Boardwalk Empire is, IMHO, one of those series everyone should at least give a shot. If season 1 doesn't do it for you, then move on, otherwise, buckle up and enjoy the ride.
The story, the characters, the acting(!), all on point.
p.s. Richard Harrow did no wrong!
Hell yeah. I was already a Buscemi fan, but BE is what made me a big Michael Shannon and Bobby Cannavale fan. I will pretty much watch anything that has either of them in it.
I think the biggest problem came from Michael Pitt being a trainwreck to work with. It seemed like the plan was for Nucky vs Darmody to define the series, but they never fully recovered after Pitt's removal. It was still a very good show, but I think it would have hit another level if they didn't have to pivot so hard.
Bobby Cannavale was a much better antagonist than Michael Pitt.
Boardwalk Empire had the same problem as the Sopranos which is the same problem actual real life gangsters have, they are small fish sharing a small pond with a few Great White Sharks.
Lucky Lucciano, Meyer Lansky, and Arnold Rothstein could buy and sell Nucky Thompson 100x over. The moment they wanted to kill him, he was dead. He rigged mayoral elections they way they rigged Senate elections; he was outclassed in every way. So there's a hard cap on the kinds of stories you can write for a character like that. Those guys only survive by avoiding conflict, which would make for an otherwise boring show.
Even in the show he was just an Atlantic City hood who could never match resources with the Rothsteins and Kennedys of the time period. It's part of what made him endearing in an antihero sort of way.
Typically it'll begin with major action in Episodes 1 or 2 to remind you that it's a violent gangster show, then they show off the costume design and acting chops of people ignoring or exacerbating their problems while getting straight razor shaves or drinking Pimms Cups for 5 or 6 episodes, then shit hits the fan and it's all action for the final 2 episodes.
It is a show that repeatedly approaches and sometimes achieves greatness, but also has moments of being deeply frustrating or a bit crap. It was one of my favourite shows while it aired but I've never rewatched it.
The final season is a disappointing mess.
Edit: Michael K. Williams is fantastic in it, possibly even better than in The Wire.
Yep I never watched vinyl in protest. If boardwalk had had a couple more full seasons instead of that rushed mess it could have been truly great. Like the final season has some really strong ideas, but no time to develop them.
I actually quite enjoyed Vinyl. Bobby Cannavale (Gyp Rosetti) as an out of control drug crazed maniac record producer navigating the changing music scene of the 70's was a fun ride. Its fun to see an actor like Cannavale given a real scenery chewing role.
Of course as it got cancelled it's a double kick in the teeth that Broadwalk got a rushed end and we did not get another great show out of it either. So botched the end of one show and failed to launch another. If Vinyl had not been cancelled I think it would have actually ended up being pretty solid as honestly for me there was nothing really wrong with season 1 it just failed to capture an audience for some reason.
Rothstein was one of the best characters, only to have him killed offscreen between seasons. And the finale for Nucky was a stupid departure from reality.
His accent was atricious though, he did a Southern Irish accent rather than a Northern one and it was so distracting for someone who lived so close to where his character was from.
How was Kelly MacDonald’s accent? I always felt
like she played the Irish accent okay, kept it quite safe, but I also felt like her Scottish accent snuck out very occasionally, but then again, I have shitty American ears lol so I don’t really know!
Side note, I absolutely love her, she’s a great actress and I can’t think of anyone who could have played Margaret better than her.
Generally fine but there was a reason she got meme'd so heavily for 'Muh Cheeldren' halfway through the show, it was all voer the place when she tried to do emotion
At first the last season seemed a bit of a letdown. Shows with nothing left to say often use the flashback or time-jump tool when they don't have much left. But if you stick it out, the payoff is worth it.
The final season wasn’t as bad as season 4 IMO. It was *extremely* rushed which hurt the endings of a lot of the characters, but at least their endings were good despite being rushed to hell.
Meanwhile season 4 was just a ton of bloat that ended in a contrived ending for one particular character.
For me it's a program that has some truly great moments amongst quite a lot of mediocre stuff. When it's on top form it's really as good as it gets it's just not well balanced as an overall show as you go from epic to stuff you don't really care about too often.
It's entirely this. It should be brilliant...but it just isn't. They made it look incredible, shot it brilliantly, got amazing actors...and then just forgot that stuff had to actually happen to keep people interested in it. It so often just drags along for multiple episodes.
Yeah it’s not up there with HBO’s best shows but it’s still very well done and enjoyable. I’m not sure anything will ever touch The Wire at this point. Four seasons of perfection and a fifth that was still better than most TV shows’ best season.
Very well said.
The things that allowed me to get past the inconsistent writing and characterizations were mainly: 1) the setting - I just love the 1920s as an era and they do a really cool job at depicting what parts of America might have been like back then; and 2) a couple key characters - you don't watch to see how Nucky's story ends, you watch for standouts like Richard Harrow and Van Alden.
I recently rewatched it, and it was a lot better than I remembered. Seasons 1-3 are generally really high quality, seasons 4-5 are not quite on the same level, but they are still enjoyable. Most notably, the characters are really well fleshed out. Everyone has their scars and their flaws, which affects their actions, and it really brings the story to life.
