is not recognised by the Cosa Nostra Commission, it is not a Cosa Nostra family. If the Sopranos were not a family, their members would not be recognised as “friends of ours” by the Lupertazzis, which they are repeatedly. Calling them a “glorified crew” is a way of belittling them as small time hicks, not an actual statement about their official status.

The sopranos wanted to be a family, they compromised, they became a glorified crew.

Difference between crew and a family is size. Every family is dividaded into crews. Sopranos have 50 made men and 200 asociates, while Lupertazzi have 200 made men and most likely around 1000 asociates. Which means that whole Dimeo family is just a little larger than one of Lupertazzi’s crews. Thats what Carmine was talking about.

Oh listen to him, he knows everything

Couple of three things, they're a family no matter what metric or standard ya wanna use and there's no debate. We only hear the NY guys say otherwise as arrogant bluster. And note that they say this only in backrooms amongst themselves cause they wanna keep peace with the DiMeo family because they bring in a ton of money and are capable of bringing violence in a real way. They're modeled off a real life family that no one debates is a family and is actually a very legendary one. They're significantly bigger than we see on the show. We regularly see guys pop in and out seemingly out of nowhere yet everyone knows them. The story follows Tony and his immediate circle but MOST OF THE FAMILY NEVER GET SCREEN TIME AT ALL. There's a reason NY doesn't want smoke, they're not all that small and they can reach out. Other families from other parts of the country aren't on the Commission yet are legit families. Back in Southern Italy and Sicily the structure is actually made up of smaller groups. The families in NY and a couple other places are abnormally large. The norm is small, very tight-knit groups, some of which ya actually have to be blood related to enter into. So size is bs too. They honor the codes and the initiation rites vary from place to place, family to family. And I say all this as a Sicilian from Brooklyn 🙃

Its crazy how close to the Sopranos is to real life. Some of the actors were in the mob and it doesnt surprise me that it bled into the mob world at some point. I always knew while watching the show that it was too good to all be fiction.

"The Commision" only refers to the NY 5 Families. The other non NY families are part of "The National Crime Syndicate"/"The Syndicate"

The DiMeo and Lupertazzi crime families enjoy a symbiotic relationship. With its large Italian American community and rich economic activity in the ports and unions ripe for exploitation, it’s entirely natural that an Italian American crime family would evolve in Northern New Jersey concurrent with but independent of the Five Families across the River. Equally plausible is the notion that said North Jersey family would seek alignment and cooperation with one of the big five in the city. By being ‘with’ the Lupertazzis, the DiMeos get protection from any other wiseguys seeking to encroach upon their territory, specifically from the other Five Families of New York, but also conceivably from South Jersey/Atlantic City, who traditionally answer to Philadelphia. But here’s the thing that hasn’t been mentioned here: the Sopranos mythology makes clear that the DiMeo family’s roots are from Southern Italy near Naples, NOT Sicily like the Lupertazzis. Carmine and Phil Leotardo have Sicilian roots, although I believe that Johnny Sacrimoni’s family history isn’t specified. The differences in the initiation ceremonies of the two families can be attributed to the difference between the Neapolitan (Comorra) and Sicilian (La Cosa Nostra) traditions. This may be part of why the Lupertazzis tend to feel superior to their North Jersey cohorts, despite the benefits of the relationship.

There's also the fact that despite Jersey's haphazard way of making individuals (where there's no vetting, not observing the proper custom, as per Phil Leotardo), they could only muster roughly 50 soldiers, vs. NY's 200 soldiers, despite being much more stringent (as also implied by Phil Leotardo) in term of selection and customs. So I have to agree with Phil that team NJ is a little more than a pygmy when compared to actual families in NY

I’ve always wondered abt that. Why is the Jersey Mob “farmers” or “a glorified crew” but the Philly Mob a real family? They’re both abt the same size. I think it’s the fact that Jersey is unfortunately next to NY. It’s like a small building next to 5 skyscrapers. Had the Jersey family been next to the Philly family or other smaller families, they’d be more respected.

.... “And this pigmy thing we got going on in New Jersey.” ~ Phil~

By saying they are a glorified crew, they aren't a real family, just a crew that works for New york. Carmine considers himself the boss of Tony and by extention jersey. They are a family just a small family.

Pure Kino, professional content creator or glorified uploader? The definition of 'professional content creator' is vague enough to fit any uploader.

I loved the sopranos it's still one of my favorite shows but they were a glorified crew and I think that was the point david chase and co. weren't trying to glamorize that life at all

I am with Carmine on this one they were definitely a glorified crew.

