| Boardwalk Empire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Terence Winter |
| Based on | Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City byNelson Johnson |
| Showrunner | Terence Winter |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | The Brian Jonestown Massacre |
| Opening theme | "Straight Up and Down" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 56(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Production location | New York City |
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 55–73 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | September 19, 2010 (2010-09-19) – October 26, 2014 (2014-10-26) |
Boardwalk Empire is an Americanperiodcrime drama television series created byTerence Winter for the premium cable channelHBO. The series is set chiefly inAtlantic City, New Jersey, during theProhibition era of the 1920s. The series starsSteve Buscemi asNucky Thompson. Winter, aPrimetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer, created the show, inspired byNelson Johnson's 2002 non-fiction bookBoardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City, about the historical criminal kingpinEnoch L. Johnson.[1]
Thepilot episode was directed byMartin Scorsese and produced at a cost of $18 million.[2] On September 1, 2009, HBO picked up the series for an additional 11episodes.[3] The series premiered on September 19, 2010,[4] and its five-season run of 56 episodes ended on October 26, 2014.[5]
Boardwalk Empire received widespread critical acclaim throughout its run, particularly for its visual style and basis on historical figures, as well as for Buscemi's lead performance.[6] The series received 57Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including two forOutstanding Drama Series, winning 20. The series also won theGolden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama in 2011 and twoScreen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012.
Boardwalk Empire is a period drama focusing onEnoch "Nucky" Thompson (based on the historicalEnoch L. Johnson),[7] a political figure who rises to prominence and controlsAtlantic City, New Jersey, during theProhibition period of the 1920s and 1930s. Nucky interacts with historical characters in both his personal and political life, including mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look up to him. The federal government also takes an interest in thebootlegging and other illegal activities in the area, sending agents to investigate possible mob connections as well as Nucky's lifestyle—expensive and lavish for a county political figure. The final season jumps ahead seven years to 1931 as Prohibition nears its end.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Average viewership (in millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| 1 | 12 | September 19, 2010 (2010-09-19) | December 5, 2010 (2010-12-05) | 3.17[12] | |
| 2 | 12 | September 25, 2011 (2011-09-25) | December 11, 2011 (2011-12-11) | 2.73[13] | |
| 3 | 12 | September 16, 2012 (2012-09-16) | December 2, 2012 (2012-12-02) | 2.32[14] | |
| 4 | 12 | September 8, 2013 (2013-09-08) | November 24, 2013 (2013-11-24) | 2.05[15] | |
| 5 | 8 | September 7, 2014 (2014-09-07) | October 26, 2014 (2014-10-26) | 2.01[16] | |
Emmy Award-winner Terence Winter, who served as executive producer and writer on the HBO seriesThe Sopranos, was hired on June 4, 2008, to adapt the nonfiction bookBoardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City.[17] Winter had already been interested in creating a series set in the 1920s, feeling that it had never properly been explored before, so he decided to focus his adaptation of the book section about Prohibition.[18] On September 1, 2009, it was announced thatAcademy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese would direct the pilot.[19] It would be the first time he had directed an episode of television since an episode ofSteven Spielberg'sAmazing Stories in 1986.[20] The production would be very ambitious, with some even speculating it would be too large scale for television. "I kept thinking, 'This is pointless. How can we possibly afford aboardwalk, or an empire?'" says creator Terence Winter. "We can't call it 'Boardwalk Empire' and not see a boardwalk."[21] The production would eventually build a 300-foot-long (91 m) boardwalk in an empty lot in Brooklyn, New York, at the cost of $5 million.[22] Despite a reported budget of up to $50 million,[23] the pilot's final budget came in at $18 million.[21]
On why he chose to return to television, Scorsese said, "What's happening the past nine to 10 years, particularly at HBO, is what we had hoped for in the mid-'60s with films being made for television at first. We'd hoped there would be this kind of freedom and also the ability to create another world and create long-form characters and story. That didn't happen in the 1970s, 1980s, and in the 1990s, I think. And of course... HBO is a trailblazer in this. I've been tempted over the years to be involved with them because of the nature of long-form and their development of character and plot."[24] He went on to praise HBO by saying, "A number of the episodes, in so many of their series, they're thoughtful, intelligent [and] brilliantly put together... It's a new opportunity for storytelling. It's very different from television of the past."[25]