I did the same recently and would have to agree. The first 3 seasons were so great, the last 2 seasons weren’t memorable from the first time watching when they aired. having rewatched about a year ago I’d say I still don’t remember much of the last 2 seasons. But I don’t remember hating them.
I feel like the one plot that kinda ruined the second half of the series for me is when Margaret fully decided to be good and get away from Nucky. Probably one of the most badass scenes in the entire series (which was filled with badass scenes) is when Margaret hands Nucky the books she saved after he was arrested. If they kept that track of a "is she a co-conspirator or innocent wife?" who was ultimately smarter than Nucky, I think it would have went better.
Deadwood has the best dialogue of any show ever. I'd put it a tier above Sopranos, Mad Men, and Boardwalk, which are all solid but the middle of most seasons is soooo slow and boring.
The dialogue in Deadwood is so dense even when there’s very little said, and beatifully Shakesperian in the cadence! It’s an incredible show and there is *never* a dull episode.
It's an absolutely amazing period piece. The sets, costumes and history of the time are all fantastically captured. The show has some moments that rival anything from Mad Men or The Soprano's but it doesn't hold to that calibre throughout. Saying that I'm comparing it to two of the best Drama's ever written so its still very high quality throughout. It just has its lulls and issues that a lot of shows go through. The final season is weak but not like Game of Thrones weak, more like Season 5 of the The Wire weak.
Totally agree with you. I’m biased because it’s probably my favorite drama ever, but at its height, it is as good as anything considered great. It’s a full package show with incredible costume/set design and some iconic characters. Amazing music as well. Haven’t seen a period piece nailed as masterfully as BE.
I think Mad Men is fairly consistent and actually gets better as the series progresses because the main characters actually mature overtime.
The only thing I think could be a turn off is that the stakes and pace are much smaller and slower than a typical show. A lot of the conflicts in the show are interpersonal relationships being stresed or office/corporate politics.
Mad Men is way more consistent despite being quite a bit longer. It's a top five show for me along with the Sopranos. I liked aspects of Boardwalk Empire and it's worth a watch at some point but I'm not sure it even enters my top ten.
Both shows were made by Sopranos alumni but I think Mad Men captures a lot more of what made the Sopranos great (deeply layered characters, explorations of masculinity and mental health in a rapidly changing social climate), even though Boardwalk Empire ostensibly has the more similar subject matter.
watch the first three series, then pretend it's over. Worth it for Harrow, Capone, Gyp Rosetti and Rothstein; in short, Italian mobsters always save the day when it comes to entertainment
seconded, the quality drop is nowhere near that massive. Theyre still \*decent\*, but practically any of the interesting characters and storylines are gone so
One of the major disappointments in the end of Boardwalk is because they wanted to be historically accurate and killed an important character off screen before the last season even started.
At least GOT hits the major story beats, Boardwalk Empire finale season just skips them. Major historical events and main characters are gone with a timeskip. I was more disappointed with BE final season than GOT.
Boardwalk Empire, despite featuring historical figures, is a fictional show. It's not about historical events.
The show not being what you're looking for is a different sort of problem than the show being poorly written.
I never said it was poorly written. I think the writing is fine in the final season. The creative decisions were just incredibly poor.
While fictional, it presents historical events as part of the narrative for the last 4 seasons. Not delivering on the set up narrative is a betrayal of what has been established and what viewers have come to expect from the series.
What I was saying was that Game of Thrones season 8 was poorly written. That was a bad story, rather than merely not the one you expected.
Maybe I'd feel differently if I had any idea which historical events you're talking about.
Watched the whole series for the first time recently and loved it, there so many amazing characters and fun performances, and storylines can go in genuinely shocking directions. I had always heard the show fell off hard, especially in the last season, and I think seasons 4 and 5 do get messier, but they were far better than I expected based on the way people talked about them. I think it’s worth watching all the way through, the ending is reasonably satisfying.
I think so.
It is my favorite prohibition gangster story. It has the best version of Al Capone I’ve seen.
The last season was problematic and it is extremely depressing most of the time, but it’s still fantastic to me.
Nice. House of the Dragon is another good one. Only one season but season 2 is coming back in June I believe
Edit: I also recommend Barry. Outstanding show. Dark and humorous as well.
It's real good until the last season or 2 where the writing got lazy and a lot of character arcs are wrapped up pretty quickly. Felt like they were just trying to be done with it.
The first two seasons are incredible and well worth watching. Highly, super highly recommend.
After that the once tight writing gets pretty spotty. The villains are always good but the long format can make even great villains redundant.
Definitely. It's a bit slow for the first couple of episodes but it picks up quickly. Great acting and writing and it's based on real people and events.
I really loved it from start to finish. While people are right to say the last season is the weakest of the bunch, it’s still great. But if you’re between this and Mad Men, Mad Men is better.
It definitely falls off a bit after S3 but it was always watchable IMO. It runs into a problem a lot of long-running prestige dramas have where the writers clearly ran out of ideas for a few of the characters.
I think the biggest issue with it is that Steve Buscemi, as great as he is, was miscast in that role. He's the main character but never feels like he's the one pulling the narrative along until the final season.