Bit of both. Plus and negative sides.

Carmine seemed to had a good frienship with Junior and Johnny Boy, then Tony and Sack became good friends too. I think the Lupertazzi allowed the DiMeo to exist as an independent organization out of friendship, but in reality, the Lupertazzi always saw them as an extension of their own organization operating in New Jersey. "A glorified crew" of their organization. But once those friendship were gone, the families went to war and yes, Tony was able to take out Phil, but the DiMeos were the ones who recieved the biggest blows, and if Tony actually got killed at the end (which I'm 200% sure of), I'm pretty sure the DiMeo family went to crap and was probably absorbed by the Lupertazzi.

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OK I know you said your not a expert on the Mob . And ether am I. However growing up in Philly you hear things on the street. So with that said I'd like to just focus on a couple things that you said that was wrong or off based. Again not a big deal and overall you do a good enough job specially with asking the question. What makes a family ?? So in real life The Philadelphia mob was and is its own family and DeCavalcante Family was it's own family. Also you mentioned that Decavalconte didn't have seat on the commission . And by 1983 or 84 ether did Philly however to bring down the possible heat a big commission meeting would bring about . Families like Philadelphia , Decavalcante , Buffalo , Cleveland, New England families would just sorta have representation on the commission . For example The Philly mob use to have the Gambino vote when Carlo was boss but The Philly mob still had a seat during Angelo Brunos reign . After Carlo died the Angelo Bruno died Philly was backed by Genovesse so that who Philly would vote with during commission meetings concerning them . And South Jersey including all of Atlantic city and North Jersey crews who fell under Philly control . Decavalcantes where there own family that had a vote on the commission that was represented by Paul Castelleno . The Decavalcante were not under Philly control but there were other crews in north jersey who was under Philly as well as all of south jersey fell Atlantic city under Philly. They would have been considered crews amd the family was Philadelphia who although no longer went to commission meetings had representation on the commission. See what I mean ?? Just like Buffalo had representation from one of the big 5 use to be the Bonnanos until they got booted but was definitely it's own family and just like Philly Buffalo had crews that was part of the Buffalo family, in cities such as Albany NY Rochester NY and even Scratton PA . Same with New England that was out of Rhode Island ( Providence) but had crews in Boston, Connecticut, all the way up to Maine. But also had lucheses as representation on the commission. So in conclusion it's does not make difference if you have the actual seat on the commission since that stopped in late 70 s early 80s but as long as you had a vote on the commission from one of the big 5 families ( 4 families until Bonnanos were re seated in the late 80s ) so if you had a vote then you were a family with crews spread out usually near your geographical head quarters. North Jersey and Central jersey had crews from Philadelphia , And the big 5 families so that's 6 families with controlling interest (crews) just in Central amd North Jersey PLUS ITS ONE AND ONLY TRUE NORTH JERSEY FAMILY THE DECAVALCANTES who too were there own family. It was however the smallest of the families in the East coast . So I think in the sopranos when the newyork families says there just a glorified crew they are saying it as slight/ a insult not because they are actually questioning if they are or are not a family .They know they are family because they technically answer to no one in there area of operation.And they have representation on the commission. I think it was more of a size thing that's why the slight of saying there just a glorified crew. They were the smallest family on the east coast. But they did have capos , soldiers , underboss and a Boss.. just not the size of newyorks families , or Philly or hell even New Englands.

Says he's only going to address the fictional crime world in the show, not the real mafia, goes on to talk a bunch about the real mafia. Make up your mind ffs.

The Lupertazzi Family have over 200 hundred soldier and got more buttons than Tony's grandamas corset

KINO You ought to know I watched too many of your videos by now - 2not inform you that this time now; moments ago it's the third time I've had to reSubscribe to your channel after being unwillingly unsubscribed by RU-vid to your page for some reason like twice now?? ffs wtf Man-!!!? I don't know how long you were unsubscribed but I guess I know why I haven't been getting notifications I guess,..;

