Steve Buscemi
Vincent Piazza
Stephen Graham
Greg Antonacci
Michael Kenneth Williams
Michael Shannon
Gretchen Mol
Jeffrey Wright
Shea Whigham
Kelly Macdonald

Created by:
Terence Winter

2010-2014
Crime, Drama, History
HBO
TV-MA

“Boardwalk Empire” (now entering its fifth and final season) has a cast that includes many acting veterans who typically do strong work. Some of those veterans are acting heavyweights, actually: Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Shannon, and more.

Created, written, and produced by Terence Winter (writer-producer of “The Sopranos”), “Boardwalk Empire” has always had the right look and feel. (After all, the pilot was directed by Martin Scorsese, who also serves as one of the executive producers along with Mark Wahlberg.) So it’s definitely a well-made show. However, it lacks a spark. Where’s the magic?

First of all, I don’t buy Buscemi in the role of a politician and crime boss. It’s not his acting, per se; it’s the casting. For Buscemi to make this role sing, he would have to have an out-of-body experience; that’s not his style. His physical appearance, vocal quality, and acting style would work much better for the adviser of a politician and crime boss, instead. I wish that he would mark his territory every time that he’s onscreen. That doesn’t happen.

When “Boardwalk Empire” started, I was a loyal viewer. But the first season moved too slowly for me; I wasn’t compelled. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a slow and deliberate show when it’s worth it. But this show would need to be executed perfectly to get away with that deliberateness. Again, that’s because of the casting of Buscemi in the wrong role. It’s also because of the lack of any humor to break things up.

“The Sopranos,” for instance, didn’t have a great first season either. But it had James Gandolfini in the boss role (a perfect casting choice). Also, after the first season, “The Sopranos” found its own sense of humor, and the show soared, as a result.

This isn’t to say that “Boardwalk Empire” doesn’t have any merits; I just wish that it were bolder on a much more consistent basis. Every now and then, it will provide a few shocks; the first episode of the final season did just that. But it doesn’t do so on a consistent enough basis to keep me watching. Also, “Boardwalk Empire” could be sharper, at times. Unfortunately, every now and then, it’s a bit too clunky.

Overall, “Boardwalk Empire” lacks the intangibles that can turn a well-made show into something special. And, in this genre, which features many great movies and TV shows, special is vital.

Verdict: Somewhat Good to OK

About: (Source: boardwalk)

From Terence Winter, Emmy Award-winning writer of ‘The Sopranos,’ and Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ is set in Atlantic City during Prohibition, when the sale of alcohol became illegal throughout the United States.

The undisputed ruler of Atlantic City is Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, (Steve Buscemi) a political fixer and backroom dealer who is equal parts politician and gangster and equally comfortable in either role. Because of its strategic location on the seaboard, the town is a hub of activity for rum-runners, minutes from Philadelphia, hours from New York City and a day’s drive from Chicago. And Nucky Thompson takes full advantage.

Nucky has carved out a niche for himself as the man to see for any illegal alcohol. He is an equal opportunity gangster, doing business with Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza), Al Capone (Stephen Graham), and Johnny Torrio (Greg Antonacci). He has survived all comers.

The show also stars Michael Kenneth Williams (‘The Wire’) as Chalky White, the leader of the city’s African-American community, now in retreat; Michael Shannon as former federal agent Nelson Van Alden; Gretchen Mol as Gillian Darmody, an opportunistic ex-showgirl; Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Valentin Narcisse, a Harlem-based challenger to Nucky; Shea Whigham as Nucky’s brother Eli; and Kelly Macdonald as Margaret, Nucky’s estranged wife.

‘Boardwalk Empire’ is inspired by the non-fiction book “Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City” by Nelson Johnson.