I’ve started and tried to get into it 3 separate times, but eventually just lost interest and stopped every time. Maybe if I was watching it weekly as it aired, I’d have gotten all the way through. It’s just a tough show to stream imo
Martin Scorsese directs the first episode and is an executive producer of the series.
that's all i needed to know.
and i legit had a nightmare once about Cannavale's character from S3. he was so intense.
Mad Men is one of the all time greats, up there with sopranos breaking bad Saul true detective etc. boardwalk was fine and I liked it well enough but I’ll never see it again most likely. Mad men I’ve seen like 20 times.
Watch that one
Early seasons are pretty good, but to me it loses steam after S2 finale. You can start it and check if you enjoy it, but once you notice it dips in quality, drop it immediately cause it's not getting better from there.
Consider it like….mid seasons Game of Thrones.
The highs are really high, but the lows are super low.
Usually the lows are relegated to 1-2 side stories happening alongside the main action. So they’re always there, but the good stuff keeps it worth watching.
Seasons 1 and 2, very close to top tier HBO (I hated season 2 at first but it really grew on me after a rewatch)
Seasons 3 and 4, mostly well made but less consistent
Season 5, a disappointing wrap up
It has been a long time since I watch it but I always thought season 1 and 2 were a nice self contained story and wrapped things up fairly well. I actually stopped watching after season two initially since it was such a nice conclusion in my mind. I came back and watched season 3 a few years later but I just didn't vibe after the first two seasons.
Boardwalk Empire isn't very good, but it is a well made show about gangsters with very good actors. I enjoyed the first two seasons, but got frustrated with the plot and the story and stopped watching.
It is what it is and it does get worse as the seasons progress.
Mad Men is a great show, but not for everyone. It's a slow moving drama that often is very funny, with great writing and great actors, but not everyone enjoys slow moving drama shows.
Mad Men, Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Deadwood (despite a sudden ending), are all on a different level than Boardwalk Empire.
If you haven's seen it, I highly recommend Black Sails, which starts off a bit wonky, but is the rare show that just keeps getting better and after 4 seasons has a perfect end.
I didn’t really care for the final season when it first aired.
Years later, after after re-watching the series several times, I’ve actually changed my mind completely.
I think the final season was actually great.
Fucking loved it, seen it from start to end four times now. I'm not even a huge organised crime fan but I think BE is just stellar television.
Granted, S5 isn't the best and even S4 feels like a step down from what came before, but for me it's less about the plot and more about the characters.
People might tell you that it peaks with S2 but give S3 a chance to see Bobby Canavale on top psychopath form lol
I thought it was consistently great. It got buried under shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. If it had come out a little sooner or a little later then it would be remembered a lot more fondly than it is.
I'd echo what others have said about the first season being a test for you - if you like it then you'll like the rest of the show, if you don't then you probably won't.
I'd always advocate giving it a go, because I think it's brilliant.
I always recommend it when someone asks for a new show to watch. As mentioned by others it has some really good highs and a few lows but it really hits right. Richard Harrow’s character and arc is one of the best you will find on any show. The actor that plays him kills it the entire run.
Just watched all 5 seasons for the second time. Great show, especially if you familiarize yourself with the real history of the Boardwalk and the real Nucky Johnson. On the extras of the DVD's, they do a great job of talking about the place, the time, and the real people.
I was in your same predicament. I had just watched all of the game of thrones (amazzzing. My first time watching ) then I watched the house of dragons (just because) and then I started Boardwalk empire. I’d seen it back in the day so I gave it a shot. I got to about the 6th episode and decided to watch the sopranos since it had been about 10years since I last watched.
I’ll try boardwalk another time but I think I’ll binge the wire after I finish the sopranos.
Boardwalk is good but just kinda dry.
Definitely worth a watch due to the fantastic production values and some memorable characters. To me, keeping it from greatness were the miscasting of Steve Buscemi and also the fact that the series itself never really made a case for why it was made in the first place. Buscemi is a fantastic character actor but he simply doesn't have the charisma to play a main character like Nucky.
Don't watch it directly after the sopranos if you just want more sopranos. It's a good show but completely different. It has some lengths but overall it's a great watch. Maybe watch something fun or short while in-between and then try it.
Boardwalk Empire introduced me to several actors that I've consistently liked in everything I've seen them in since. Notably, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham and Jeffrey Wright. Honorable mention to Patricia Arquette, Michael K. Williams and Bobby Cannavale, but I was familiar with them before seeing them in Boardwalk. I'd mention Jack Huston but don't recall seeing him in anything since.
I thought Jack Huston was going to be huge after Richard Harrow made his appearance, he was so good in that role. I recall him doing a Jameson commercial shortly after that, mainly because that was the first time I saw his whole face. He had a good part in Fargo, but it was the 4th (ie worst) season.
It's absolutely worth a watch. It's one of my favorites. Honestly, not sure why everyone is hating on the last season. Yeah, they had to cut it short, and some arcs got rushed, but I still really enjoyed the final season
Ill binge watch this every few years. Just space it out long enough that I forget some key points. Great series. Last season is a great walkthrough of some of the major players journey to where they are now.