"Scorsese is an actor magnet," Winter said. "Everybody wants to work with him. I had all these pictures on my wall and I thought, 'I'd really better write some good stuff for these people.'"[21] In casting the role of Nucky Thompson (based upon real-life Atlantic City political bossEnoch L. Johnson), Winter wanted to stray from the real life Johnson as much as possible. "If we were going to cast accurately what the real Nucky looked like, we'd have castJim Gandolfini."[21] The idea of castingSteve Buscemi in the lead role came about when Scorsese mentioned wanting to work with the actor, whom Winter knew well having worked with him onThe Sopranos. Winter sent the script out to Buscemi, who responded very enthusiastically. "I just thought, 'Wow. I'm almost sorry I've read this, because if I don't get it, I'm going to be so sad.' My response was 'Terry, I know you're looking at other actors'... and he said, 'No, no, Steve, I said we want you.'"[26] Explained Scorsese, "I love the range he has, his dramatic sense, but also his sense of humor."[26]
The casting of Buscemi was soon followed byMichael Pitt, best known for his roles in films such asMurder by Numbers,The Dreamers, and in the television seriesDawson's Creek.[27] He was soon joined byKelly Macdonald,Vincent Piazza andMichael Shannon, who had just received anOscar nomination for his role in theSam Mendes filmRevolutionary Road.[28]
Filming for the pilot took place at various locations in and around New York City in June 2009.[29][30] In creating the visual effects for the series, the company turned to Brooklyn-based effects company Brainstorm Digital. Says Glenn Allen, visual effects producer forBoardwalk Empire and co-founder of Brainstorm, "It's our most complex job to date. Everything is HD now, so we have to treat it like a feature film."[31] "Anytime you get to work on a period piece, it's more fun," comments visual effects artist Chris "Pinkus" Wesselman, who used archival photographs, postcards, and architectural plans to recreate theAtlantic City boardwalks as accurately as possible. "We got to explore what the old Atlantic City was really like. The piers were one of the toughest parts because every summer they would change—new houses, new advertisements."[31] It took two months for the firm to complete all the visual effects for the pilot.[31]Boardwalk Empire began filming on location atHistoric Richmond Town onStaten Island in March 2012.[32] A 300-foot long, 45-foot wide replica of the Atlantic City Boardwalk was constructed inGreenpoint for filming.[33][34]
Designed by John Dunn and tailored byMartin Greenfield,Boardwalk Empire's costumes were based on 1920s tailoring books from theFashion Institute of Technology's research libraries and examples found at theBrooklyn Museum andthe Met. The costumes have also been rented from the Daybreak Vintage Company located in Albany, NY which also exhibits at the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show. Dunn's designs were meticulously detailed, including acollar pin for Nucky's shirts and even going so far as to incorporate specially orderedwoolens for suiting. Dunn toldEsquire magazine in a September 2010 interview, "With Marty and Terry Winters, I developed the feel for each of the characters. We all wanted it to be very, very accurate and specific to the period.... I don't like to do boring clothing, but you also have to make sure that you're not suddenly putting somebody in something that isn't going to make sense four episodes from now."[35]These tailors were supplied by textile importers HMS fabrics and Gladson ltd.
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Martin Scorsese was involved in the filming even before creator Terence Winter. He directed thepilot and established the look of the show, which other directors later emulated for consistency. He is also one of theexecutive producers of the show. Winter has stated that Scorsese weighed in on the casting decisions and reviewed all of the cuts and dailies. Until the shooting of the show's first season, Scorsese and Winter met every Sunday afternoon to review what went on during the week, where Scorsese would have comments and suggestions. Scorsese continued to be creatively involved in the ongoing production, but did not direct any more episodes.[36]
Scorsese and Winter were joined as executive producers byMark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson andTim Van Patten. Van Patten had been a regular director onThe Sopranos and also served as a regular director forBoardwalk Empire.Lawrence Konner was a co-executive producer. Konner also wrote for the show and had previously been a writer onThe Sopranos.Howard Korder andMargaret Nagle served as supervising producers and writers for the first season. The crew were recognized with multiplePrimetime Emmy Award nominations for their work on the first season.[37] Korder returned as a co-executive producer and writer for the show's second season and as an executive producer in the third season.
