Read other letters about this article
Not a fight worth having, since it boils down to personal preference. "Is not, is too, is not, is too."
I think they're both marvelous. Personally, I find The Wire more satisfying because I feel The Sopranos is often too episodic, starting interesting sub-plots and then dropping them half-resolved. But that's a minor quibble given the powerful character arcs of the series. The Wire is less sloppy in this way, more coherent in terms of dealing with every sub-plot introduced, which is why it has the edge for me.
Others may feel the characters in The Sopranos are better realized, more complex and ultimately more genuine. I won't argue the point.
But in the end, they're both subline. I watched both obsessively, unlike just about any other television series I've ever seen.