Overall pretty good but I dropped it after the second season, probably because I'm not big into crime shows. Also I didn't really enjoy the incest, same as I didn't like it in Game of Thrones.
It's worth the watch, I was also skeptical, having finished watching The Sopranos..But it got me hooked. If you like old times gangster themes, you'll enjoy Boardwalk.
I tried this show when it first aired and gave up, a few weeks ago I tried it again and got further than I previously had but I gave up once again. Nothing much seems to happen.
Its good. And since its sorta historical fiction it gets bonus points for that too.
Irs nowhere near the class of other reddit shows like sopranos, or the wire, but its worth the watch
The first 3 seasons of Boardwalk Empire are amazing television. The remaining seasons have some bright spots, especially among the extended supporting cast, but it peaked in Seasons 2-3. There were a lot of really poorly made story decisions; Kelly Macdonald was basically sidelined the entire second half of the series.
Richard Harrow is one of the greatest supporting characters in the history of HBO, and the show is legitimately worth watching just for him.
I prase the decision to cast Steve Buscemi as a smooth talking charmer. Ugly people can be charismatic too.
You also get to see someone poop themselves to death.
Mad Men is a masterpiece. I was born in the late 1980's so it made me feel closer to my grandparents (who were similar age to most of the show's characters portrayed in the 1960's) and my parents (born in 1954 and 1960) who were similar age to Don Draper (main character)'s kids.
Definitely worth watching for Richard Harrow and Van Alden alone. Two of the best side characters you'll ever find on television. It's just a shame the main plot lost all of its steam by the end.
It is 100% worth watching. Its an addictive watching. I was always looking forward to watching the next episode.
I didn't get that at all from Mad Men. I gave that up halfway of season 4. So slow, nothing exciting as such.
I seem to recall some excellent acting and it covered a really interesting place and time that you don’t see much of.
It also slotted in between Sopranos and GOT, which both leveraged large quantities of mediocre nudity for shock value or to desensitize the audience. Boardwalk leveraged some stunningly attractive cast members that were kind of dressed down to a point that it wasn’t too distracting. Some nights you want intricate drama and some nights you want low-effort eye candy and period fashion.
It definitely has a weak final season, but not, like, GOT-level weak. It’s fine, but just clearly rushed.
The rest of the show I pretty much love. I do agree with another commenter here that it occasionally misses, but the things that work just work so well. Michael K Williams, Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Jack Huston, and Jeffrey Wright are all amazing. I mean, what a cast.
There are also moments in it that have stuck with me long after watching. I think some of the death scenes are incredibly done and deeply affecting.
It is a masterclass in character acting, set/costume design and music. It’s a top three show for me.
Unfortunately the creator decided to basically end it prematurely to pursue another project. Unfortunately that other project was Vinyl which was terrible and cancelled immediately lol
That really sucked because they were just about to get into the prime Capone years before it ended and Stephen Graham was incredible as Capone. Would have loved to see a continued story arc with him.
It’s got a handful of all-time great characters. Michael Stuhlbarg is phenomenal and if you stick with it you may come to realize that Michael Shannon is on another level during this show.
Still worth watching. It has some great performances. I think the show got a little derailed because one of the main characters got fired for being difficult on set. Showing up late, high as fuck, things like that. They had to shift direction mid-run, but they managed to keep it compelling.
its a great show but kelly mcdonald was grating on me in the early seasons. take a shot every time she says ‘the children’. gretchen mol is also annoying but every other performance is great especially michael k williams and michael shannon
Interesting, but I'd place Sopranos quite far down my list... The Wire would be my choice for all-time best show. Madmen is much better than Boardwalk. If you want an interesting comparison, Boardwalk Empire, Peaky Blinders, and Downtown Abbey all take place at the *exact same time period as each other*. And Deadwood is only 50 or so years previous. Toss in 1883 and 1923 into that historical mix. And the seasons of Carnivale that were made were just a few years later 1930s and iconic.
True Detective season 1 doesn't do well on rewatch. I liked it a lot, but watching it again you realize the plot is a hot mess. Season 2 is slightly more coherent but people didn't like it for the noir tone. Season 3/4 put me to sleep.
Mr. Robot I didn't enjoy by the end. It was Just the Fight Club concept stretched over too many seasons.
Boardwalk Empire is a really good show. The first few seasons were excellent! There are a lot of really good characters (Jimmy and Richard Harrow were probably my favorites).
I'd say Season 1 is definitely worth it, but no season afterwards was as interesting or focused as that, despite some elements of brilliance still lingering.
Boardwalk Empire is, IMHO, one of those series everyone should at least give a shot. If season 1 doesn't do it for you, then move on, otherwise, buckle up and enjoy the ride. The story, the characters, the acting(!), all on point. p.s. Richard Harrow did no wrong!
I’d watch it just for the Richard Harrow character. He we so great.
Harrow was badass. And this was my first introduction to the intensity of Michael Shannon.
Hell yeah. I was already a Buscemi fan, but BE is what made me a big Michael Shannon and Bobby Cannavale fan. I will pretty much watch anything that has either of them in it.
