A historical gangster show deemed by viewers as the best of all time was actually based on a book. Boardwalk Empire, created by Terence Winter, is set in New Jersey during the Prohibition era in 1920s America. While the show picked up numerous awards and featured a star-studded cast, most people don’t know that it was inspired by Nelson Johnson’s 2002 non-fiction book called Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City.
The HBO show, which premiered in 2010, tells the story of Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi. Thompson is a political figure who controls Atlantic City and plays both sides of the law by conspiring with gangsters.
Alongside Buscemi is a stellar cast, including Michael Shannon, Kelly Macdonald, Shea Whigham, Aleka Palladino, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza, Charlie Cox, Gretchen Mol, and Michael Kenneth Williams. Meanwhile, the show’s creator also worked as a writer and executive producer for The Sopranos.
The Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese was also involved with the show, and directed the pilot episode. He served as an executive producer and was said to have played a part in the casting decisions.
Buscemi has opened up about the calibre of the show, saying shortly after it finished airing: “That was just simply one of the greatest jobs I ever had the pleasure of doing.
“To be able to work on something of that quality and on a role that I’ve never done before and to do it in New York and in a great time period.”
The show received numerous accolades during its time on air, including 57 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. It picked up a Golden Globe Award for best drama television series and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding ensemble performance in a drama series.
One reviewer wrote on X: “Boardwalk Empire deserves to be mentioned as one of the best shows of this century. Terence Winter created this after helping write The Sopranos & you can tell: this is astute storytelling. It’s a show that was released midway through the “Prestige TV” era but shouldn’t be forgotten.”
Another said: “Rewatching Boardwalk Empire and I don’t think it gets the recognition or love it deserves.” A third posted: “Buscemi really crushed that role in Boardwalk empire. I never really thought of him as a lead guy as great as he is until I saw him in that.” One viewer argued that the show was better than The Sopranas, while another simply said: “Boardwalk Empire should be listed as one of the greatest shows of all time.”