Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk Empire is the most lavishly produced period drama in television history. Martin Scorsese directed the pilot — at a cost of $18 million — and set a visual standard that the show maintained for five seasons. Steve Buscemi's Nucky Thompson is a fascinating study in the corrupting influence of power: a political boss and bootlegger who transforms Atlantic City into a criminal empire during Prohibition. The show's historical scope is staggering, weaving real figures like Al Capone, Arnold Rothstein, and Lucky Luciano into a fictional narrative that illuminates the birth of organized crime in America. Michael Shannon's Nelson Van Alden is one of the strangest, most compelling characters in HBO history.