Let’s dispense with one argument right away. The new CBS mob-themed series “Falcone” isn’t “The Sopranos.” The success of that HBO show probably got “Falcone” the green light, but the new series isn’t trying to be that much-acclaimed program.

What “Falcone,” debuting at 9 tonight, is trying to be is the TV version of “Donnie Brasco,” the 1997 film starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino. Both detail the life of Joe Pistone, a devoted family man and undercover FBI agent who has infiltrated the mob.

CBS is unveiling the series in a unique manner, airing it on eight of nine consecutive evenings at 10 p.m. (skipping only Sunday, April 9), giving it the feel of a miniseries. This is a smart move on the Eye’s part, as it enables viewers to more easily keep straight the large cast of “Falcone.”

What develops over the run of the show is a mob war following the assassination of the former Volonte Family boss. Caught right in the middle of it is Joe Pistone, aka jewel thief Joe Falcone, who is working from the inside to build a case against the mob family with his FBI bosses, all the while struggling to keep his real identity from being discovered.

Jason Gedrick (“EZ Streets,” “The Last Don”) is believable as the conflicted Joe Pistone/Falcone, who’s trying to do what’s right without losing his family in the process. But the real find in the cast is Titus Welliver (“Brooklyn South”), who plays complex mob captain Santino “Sonny Boy” Napoli, a mook who seems a little too compassionate to fulfill his ruthless role. Pistone finds himself liking Napoli, a bad thing in his line of work.

“Falcone” is violent for network TV, but considering the world the characters inhabit, it would be impossible for it not to be. The program brings to mind the early years of “Wiseguy,” but it lacks the operatic scale of that series. Still, “Falcone” should leave its viewers wanting more when its eight-day run ends.