Soprano vs Shelby: Which Iconic TV Show Gangster Has Higher Body Count?
Two six-season-long shows; two gangster clans; two ruthless leaders. Tony Soprano and Tommy Shelby both killed many people, but who has the higher body count?
The Sopranos and Peaky Blinders are two of the best criminal drama TV shows of all time. Both series were immensely popular and gathered a large fan community — and both had ruthless gangsters leading their clans to glory.
Tommy Soprano and Tommy Shelby had a lot of blood on their hands through orders, but they killed much fewer people personally. Which of them took more lives with his own hands?
Tony Soprano: 8 Personal Kills
An Italian-American gangster from New Jersey, Tony Soprano was the head of the DiMeo family. He didn’t have many other obvious career choices, being the only son of the family’s capo, but his ascend through the ranks was quick nonetheless: from a petty criminal noticed by the don, he became a made man in no time, and then kept rising until he took over the family.
Throughout the six seasons of The Sopranos, Tony killed surprisingly few people. His personal body count sits at just eight, averaging him 1-2 murders per season. Season 3 was Tony Soprano’s most “merciful” time since he didn’t kill anyone then.
Tommy Shelby: 15 Personal Kills
A Gypsy gangster from Birmingham, Tommy Shelby was the sole leader of the Peaky Blinders gang. Thomas consciously chose this path after returning from World War I, when he made moving his family up in the world and making it untouchable his sole goal in life. Tommy Shelby didn’t have to move through the ranks because he created Peaky Blinders, being a born leader.
In the six seasons of Peaky Blinders, Tommy Shelby killed almost twice as many people as Tony Soprano. Shelby’s body count sits at 15, with Season 5 & 6 being his most bloodthirsty with five murders in each. Curiously enough, like Tony, Tommy didn’t kill anyone in Season 3 of his show.
These numbers only include the direct on-screen murders in The Sopranos and Peaky Blinders. Both Tony and Tommy killed countless more people through their orders; and Tommy Shelby had a much higher kill count due to having served in World War I before becoming a gangster.