Reality TV shows dominate the airwaves, broadcasting their "talent" to the mindless drones that gobble that shit up, game shows are becoming more and more redundantly garbage, and don't even get me started on The Only Way is Essex.
What happened to good old drama? Well, it's still there, and I'm taking a stand against the system by pointing you away from the trash and right to the treasure. So let me educate you with five shows you should be filling your viewing schedule with, ranging from "you should be watching this" to "WHY AREN'T YOU PRE-ORDERING THE ULTRA-DELUXE-LIMITED-COLLECTOR'S EDITION BLU-RAY BOX SET RIGHT NOW?!".
Let's kick off with...
#5 Boardwalk Empire
"The Sopranos in the 1920s" is how many have described HBO's latest criminal drama (not the last time the network's premier crime family will be used to describe a show on our list), and that's a fitting definition for many reasons. Set in prohibition-era Atlantic City, the show echoes many traits from the hit mob series, undoubtedly helped in no small part by the fact that Emmy Award winning producer and screenwriter for The Sopranos, Terence Winter, is the creative force behind the show.
The series tells the semi-true story of Enoch 'Nucky' Thompson, a criminal kingpin who rose to power as a political figure and took control during the times of prohibition. While the show opens with a focus on acts of bootlegging and smuggling of alcohol, it doesn't take much time before it is obvious Thompson firmly has a finger in every pie of Atlantic City. Cue backstabbings, murder, shady dealings, political corruption and - of course - gratuitous sex and violence (this is a HBO show, after all). The storyline remains interesting throughout, with very little in the way of 'low points' - each episode brings something new to the table, and be prepared for many brilliant, shocking moments during the course of the over-arching story arc. Of course, storyline would mean nothing if the acting wasn't good enough to keep up, but thankfully the acting in this show is second to none, with special mention having to go to Steve Buscemi playing the lead role of Nucky in such a charmingly dangerous manner that he dominates every scene he's in and Michael Shannon as federal agent Nelson Van Alden, a chillingly disturbed character hell bent on ending Nucky's reign.
I've already mentioned Sopranos alumni Terence Winter as the creator of the show, but that is just scratching the surface of the talent to be found behind the camera; most notably, the one-and-only Martin Scorsese serving as not only executive producer for the entire show, but also directing the sublime pilot episode (which has now gone down in history as the most expensive television pilot ever made). With the production values as high as they are, one would be forgiven to think this is a 13-part movie, not just a TV programme.
With the amount of talent involved and the story set firmly in the annals of history, the pieces were in place for this show to blow the competition out the water. Fortunately, it did just that and anyone looking for their criminal fix should look no further to find one of the best crime sagas ever told on television.
The first season of Boardwalk Empire was originally broadcast on HBO beginning on September 19th 2010, running for 12 episodes. In the UK, the series began on February 1st 2011 on Sky Atlantic with reruns planned to begin later in the year. The show has been renewed for a second season.
Season 1 can be purchased on DVD here: United Kingdom
/ United States
Season 1 can be purchased on Blu-ray here: United Kingdom
/ United States
The book the series is based on can be purchased here: United Kingdom
/ United States
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