The music used for the opening titles is "Straight Up and Down" byThe Brian Jonestown Massacre. It was chosen by series creator Winter to create a sense of the "unexpected".[38]
The soundtrack is composed of music from the 1890s to 1920s performed by artists such asRegina Spektor,Leon Redbone,Loudon Wainwright III,Martha Wainwright,Catherine Russell,Nellie McKay,Kathy Brier, andVince Giordano and theNighthawks Orchestra.Boardwalk Empire Volume 1: Music from the HBO Original Series, featuring music from seasons 1 and 2, was released on September 13, 2011.[39]
The soundtrack won theGrammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the54th Grammy Awards.[40]
To promote the second season, which started on September 25, 2011, the producers paid theMetropolitan Transportation Authority $150,000 to decorate and operate aNew York Transit Museum train of four retiredNew York City SubwayLo-V cars for each weekend in September 2011. The two pairs of subway cars used were 5290 & 5292 (both built in 1917) and 5443 and 5483 (both built in 1924). The train operated between noon and 6 pm, and as an express between96th Street andTimes Square–42nd Street Subway on theIRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line. While the MTA runs "nostalgia trains" each year, this was the first time they had been used for an advertising tie-in.[41]
HBO also sponsored an Atlantic City beautification project with the tag line "Compliments of Nucky Thompson" and paid for eastbound tolls into Atlantic City on theAC Expressway for the weekend of September 24, 2011.[41]
| Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94% (67 reviews)[42] | 88 (31 reviews)[43] |
| 2 | 91% (34 reviews)[44] | 82 (14 reviews)[45] |
| 3 | 89% (45 reviews)[46] | 76 (15 reviews)[47] |
| 4 | 98% (43 reviews)[48] | 77 (13 reviews)[49] |
| 5 | 88% (132 reviews)[50] | 83 (12 reviews)[51] |
Boardwalk Empire has received critical acclaim. For its first and second seasons, theAmerican Film Institute namedBoardwalk Empire one of the 10 "best television programs of the year".[52][53]
On thereview aggregator websiteMetacritic, the first season scored 88 out of 100,[43] and the second season scored 82 out of 100,[45] both indicating "universal acclaim". The third season scored 76,[47] and the fourth season scored 77 out of 100,[49] both indicating "generally favorable reviews". The show's fifth and final season scored 83 out of 100.[51]
On another review aggregator site,Rotten Tomatoes, the first season received a rating of 94%. Season two received a 91%, the third season an 89%, and the fourth season a 98%, stating "Boardwalk Empire continues to benefit from its meticulously realized period trappings, but what keeps the show watchable is its supremely talented ensemble players".[48] The fifth season of the show holds a rating of 88%, with the site's consensus reading: "The final season ofBoardwalk Empire is as visually dazzling and well-acted as ever, but it's the emphasis on Nucky Thompson's history that's particularly rewarding this time out."[50]
David Hinkley of theNew York Daily News awarded the series five stars, saying, "Watching HBO's new 'Boardwalk Empire' is like sitting in your favorite tavern and hearing someone say, 'Drinks are on the house.' Friends, it does not get much better."[54] Paige Wiser of theChicago Sun-Times called it "... an event not to be missed," and praised Buscemi in particular, calling his performance "fascinating".[6]
TV Guide's Matt Roush praised the partnership of Scorsese and Winter, saying it "... brilliantly marries Martin Scorsese's virtuosic cinematic eye to Terence Winter's panoramic mastery of rich character and eventful story," and finished his review by stating, "It's the most purely—and impurely—enjoyable storytelling HBO has delivered in ages, like a movie that you never want to end."[55]
Variety's Brian Lowry praised the show for returning network HBO to top form, saying, "This is, quite simply, television at its finest, occupying a sweet spot that—for all the able competition—still remains unique to HBO: An expensive, explicit, character-driven program, tackling material no broadcast network or movie studio would dare touch ... For those wondering when the channel would deliver another franchise to definitively put it on top of the world, Ma, the wait is over: Go directly toBoardwalk."[21]
"One of the unexpected joys ofBoardwalk Empire, though, lies in the way the show revels in the oddities of its time, peeling back the layers of polite society to reveal a giddy shadow world of criminals and politicians collaborating to keep the liquor flowing," says online magazineSalon's Heather Havrilesky, who went on to call the pilot "breathtaking".[56] Roberto Bianco fromUSA Today said in his review thatBoardwalk Empire was "Extravagantly produced, shockingly violent and as cold and hard as ice,Boardwalk Empire brings us back to the world's former playground at the start of Prohibition—and brings HBO back to the forefront of the TV-series race."[57]