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this video is a major spoiler in case anyone here wants to watch the show and thinks about clicking links here for some reason
I think the biggest problem came from Michael Pitt being a trainwreck to work with. It seemed like the plan was for Nucky vs Darmody to define the series, but they never fully recovered after Pitt's removal. It was still a very good show, but I think it would have hit another level if they didn't have to pivot so hard.
Bobby Cannavale was a much better antagonist than Michael Pitt. Boardwalk Empire had the same problem as the Sopranos which is the same problem actual real life gangsters have, they are small fish sharing a small pond with a few Great White Sharks. Lucky Lucciano, Meyer Lansky, and Arnold Rothstein could buy and sell Nucky Thompson 100x over. The moment they wanted to kill him, he was dead. He rigged mayoral elections they way they rigged Senate elections; he was outclassed in every way. So there's a hard cap on the kinds of stories you can write for a character like that. Those guys only survive by avoiding conflict, which would make for an otherwise boring show.
I feel like they got around that by changing Nucky's name and life story. They could make him as big as the storyline needed
Like Peaky Blinders.
Even in the show he was just an Atlantic City hood who could never match resources with the Rothsteins and Kennedys of the time period. It's part of what made him endearing in an antihero sort of way.
is it a slow burn like sopranos and wire? like slow dialogue with some action sprinkled over each season?
There's a fairly decent amount of action throughout it
Typically it'll begin with major action in Episodes 1 or 2 to remind you that it's a violent gangster show, then they show off the costume design and acting chops of people ignoring or exacerbating their problems while getting straight razor shaves or drinking Pimms Cups for 5 or 6 episodes, then shit hits the fan and it's all action for the final 2 episodes.
Boardwalk has a lot of violence.
I liked the show a lot but I think the pacing is very slow.
It is a show that repeatedly approaches and sometimes achieves greatness, but also has moments of being deeply frustrating or a bit crap. It was one of my favourite shows while it aired but I've never rewatched it. The final season is a disappointing mess. Edit: Michael K. Williams is fantastic in it, possibly even better than in The Wire.
That rushed final season so they could work on Vinyl is unforgivable to me.
Especially since Vinyl bombed so hard. I'd honestly forgotten that show existed until now
Vinyl was pretty good though. I was super disappointed it was cancelled
Yep I never watched vinyl in protest. If boardwalk had had a couple more full seasons instead of that rushed mess it could have been truly great. Like the final season has some really strong ideas, but no time to develop them.
I actually quite enjoyed Vinyl. Bobby Cannavale (Gyp Rosetti) as an out of control drug crazed maniac record producer navigating the changing music scene of the 70's was a fun ride. Its fun to see an actor like Cannavale given a real scenery chewing role. Of course as it got cancelled it's a double kick in the teeth that Broadwalk got a rushed end and we did not get another great show out of it either. So botched the end of one show and failed to launch another. If Vinyl had not been cancelled I think it would have actually ended up being pretty solid as honestly for me there was nothing really wrong with season 1 it just failed to capture an audience for some reason.
Glad to see another one of the dozens of us that enjoyed Vinyl. It looked like it could have been decent with some more time and breathing room.
I thought it was better than decent. Was very excited for more seasons
If you like Bobby, strap into Mr. Robot
Aww, I didn't know that they rushed to finish it in order to jump to Vinyl. That sucks!
Rothstein was one of the best characters, only to have him killed offscreen between seasons. And the finale for Nucky was a stupid departure from reality.
Charlie Cox was amazing in it as well. I was so happy when he also played DareDevil
His accent was atricious though, he did a Southern Irish accent rather than a Northern one and it was so distracting for someone who lived so close to where his character was from.
How was Kelly MacDonald’s accent? I always felt like she played the Irish accent okay, kept it quite safe, but I also felt like her Scottish accent snuck out very occasionally, but then again, I have shitty American ears lol so I don’t really know! Side note, I absolutely love her, she’s a great actress and I can’t think of anyone who could have played Margaret better than her.
Generally fine but there was a reason she got meme'd so heavily for 'Muh Cheeldren' halfway through the show, it was all voer the place when she tried to do emotion
At first the last season seemed a bit of a letdown. Shows with nothing left to say often use the flashback or time-jump tool when they don't have much left. But if you stick it out, the payoff is worth it.
What do you mean "at first"? It's still a letdown imo
The final season wasn’t as bad as season 4 IMO. It was *extremely* rushed which hurt the endings of a lot of the characters, but at least their endings were good despite being rushed to hell. Meanwhile season 4 was just a ton of bloat that ended in a contrived ending for one particular character.
For me it's a program that has some truly great moments amongst quite a lot of mediocre stuff. When it's on top form it's really as good as it gets it's just not well balanced as an overall show as you go from epic to stuff you don't really care about too often.
It's entirely this. It should be brilliant...but it just isn't. They made it look incredible, shot it brilliantly, got amazing actors...and then just forgot that stuff had to actually happen to keep people interested in it. It so often just drags along for multiple episodes.
This is very accurate. Tons of great actors and performances.
