# Quick Sopranos question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2006, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839 "2006-04-23T06:57:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/1 "2006-04-23T06:57:15Z")
In honor of the best Sopranos season in years, I started watching season 1 again on DVD, and although I rembered the late Jackie Sr. as boss, I forgot that he was only “acting boss,” taking over for some elderly guy named “DeMaio” who was still in prison. Did this DeMaio guy ever die? After Jackie died, Junior became “acting boss” (thanks to Tony’s magnamity) and then when Junior was busted, Tony became boss. Is Tony, five seasons later, still acting boss, or is he the legitimate boss of NJ? Did they ever say what happened to this DeMaio guy? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/2 "2006-04-23T07:11:18Z")
The correct spelling, at least according to Wikipedia, is “DiMeo”. Dominic Ercoli “Eckley” DiMeo was the boss and was sentenced to life in prison in 1995. Eckley is still living (according to Wikipedia), so Tony is an “acting” boss…but I think for practical purposes, no one speaks of this “asterisk” anymore. I doubt if his name has been spoken of on the show since season one. Eckley is basically in cold storage and has no say in the family, nor any communication with the family, so it would seem. ---
**Author:** ![shefDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@shefDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shefDave)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/3 "2006-04-23T12:00:59Z")
Yeah **fiddlesticks** is dead on. I don’t think I’ve heard DiMeo’s name mentionned since early Season 1. I think we’re supposed to assume he’s been put away for life and has no hope of ever getting out. What never made much sense is that DiMeo was supposedly sentenced in 1995, but in 1999 when the series begins, they’re _still_ referring to Jackie Aprile Sr. as the “acting” boss. Probably just an expositional thing. Or maybe seeds of a future plotline that was dropped. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/4 "2006-04-23T16:42:37Z")
> [@shefDave](#): > > Probably just an expositional thing. Or maybe seeds of a future plotline that was dropped. I think that it was out of respect since he is still living. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/5 "2006-04-24T01:06:29Z")
Thanks, that makes some sense. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/6 "2006-04-24T02:52:54Z")
In Season 5 where Janice got arrested for punching out another soccer mom. IIRC, the newscast mentions that Tony is now the head of the DiMeo Crime Family. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/7 "2006-04-24T08:23:05Z")
It’s too bad they already used Robert Loggia in the role of Feech LaManna back in Season 4. I would have loved for us to finally SEE the mysterious DiMeo at some point late in the current season and have him be played by Loggia. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-sopranos-question/353839/8 "2006-04-27T03:58:44Z")
By the way, those Wikipedia entries make for some fascinating reading! It claims that the DiMeo crime family has been renamed the Soprano crime family, so even if DiMeo is still alive, he’s worth _oongots_.