Sure the sopranos might be a small Criminal family and The NY guys like to make Degrading comments about them but In all actuality they make up for that in Terms of the crews Presence in general. You got Tony Soprano Who’s the head of the Family and Despite being superficially charming at times is pretty much a solid 6 foot 2 250+ lb Frankenstein Like Hot Head who’s hangout Or main Visible Front is a Rugged looking Butcher Shop Where the guys mostly hang outside Smokin cigars And Talking shit. Bodies have been disposed and Chopped up in the back of it and it looks a lot more Vile than a couple NY guys sippin Macchiatos with there pinkies up outside of one of there restaurants. Tony has proven time n Time again that The Enforcer Mentality he had when first coming up in the Mob as a soldier never left his demeanor. This is proven when he kills the rat in college even when Chrissy wanted it. Driving right into NY to show up at the restaurant and Pistol whip then Stomp the teeth out of one of the biggest and scariest lookin dudes out of that family all while putting a Pistol in the #2’s Face when he was just trying to eat His dinner. His consigliere has a Well Put together Godfather suited up Look to him to facade and disguise the fact that He can become extremely violent and Dirty in an instance when it comes to Getting his Money. All while Managing a Grimy Strip Club that Rakes in good coin. Tony’s Protege is a young Fuckin Maniac that will go to absurd levels to Be seen as respected considering he’s so much younger and looked at as a baby by older Mob guys. Because of this He’s all around a raging emotional Unpredictable Drug addict Who can shoot a fuckin Tic Tac from a mile away and has proven it many times. You got older guys like Paulie Walnuts Who Did a couple years in the army a couple years in the can and Can hands down Beat any of New York’s guys in a chin up contest. That old man strength is next level. He survived the Colombo War by the skin of his nuts. Having a dude shipped in From Italy at one point That was all business when it came to collections was A solid look for them. That scene with the baseball bat is one of the best in the show and the way the guy carries Himself you already know He’s not to fuck with. I could go on forever labeling the soldiers or guys that made appearances while committing violence under Tony sopranos Reign but that would be longer then this already is. To sum it up NY has the Power The Richer Bigger fish Look to them. There numbers are Huge and there territory is Massive but the Guys in Jersey were just all around sick violent fucks that Proved it time n time again. Fuckin butcher shops Trash Fronts Strip Clubs The Soprano Family is bottom of the barrel and the look of them general Would make me Cross the street if I walked by. Rough lookin Superficially charming yet Violent rugged ass Criminals. On Top of that They had great earners through out the show and were able to Make NY a good amount of $ in the series. Great video BTW. Philly always has to bring up Jail or 20 fuckin years while shit talking Tony because it was always a shot at Tony’s Manhood knowing he never did serious time. realistically I think he does this because regardless of all that and even having numbers he was terrified of Tony and shapeshifted into a house after talking for so long when the action came about. Nothing is glamorous in this show and I’m not Hyping anyone up but to answer the Question the Sopranos was a mafia family and far from a glorified crew. Tony’s pops and Junior ran Jersey in the 70’s extorted Some Fronts and passed that down to his Son. Managed to Make things last with a ego ridden powerful NY family for as long as they could through money and Intimidation despite there Numbers. Everything is a contradiction in this show so you can look at it 100 different ways though so that’s my Take. Great Videos btw. I watch them all the Time. Appreciate you brotha.

It's obvious the writers weren't experts because wardrobe put Tony in shorts. A Don doesn't wear shorts.

Whatever they are.....the Sopranos pull in a lot of money

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a glorified crew.

Me: Borko's got over 461K subcribers... Kino: I'm not scared

One other thing Kino. Borko said he watched one of your videos at his house? A Don doesn't advertise for NordVPN...

There’s 5 families and this Pygmy shit in jersey, makes Phil sick.

The way they do it is all fucked up.

The death of Tony Lip was a big loss. He was a tremendous presence on the show.

Kino’s an old school guy very allegorical.

Seamless sponsorship transition, well done.

Quasimodo predicted all of this. It’s all very allegorical.

Lemme tell you a couple of three things

it's alot simpler than that. the di meos are simply tiny compared to the NY families. the ny families had 100s of made men. the di meos in the show have a fraction of that. the di meos are also based more on the luchesse familys "Jersey crew" which literally are just a crew - and this relationship is depicted in the show via the lupertazzi/di meo association. the Jersey crew was also founded in Newark, much like the di meos in the show

That was the smoothest ad transition I’ve ever seen. Full stop. Not to mention how well it aged and why Artie is my favorite character

BEST AD IN A DAMN VIDEO, ever. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha WTF??????

It's not a Panic attack its a glorified dizzy spell

In 90's Brooklyn the term "Crew" was a loose group or gang. It mostly was applied to teen thugs that would only associate for convenience. Ex. Two teens fight. The loser gets his crew the 69th Street Boyz after the winner. The winner is beat up.

I'd feel a lot better about this if we had Pope Borko's blessing

Would you ever consider doing vlogs for Mad Men?