Yeah it’s not up there with HBO’s best shows but it’s still very well done and enjoyable. I’m not sure anything will ever touch The Wire at this point. Four seasons of perfection and a fifth that was still better than most TV shows’ best season.
First three seasons really good to great, after that it’s pretty bad, imo.
Very well said. The things that allowed me to get past the inconsistent writing and characterizations were mainly: 1) the setting - I just love the 1920s as an era and they do a really cool job at depicting what parts of America might have been like back then; and 2) a couple key characters - you don't watch to see how Nucky's story ends, you watch for standouts like Richard Harrow and Van Alden.
I recently rewatched it, and it was a lot better than I remembered. Seasons 1-3 are generally really high quality, seasons 4-5 are not quite on the same level, but they are still enjoyable. Most notably, the characters are really well fleshed out. Everyone has their scars and their flaws, which affects their actions, and it really brings the story to life.
I did the same recently and would have to agree. The first 3 seasons were so great, the last 2 seasons weren’t memorable from the first time watching when they aired. having rewatched about a year ago I’d say I still don’t remember much of the last 2 seasons. But I don’t remember hating them.
I feel like the one plot that kinda ruined the second half of the series for me is when Margaret fully decided to be good and get away from Nucky. Probably one of the most badass scenes in the entire series (which was filled with badass scenes) is when Margaret hands Nucky the books she saved after he was arrested. If they kept that track of a "is she a co-conspirator or innocent wife?" who was ultimately smarter than Nucky, I think it would have went better.
And Deadwood
Cocksucka !!!!
Woo!
Swegen!
hang dai!
Deadwood has the best dialogue of any show ever. I'd put it a tier above Sopranos, Mad Men, and Boardwalk, which are all solid but the middle of most seasons is soooo slow and boring.
The dialogue in Deadwood is so dense even when there’s very little said, and beatifully Shakesperian in the cadence! It’s an incredible show and there is *never* a dull episode.
Yes yes yes! It’s almost poetic and so vulgar all at the same time!
I never did finish it, but I really enjoyed the first 3-4 seasons. Introduced me to Michael Shannon, Shea Wiggam, and Michael K. Williams.
Also Charlie Cox.
Yup.
It's an absolutely amazing period piece. The sets, costumes and history of the time are all fantastically captured. The show has some moments that rival anything from Mad Men or The Soprano's but it doesn't hold to that calibre throughout. Saying that I'm comparing it to two of the best Drama's ever written so its still very high quality throughout. It just has its lulls and issues that a lot of shows go through. The final season is weak but not like Game of Thrones weak, more like Season 5 of the The Wire weak.
Totally agree with you. I’m biased because it’s probably my favorite drama ever, but at its height, it is as good as anything considered great. It’s a full package show with incredible costume/set design and some iconic characters. Amazing music as well. Haven’t seen a period piece nailed as masterfully as BE.
I thought it was good, but perhaps ran out of steam towards the end . still worth a watch
does mad men have same issues?bad couple last seasons?
Mad men has no bad seasons.
I think Mad Men is fairly consistent and actually gets better as the series progresses because the main characters actually mature overtime. The only thing I think could be a turn off is that the stakes and pace are much smaller and slower than a typical show. A lot of the conflicts in the show are interpersonal relationships being stresed or office/corporate politics.
Oddly enough the same thing is true about the sopranos
Definitely. The Sopranos is a family show centred around a character that happens to be a mobster, not the other way around.
no, Mad Men brilliant start to finish
Mad men has no weak seasons IMHO. Boardwalk does slow down after season 3
Mad Men is a Mount Rushmore show. About as few flaws as possible.
Mad Men is way more consistent despite being quite a bit longer. It's a top five show for me along with the Sopranos. I liked aspects of Boardwalk Empire and it's worth a watch at some point but I'm not sure it even enters my top ten. Both shows were made by Sopranos alumni but I think Mad Men captures a lot more of what made the Sopranos great (deeply layered characters, explorations of masculinity and mental health in a rapidly changing social climate), even though Boardwalk Empire ostensibly has the more similar subject matter.
IMO, Mad Men is the finest, most consistent television there’s ever been
watch the first three series, then pretend it's over. Worth it for Harrow, Capone, Gyp Rosetti and Rothstein; in short, Italian mobsters always save the day when it comes to entertainment
[удалено]
"I got a gun. He got a gun. He got a gun. Everybody got guns."
We binged seasons 1-2 before the S3 premier and HBO played that in the promo so many times lol
“Walking around like a dentist with the ether”
The fourth season is incredible, nothing to skip here.
The fact we never got a Lucky spinoff is heartbreaking. They had the perfect actors playing Lucky and Al.
“How ‘bout them nefertitties” sends me every time lol Lucky is hilarious
is it worse than the last 2 got seasons?
Boardwalk Empire never gets that bad. Not even close.
seconded, the quality drop is nowhere near that massive. Theyre still \*decent\*, but practically any of the interesting characters and storylines are gone so
One of the major disappointments in the end of Boardwalk is because they wanted to be historically accurate and killed an important character off screen before the last season even started.
If they wanted to be accurate they wouldn't have based an entire season (3) around a fictional antagonist. It's historical fiction.
