Boardwalk Empire

Set in corruption-riddled Atlantic City during the early 1920s, HBO's Boardwalk Empire is an ambitious and intoxicating examination of the short-lived U.S. experiment with Prohibition. The series, whose excellent ensemble cast is anchored by Steve Buscemi, focuses on the desperate housewives, sociopathic mobsters, and conflicted politicians groping their way through a brave new world of organized crime and outdated loyalties. The series—executive produced by Martin Scorsese, who also directed the pilot—continues HBO's commitment to high production values, with an incredible, full-scale boardwalk reproduction and gorgeous period-specific attire. As Nucky Thompson, Atlantic City's politically savvy ruler, Buscemi's deeply lined features telegraph his weariness and confusion at the loss of his long-wielded power to ruthless and unpredictable gangs. Michael Pitt, the psychologically damaged WWI veteran Jimmy Darmody, contrasts his boyish good looks with the atrocities he feels destined to commit, while the machinations undertaken by Kelly Macdonald's unexpectedly shrewd housewife Margaret Schroeder embody a powerful female perspective. The racial and ethnic tensions governing the criminal class are a poignant reminder of the illusion of tolerance, and the inclusion of real-life gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Al Capone adds a historical element that foreshadows the years of violence to come. The intensity of the superb writing makes for memorable characters, intricate storylines, and a compelling series.