“Jersey is the suburbs” Lord you did no research at all

Carmine jr was a glorified crew

I definitely enjoyed that reference from through the worm hole “getting the sopranos” video. Truly am a fan Pure Kino! Been watching since day one

You have to remember in the show we're only seeing things from Tony's perspective. You really think those two idiots, Drinkwater and the other kid were the only low level errand boys in NJ? No, they're the only ones that ever got close enough to Tony to work the executive game. That's why they constantly act star struck. Tony is insulated, so we only see his inner circle. But each of his captains likely had around 5 to 10 soldiers, and those soldiers likely had a dozen or so associates that could potentially make their way up the ranks. Overall the Soprano family very easily could've had 50-70 made guys, all with their own small crews. Remember the amount of times Richie complains about "his crew" How many guys you think he has helping him run heroine? All in all, they're definitely not a glorified crew. Too much money and too many connections.

😂 😂 😂 The Varsity Athlete dig was a great ending! 😂

Criminals are such elitist snobs :)

Quasimodo predicted all of this

Pure Kino never had the makings of a varisity videomaker. How dare you talk about this thing of ours like this!?

The last line was a LMFAO moment. You couldn't resist the Varsity Athlete line could you ?? So funny !!

"They make anybody and everybody over there"

The Sopranos were a glorified crew compared to the Lupertazzi family. But they didn't have as much territory and were basically just operating in North Jersey with maybe a little action in Miami...which is why I assume Ralph was there in the earlier seasons. The thing is I think we are to assume the Soprano family had a lot more made guys than what we were shown. The guys we saw were the people closest to Tony and the captains. I think we were to assume the Barese crew had their own headquarters and a large crew of made guys we never saw along with old timer Ray Curto's crew. I think Tony pretty much let the Captains operate kind of independently as long as they were kicking up good money to him. And I think they all had their own hangouts. The guys who hung out at Satriale's were mostly Sylvio and all guys in Pauly's crew which he took over from Tony when he became boss.

1:30 that’s not true! It’s not true 😭

Kino, please use your investigative powers to tell us the name of the song that plays when Paulie tells Chrissy to strip down to see if he’s wearing a wire. That track sounds so cool and no one on the internet knows what it is. Please!

A glorified crew ova there.

Weather they are a crew or not, they definitely were the most connected, fear and respected family (Dimeo family) of Newark New Jersey.

1:08 so you're a fanook

I'd say, the main factor, within the shows logic, us the fact that they share things with NY, they don't directly kick up to them by default, they have autonomy, where as a crew by default has to pay tribute on everything they earn, and is given responsibilities, and takes direct orders.

A decent clue as to whether it's a family or a crew is does it have its own name? Cruise are normally not named though inside the family they may say Jimmy bucket head's crew or something like that but if they were all known as the Buena Vista Family then they just might be a family.

Sopranos a Glorified Crew? How much betrayal can i take... I feel like i've been stabbed in the heart.

Its not that deep. Glorified crew alludes to a fighting spirit and tactical moxie that the Soprano/DiMeo family has had over the decades. Not big enough to big a legitimate enterprise in its own right. But mean and savvy enough to maintain their turf and repel all comers. Family or not, THEY RAN NORTH JERSEY. that's about as many people as NYC.

I mean, commission is never really mentioned in the series (one exception being when Chris was forced to strip for wire not to pay Paulie for the pool loss), but De cavalcante family (which sopranos are based on) are indeed part of the commission and always have been

Do we have stats on the amount of money each family brings in (including the DiMeo's)? That would kind of settle it, as that's all the mob cares about. Other than that, I guess NYC guys could possibly have more connections to power and bigger networks? NYC being a big media market could be a factor. Those are the only things I can think of that really matter in the Mafia. It seems like the romanticism of the old days is dead. Also, this is a creative idea for a Sopranos video. Never seen one like it before.

It makes sense for the New York families to be exceedingly arrogant and to look down on other families, especially a newer family from New Jersey of all places. I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that the Five Families consider themselves to be the center of the mob world, and that's even including the ones that were around and powerful during the time of the establishment of the Commission. So it does make sense for Carmine to have a dismissive and egotistical attitude about them. And this mirrors how New Yorkers talk about New Jersey, even if it's just cognitive dissonance to convince themselves that NYC isn't an absolute disaster. And while the DiMeo family might largely be controlled by New York, they are not a full-on puppet family. Even if they were, a puppet state (one completely controlled by another country) is still considered to be an independent state in its own right, so they really are their own family, even if not as large, profitable, or prestigious as the Five Families of New York.

Are Ed Edd n Eddy members of any established family or are they just a glorified crew? they've got complete control over the cul-de-sac and run basically all of the scams and schemes in that entire area.

I always thought it was odd, before they could have someone 'made', they had to get approval from NY.