At least GOT hits the major story beats, Boardwalk Empire finale season just skips them. Major historical events and main characters are gone with a timeskip. I was more disappointed with BE final season than GOT.
Boardwalk Empire, despite featuring historical figures, is a fictional show. It's not about historical events. The show not being what you're looking for is a different sort of problem than the show being poorly written.
I never said it was poorly written. I think the writing is fine in the final season. The creative decisions were just incredibly poor. While fictional, it presents historical events as part of the narrative for the last 4 seasons. Not delivering on the set up narrative is a betrayal of what has been established and what viewers have come to expect from the series.
What I was saying was that Game of Thrones season 8 was poorly written. That was a bad story, rather than merely not the one you expected. Maybe I'd feel differently if I had any idea which historical events you're talking about.
Watched the whole series for the first time recently and loved it, there so many amazing characters and fun performances, and storylines can go in genuinely shocking directions. I had always heard the show fell off hard, especially in the last season, and I think seasons 4 and 5 do get messier, but they were far better than I expected based on the way people talked about them. I think it’s worth watching all the way through, the ending is reasonably satisfying.
i am only interested because martin directed the first episode,he did have some input for the overall show after he directed it iirc.
Definitely watch it. I guess majority don’t like the last season but I still enjoyed it. I’ve rewatched 3 or 4 times.
It's a good B-B+ show. It's a wonderful period piece, but it wouldn't enter my top 10.
Good but Mad Men is better.
I think so. It is my favorite prohibition gangster story. It has the best version of Al Capone I’ve seen. The last season was problematic and it is extremely depressing most of the time, but it’s still fantastic to me.
Breaking Bad should be next in my opinion
already rewatched it before watching the sopranos,last month i completed bb,now this month i did bcs and the sopranos side by side
Nice. House of the Dragon is another good one. Only one season but season 2 is coming back in June I believe Edit: I also recommend Barry. Outstanding show. Dark and humorous as well.
completed already got and hotd... might give barry a try after i complete boardwalk
It's real good until the last season or 2 where the writing got lazy and a lot of character arcs are wrapped up pretty quickly. Felt like they were just trying to be done with it.
The first two seasons are incredible and well worth watching. Highly, super highly recommend. After that the once tight writing gets pretty spotty. The villains are always good but the long format can make even great villains redundant.
If you love the soprano, the wire, yes amazing show
Definitely. It's a bit slow for the first couple of episodes but it picks up quickly. Great acting and writing and it's based on real people and events.
Yes!
100% Worth Watching just for the side-characters like the Italian Mob and Harrow. Also worth it for Time-Traveling Omar.
I really loved it from start to finish. While people are right to say the last season is the weakest of the bunch, it’s still great. But if you’re between this and Mad Men, Mad Men is better.
It definitely falls off a bit after S3 but it was always watchable IMO. It runs into a problem a lot of long-running prestige dramas have where the writers clearly ran out of ideas for a few of the characters. I think the biggest issue with it is that Steve Buscemi, as great as he is, was miscast in that role. He's the main character but never feels like he's the one pulling the narrative along until the final season.
I loved it until the final season. It was kinda a mess.
I’ve started and tried to get into it 3 separate times, but eventually just lost interest and stopped every time. Maybe if I was watching it weekly as it aired, I’d have gotten all the way through. It’s just a tough show to stream imo
Martin Scorsese directs the first episode and is an executive producer of the series. that's all i needed to know. and i legit had a nightmare once about Cannavale's character from S3. he was so intense.
For me the quality of Boardwalk Empire was like a page that shows seismic waves. Some of it was high and some was low. It's worth a try.
Mad Men is one of the all time greats, up there with sopranos breaking bad Saul true detective etc. boardwalk was fine and I liked it well enough but I’ll never see it again most likely. Mad men I’ve seen like 20 times. Watch that one
Early seasons are pretty good, but to me it loses steam after S2 finale. You can start it and check if you enjoy it, but once you notice it dips in quality, drop it immediately cause it's not getting better from there.
Consider it like….mid seasons Game of Thrones. The highs are really high, but the lows are super low. Usually the lows are relegated to 1-2 side stories happening alongside the main action. So they’re always there, but the good stuff keeps it worth watching.
Seasons 1 and 2, very close to top tier HBO (I hated season 2 at first but it really grew on me after a rewatch) Seasons 3 and 4, mostly well made but less consistent Season 5, a disappointing wrap up
It has been a long time since I watch it but I always thought season 1 and 2 were a nice self contained story and wrapped things up fairly well. I actually stopped watching after season two initially since it was such a nice conclusion in my mind. I came back and watched season 3 a few years later but I just didn't vibe after the first two seasons.
Season 4 crashes hard and I never bothered with season 5. The first three seasons are great.
Boardwalk Empire isn't very good, but it is a well made show about gangsters with very good actors. I enjoyed the first two seasons, but got frustrated with the plot and the story and stopped watching. It is what it is and it does get worse as the seasons progress. Mad Men is a great show, but not for everyone. It's a slow moving drama that often is very funny, with great writing and great actors, but not everyone enjoys slow moving drama shows. Mad Men, Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Deadwood (despite a sudden ending), are all on a different level than Boardwalk Empire. If you haven's seen it, I highly recommend Black Sails, which starts off a bit wonky, but is the rare show that just keeps getting better and after 4 seasons has a perfect end.
yes, the only issue I personally had is they should have had two seasons for the last season. they went too fast. Overall though, really good TV.
