James Gandolfini stars in the Emmy-winning show

The fictional mob drama, starring James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, returns after a two-year hiatus for the sixth and final series.

The show, which began in 1999, follows the story of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, played by Gandolfini.

New York Times hailed the final season as the end of "one of television's greatest series".

Success

Last year, programme creator David Chase told reporters that the final series of The Sopranos will concentrate on money and materialism.

He said that consumerism was all the characters in the mob drama cared about.

A break will separate the first 12 episodes of the series and the final eight, due to be aired January 2007.

The Sopranos won four Emmy awards in 2004, including best drama series.

The HBO show is one of the most successful US cable TV series ever.