I rate The Sopranos as the best of all time. Nothing comes close to the blend of drama, comedy, and character development. The influence is everywhere and so many other shows simply wouldn't exist without it.
The Wire is probably better. The writing is remarkable and unforgiving, the production value is at an extreme level, and it illustrates the systemic issues of Baltimore's police AND drug trade in a way that's unflinching and unapologetic.
The lack of character development (we meet people in the middle of their days with no backstory), the language (in terms of dialect and slang, not swearing), and the hard change of direction in the second series makes the attrition rate for viewers high. It demands attention, and the payoff is huge.
I don't think I have ever made it through the show without a period of saying 'Where's Wallace at?' to no one in particular.