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Shutter your windows and bust out the bathtub gin—season two of HBO's Emmy-winning period drama "Boardwalk Empire" is taking you back to Prohibition-era Atlantic City, where the cost of easy living is about to go up.
This season, corrupt treasurer/The Fonz of Atlantic City Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) has finally run his luck following a rigged election and faces allegations of voter fraud, while mobsters and the KKK are stirring up trouble (as those two organizations are wont to do) in the city that Nucky and his lieutenants once ruled. As Nucky's empire is beginning to crumble, young upstarts Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) and Al Capone (Stephen Graham) are looking to take a bigger piece of the bootlegger pie.
The buzz: "Boardwalk" returns fresh off Martin Scorsese's Emmy win—the veteran director's first ever—for directing the series' pilot. It was one of eight total Emmys that "Boardwalk Empire" won... though the other seven were Creative Arts Emmys awarded for categories such as Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series, Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) and Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series. Hey, Creative Arts Emmys still count!
The verdict: The show's lavish sets and period costumes are worth their weight in Canadian bootleg whiskey, but the true draw of "Boardwalk Empire" is its expertly crafted characters, every one of whom spends their few sober hours each day plotting, conniving and watching their backs. From to its unexpected, but totally engrossing, cast of characters (we're continually impressed by Jack Huston's haunting portrayal of a man with half a face) to its cinematic action sequences, "Boardwalk" remains a top shelf series.
Did you know? If you're a fan of HBO, Martin Scorsese and people with funny accents, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," Scorsese's new documentary about everyone's first-, second- or third-favorite favorite Beatle (sorry, Ringo), premieres October 5, 2011 on HBO.
The new season of 'Boardwalk Empire' premieres Sunday, September 25, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
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