AlthoughMartin Scorseseis more commonly associated with movies than TV, he was involved with an HBO period drama that ran for five seasons between 2010 and 2014 and the show has been acknowledged criminally little since it ended a decade ago. Granted,Martin Scorsese’s TV projectsare more numerous than just the show in question, but running for five seasons makes it the director’s most successful foray into the medium by far.Martin Scorsese’s iconic camera shotsare often what can stick out most in his projects, but many other elements combine to create his stories.
Notevery Martin Scorsese moviehas been a hit, and not all of them have remained in the zeitgeist as much as some of his more legendary efforts, like 1976’sTaxi Driveror 1990’sGoodFellas. Regardless, he is one of the most influential andbest directors of all timeand has already gone down in history as one of the talented filmmakers to bear that prestigious title. While his more recent efforts like 2023’sKillers of the Flower Moonprove he’s still making terrific movies,Scorsese’s HBO show proves he has talents in adjacent areas of the industrytoo.
Boardwalk Empire Told A Compelling Story Over 5 Seasons About Prohibition-Era America
Steve Buscemi led the Boardwalk Empire cast for all 5 seasons
Boardwalk Empireis based on a 2002 non-fiction book of the same name, with the source material bearing the subtitle ofThe Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City. Creator and showrunner Terrence Winter even based the character of his leading man, Steve Buscemi, on the genuine historical figure that the book revolved around - Enoch L. Johnson. Just like his real-life counterpart,Steve Buscemi’s Enoch “Nucky” Thompson was a politician involved in a wide variety of criminal enterprises- but the show focuses primarily on his bootlegging endeavors.
Boardwalk Empire: 10 Saddest Character Deaths, Ranked
Boardwalk Empire was HBO’s acclaimed drama about the criminal world of Prohibition era Atlantic City. Naturally, there were several tragic deaths.
Boardwalk Empiretakes some creative liberties with the source material, but the original characters and storylines feel very authentic to the era in which the show is set.The 1920s New Jersey gangster period narrative is incredibly entertaining and has a little bit of everything, including a sort of education-by-context concerning what it would have been like to live in the US during the early 20th century - both for those in positions of power and those who were not quite so fortunate.
What Made Boardwalk Empire So Great (& How Much Was Martin Scorsese Involved?)
Scorsese’s involvement went beyond simply directing Boardwalk Empire’s pilot
Boardwalk Empire’s cast is stacked with big names who were either very famous at the time or have since experienced even greater success. Of course,the presence of Steven Buscemi was one of the show’s biggest attractions. Although having a Hollywood movie star leading a TV cast may seem like business as usual now, Buscemi’s casting was wildly exciting in 2010. As well as Nucky, Charlie Cox’s Owen Sleater and Jeffrey Wright’s Valentin Narcisse were two more ofBoardwalk Empire’s standout characters.
Every director who stepped in to make an episode ofBoardwalk Empirehad to allow themselves to be influenced by Scorsese’s lone effort, so his work permeates the show.
Scorsese’sBoardwalk Empireinvolvement was arguably quite limited. However, another perspective places him as a vital figure. Of all the episodes ofBoardwalk Empire,Scorsese only directed the pilot. That being said, directing a pilot of any show is a very specific skill, as it requires setting up how all the following episodes will look and feel. Every director who stepped in to make an episode ofBoardwalk Empirehad to allow themselves to be influenced by Scorsese’s lone effort, so his work permeates the show. He’s also credited as a producer on all 56 episodes.
Boardwalk Empire’s Pilot Episode Costing So Much Ended Up Being Justified
The HBO prohibition-era story is among a rare group
Martin Scorsese’s episode ofBoardwalk Empireis reported to have cost around $18 million to make, which would easily place it near the top of the list of the most expensive pilots of all time. If HBO hadn’t picked the show up, that hefty price tag would have looked like a giant mistake, but thankfully,Boardwalk Empirehit the ground running and was allowed to end on its own terms. Interestingly, this isn’t always the case for high-budget pilot episodes, as cancelation is seemingly always on the cards if the show doesn’t continue to perform well enough.
15 Best TV Period Dramas Set In The 1920s
The 1920s, also known as the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age, were a period of great social and political change. No wonder it inspired these shows.
To give a couple of examples,WestworldandTerra Novaare two other shows that were launched with enormous budgets, with their pilots costing somewhere in the region of what HBO spent on making the first episode ofBoardwalk Empire. Unfortunately,Terra Novawas widely panned despite an intriguing premise and was canceled after a single season. WhileWestworldgot off to a very strong start, the show’s viewing figures started to gradually decline and HBO pulled the plug in 2022 after season 4. So,Boardwalk Empireis among the lucky few survivors of the high-budget pilot club.
Boardwalk Empire
Cast
Based on Atlantic City in the 1920s and 1930s, Boardwalk Empire follows political heavyweight “Nucky” Thompson as he battles mobsters, politicians, government agents, and the common folk who look to take him on. Now, with the federal government cracking down on bootlegging and other illegal activities, and everyone looking to take over control of the city, Nucky’s lavish lifestyle is in danger of collapsing.
