These characters had an arc! The Sopranos characters we love the most

It's a show worth celebrating.

It's a show worth watching.

And the reason everyone is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Sopranos is because it's one of the best shows of all time.

One of the main reasons for it was the characters. Even though just about everyone in the show would be a "bad guy" if the show was wrestling, it's hard not to fall in love with the villains.

So let's take a look at the best characters on the show. One rule, nobody with the last name Soprano is eligible to be on the list. We're doing the top 25, and if they were included, that would take up most of the list because obviously they would all be in the top 25.

They are among the best characters. You can only depend on family! But we'll go outside the family. Here's our list of the 25 best characters on the show.

25. Richie Aprile

I shouldn't have to explain why he's last. I'm old school. He was Tony's greatest foe. He wanted everything his way. Despite his yoga, he wasn't very flexible.

24. Feech La Manna

Though he was better in "Over the Top," it takes a great character to cause as much chaos as he did in a few episodes.

23. Butch DeConcini

He didn't see eye to eye with Tony. He also didn't want any drills. Did he set up Tony? If that was confirmed, he'd be higher.

22. Jackie Aprile Jr.

He was all-county in high school, but gave up a life on the gridiron for a life of crime. Just keep him away from three inches of water.

21. Gloria Trillo

She perhaps had the saddest story in the show, and even though she had flaws, it was tough to hear about her demise. Her death was a top five saddest in my book.

20. Tony Blundetto

That animal Bundetto was a huge part of the final seasons of the show, and the main catalyst to the end of the series. It's a shame he didn't follow his heart and become a masseuse.

19. Dr. Jennifer Melfi

Her scenes were crucial to the show, in fact the main reason for the show, but some visits to her office were boring. She also loses points for turning her back on T. when he needed her most. That's immoral.

18. Sal Vitro

He was very selfish, trying to get out of mowing lawns for free, but it's hard to argue how much fun it was to watch this clueless putz try to figure out ways to keep his business afloat without giving up too much of his money.

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17. Georgie Santorelli

Speaking of loveable idiots, the bartender at the 'Bing certainly fits the mold. Tony beat him every chance he got for the dumbest reasons. Still, he was out of line for not letting Tony visit him in the hospital. It's why I don't talk politics, myself.

16. Brian Cammarata

A perfect example of a good guy getting a taste of the spoils that the life gives you and he's all in. Turns out he had more than one vice. His character was a perfect example of how charismatic Tony was.

15. Sal Bonpensiero

"He was a rat. His whole family was rats. He'd have grown up to be a rat." Tommy DeVito from Goodfellas couldn't have said it any better.

14. Hesh Rabkin

The wiseman of the Sopranos, he had the best relationship with Tony, but in the end, Tony likes money even more than his closest confidant.

13. Vito Spatafore

When his name comes up, people always talk about Johnny Cakes, but Vito was a bad guy, loyal to nobody. The way he left his boyfriend, the way he shot a guy for collecting his mail, the way he didn't want to give Carmella the money after Tony was shot. He was another bad guy you felt bad for.

12. Furio Giunta

He probably would have been higher if he didn't attack poor Supervisor O'Boyle for having a bee on his hat. He also wasn't very loyal, going after Tony's wife. But he had a mystique about him. When he was on, your eyes were drawn to him.

11. Bobby Baccalieri

People call him a good guy, and I guess he was, but he did shoot a dude in a laundromat and did his fair share of gangster stuff. People also called him a good family man, but if he was, would he have made his kids grow up in a Giants house?

10. Mikey Palmice

He was as loyal to Junior as anyone was to Tony, so he did have redeeming qualities, but it was funny to watch how much just about everyone other than Jun hated him.

9. Artie Bucco

A great cook who really valued Tony Soprano, the person. He really wanted to live that life, but he didn't have it in him. It was fun to watch Tony have a friend who was a civilian.

8. Adriana La Cerva

The hottest girl who was led down the wrong path. The lesson learned from her sad life is never let a drug dealer use your fax machine even if it means they're going to lose their apartment.

7. Ralph Cifaretto

He was the only tweener of Tony's nemesis. He never liked Richie, he didn't care for Phil, he had a soft spot for Fetch, but overall wanted him gone, but he was never sure how to deal with Ralph. No matter how scummy he was, Tony always forgave him and seemed to like him until he did the unforgivable. He was involved in the two worst deaths in the show, Tracee and Pie-O-My.

6. Christopher Moltisanti

We finally found his arc. He was killing himself with drugs! I see Chrissy as a guy who easily buckled to peer pressure. Still, he did make a very good gangster, there's no denying it.

5. Paulie Gualtieri

"There he is, HEE HEE HEE!"

4. John Sacrimoni

While slimy, he was one of the most likable bad guys early in the show, but I don't know, he changed when he got his stripes. He always seemed to have the most interesting dialogue, and he seemed to have a good heart — especially when it came for his wife and family.

3. Silvio Dante

He was the perfect mobster. Was cool, calm, could handle business, ran a great club so he could show income and the most important thing a gangster can do is have good dialogue. Nobody was better than Sil at dropping one liners.

2. Pie-O-My

Since we're going with a bad guy for the top spot, let's go with Tony's true love as No. 2. His wife left him, he was OK. He lost just about all of his friends. Tony was a rock. No matter what was happening in his life, Tony kept a strong face except when his girl Pie-O-My died. I'd say with the exception of a few scenes with his kids, Tony never showed love of anything but that horse. She was special.

1. Phil Leotardo

In pro wrestling, they say the bad guys draw the money. That might not be the case with the Sopranos, Tony was the main key to it all, but Phil was the best bad guy in the show. If the Sopranos was a movie, the entire theater would have erupted when his head got crushed by the SUV. The way everyone hated him made him the best character on the show.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 'The Sopranos' at 25: Ranking the best characters on the show