The second season received widespread acclaim. Verne Gay fromNewsday stated that "Mad Men, of course, remains the King of the Emmys, whileEmpire nailed the equally prestigious Golden Globe for best drama last winter. But Sunday begins to build the case forEmpire, and build it convincingly."[58] Matt Roush ofTV Guide stated, "This is a gorgeous piece of storytelling that requires and rewards patience."[59] Brian Lowry stated in his review forVariety that: "A few creative flourishes feel a trifle heavy-handed – starting with Shannon's philandering fed. Unlike Nucky, though,Boardwalk isn't campaigning for anything except the gratitude of a pay-cable audience (and award voters) eager to take refuge in its sordid charms. By that measure, the show doesn't just go down smoothly; it's good to the last illicit, intoxicating drop."[60]
Nancy Franklin ofThe New Yorker considered Buscemi miscast as the central figure in the drama. "Buscemi can't play that kind of character; even at the age of fifty-two, he looks cagey and restless—not like a guy at the top but like the guy who gets killed when he tries to knock off the guy at the top." The review concludes "Boardwalk Empire is at great pains to give viewers a sense that they are there, and yet rarely did I feel engrossed in the show. Even if its point is to show you the ugly side of fun,Boardwalk Empire should be much more fun to watch."[61]
Alessandra Stanley ofThe New York Times review states that "surprisingly, given the extraordinary talent and money behind it,Boardwalk Empire falls short. One possible reason is that the star, Steve Buscemi, is hard to accept in the lead role of Enoch Thompson," going on to observe "it takes a lot of squinting to see him as a powerbroker straddling two worlds."[62]
On July 14, 2011, for the63rd Primetime Emmy Awards,Boardwalk Empire was nominated for 18Primetime Emmy Awards for the first season that includedOutstanding Drama Series,Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Steve Buscemi), andOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Kelly Macdonald), with Martin Scorsese winning Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, along with seven other wins at theCreative Arts Emmy Awards.[63]Boardwalk Empire won theWriters Guild of America Award for Best New Series and was nominated for Best Dramatic Series.[64] In addition, the show won theGolden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama and Steve Buscemi won Best Actor – Television Series Drama, while Kelly Macdonald was nominated for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film. The cast won theScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012, while Steve Buscemi won for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series as well in 2011 and 2012, for the first and second season. In 2011, Martin Scorsese won theDirectors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series for the pilot.Boardwalk Empire was also listed in theAmerican Film Institute's Top Ten List for Television in 2010 and 2011 for the first and second season.
Boardwalk Empire also won two awards at the 9th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards. The first for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program and second for Outstanding Models & Miniatures in a Broadcast Program or Commercial. The former was received by Richard Friedlander (of Brainstorm Digital),Robert Stromberg, Paul Graff and David Taritero; the latter was received by Brendan Fitzgerald, John Corbett and Matthew Conner of Brainstorm Digital.[65] The show's Season One Soundtrack won theGrammy Award forBest Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media in2012.
For the second season,Boardwalk Empire won once again for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series forTim Van Patten for the season finale "To the Lost", along with three other wins at theCreative Arts Emmy Awards.
For the third season,Bobby Cannavale won the show's first acting award at the65th Primetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Gyp Rosetti, along with four other wins at theCreative Arts Emmy Awards.
On its original airing, the pilot episode gained a 2.0/5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49 and garnered 4.81 million viewers.[66] The episode was re-played twice that night, once at 10:15 p.m. and again at 11:30 p.m. Taking these broadcasts into account, a total of 7.1 million Americans viewed the episode on the night of its original broadcast, and is the highest rated premiere for an HBO series since the pilot ofDeadwood in March 2004. Theseason finale was watched by 3.29 million viewers, attaining a 1.3 rating adults aged 18–49.[67]
The second-season premiere was watched by 2.91 million viewers, down 39% from the pilot and down 12% from its first-season finale.[68]
| Season | Episode number | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 1 | 4.81 | 3.33 | 3.41 | 2.57 | 2.85 | 2.81 | 2.67 | 3.21 | 2.98 | 3.05 | 3.00 | 3.29 | |
| 2 | 2.91 | 2.59 | 2.86 | 2.55 | 2.69 | 2.63 | 2.74 | 2.54 | 2.55 | 2.73 | 2.97 | 3.01 | |
| 3 | 2.89 | 2.62 | 2.36 | 2.11 | 2.19 | 2.34 | 1.97 | 2.09 | 2.06 | 2.18 | 2.30 | 2.73 | |
| 4 | 2.38 | 2.21 | 1.87 | 1.99 | 2.09 | 1.90 | 2.16 | 1.91 | 1.90 | 2.08 | 1.98 | 2.18 | |
| 5 | 2.37 | 1.81 | 2.11 | 2.05 | 1.94 | 1.55 | 1.95 | 2.33 | – | ||||
For the third season, see"Boardwalk Empire: Season Three Ratings".TV Series Finale. December 4, 2012. RetrievedJuly 26, 2017.
For the fourth season, see"Boardwalk Empire: Season Four Ratings".TV Series Finale. November 26, 2013. RetrievedJuly 26, 2017.
For the fifth season, see"Boardwalk Empire: Season Five Ratings".TV Series Finale. October 28, 2014. RetrievedJuly 26, 2017.
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