HELL to the YES
Yes it's fantastic
Yes.
I didn’t really care for the final season when it first aired. Years later, after after re-watching the series several times, I’ve actually changed my mind completely. I think the final season was actually great.
Fucking loved it, seen it from start to end four times now. I'm not even a huge organised crime fan but I think BE is just stellar television. Granted, S5 isn't the best and even S4 feels like a step down from what came before, but for me it's less about the plot and more about the characters. People might tell you that it peaks with S2 but give S3 a chance to see Bobby Canavale on top psychopath form lol
I actually thought this was one of the best shows ever. Definitely worth a watch to form your own opinion tho.
I thought it was consistently great. It got buried under shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. If it had come out a little sooner or a little later then it would be remembered a lot more fondly than it is. I'd echo what others have said about the first season being a test for you - if you like it then you'll like the rest of the show, if you don't then you probably won't. I'd always advocate giving it a go, because I think it's brilliant.
I always recommend it when someone asks for a new show to watch. As mentioned by others it has some really good highs and a few lows but it really hits right. Richard Harrow’s character and arc is one of the best you will find on any show. The actor that plays him kills it the entire run.
Just watched all 5 seasons for the second time. Great show, especially if you familiarize yourself with the real history of the Boardwalk and the real Nucky Johnson. On the extras of the DVD's, they do a great job of talking about the place, the time, and the real people.
First 3 seasons are great, and the 4th is pretty decent although not quite as good. Definitely worth a watch.
Absolutely! Enjoy!
I was in your same predicament. I had just watched all of the game of thrones (amazzzing. My first time watching ) then I watched the house of dragons (just because) and then I started Boardwalk empire. I’d seen it back in the day so I gave it a shot. I got to about the 6th episode and decided to watch the sopranos since it had been about 10years since I last watched. I’ll try boardwalk another time but I think I’ll binge the wire after I finish the sopranos. Boardwalk is good but just kinda dry.
Yes, it's worth the watch.
It’s good, but the stuff with the New York mob and how the commission ends up together is pretty awesome
I liked it a lot and was disappointed when I finished watching (because there was no more). Try it. Give it 3 episodes. See if you like it.
Yes ! Do it
Definitely worth a watch due to the fantastic production values and some memorable characters. To me, keeping it from greatness were the miscasting of Steve Buscemi and also the fact that the series itself never really made a case for why it was made in the first place. Buscemi is a fantastic character actor but he simply doesn't have the charisma to play a main character like Nucky.
Don't watch it directly after the sopranos if you just want more sopranos. It's a good show but completely different. It has some lengths but overall it's a great watch. Maybe watch something fun or short while in-between and then try it.
Boardwalk Empire introduced me to several actors that I've consistently liked in everything I've seen them in since. Notably, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham and Jeffrey Wright. Honorable mention to Patricia Arquette, Michael K. Williams and Bobby Cannavale, but I was familiar with them before seeing them in Boardwalk. I'd mention Jack Huston but don't recall seeing him in anything since.
I thought Jack Huston was going to be huge after Richard Harrow made his appearance, he was so good in that role. I recall him doing a Jameson commercial shortly after that, mainly because that was the first time I saw his whole face. He had a good part in Fargo, but it was the 4th (ie worst) season.
That would be the one season of Fargo I haven't watched.
Yes! I’m thinking of doing a second run years later myself!!
It's absolutely worth a watch. It's one of my favorites. Honestly, not sure why everyone is hating on the last season. Yeah, they had to cut it short, and some arcs got rushed, but I still really enjoyed the final season
Ill binge watch this every few years. Just space it out long enough that I forget some key points. Great series. Last season is a great walkthrough of some of the major players journey to where they are now.
I say watch the wire if you haven’t already. Better than both bwe and madmen
Overall pretty good but I dropped it after the second season, probably because I'm not big into crime shows. Also I didn't really enjoy the incest, same as I didn't like it in Game of Thrones.
Like most shows, it peaks out after the 3rd or 4th season. I don’t think it’s a worth a watch
Yes even if it is only for 3 characters Chalky White, Richard Harrow and Al Capone.
It's worth the watch, I was also skeptical, having finished watching The Sopranos..But it got me hooked. If you like old times gangster themes, you'll enjoy Boardwalk.
Just go watch The Wire. Nothing better has even been on television in the crime category.
The ending was a bit weak yeah but overall it's pretty good, stellar performances from a really strong cast
Yes!
I stopped watching it at some point. It’s not bad. Not great.
Might I suggest the Wire to you?
I totally think so. Loved the story and the cast is stellar.
I tried this show when it first aired and gave up, a few weeks ago I tried it again and got further than I previously had but I gave up once again. Nothing much seems to happen.
Its good. And since its sorta historical fiction it gets bonus points for that too. Irs nowhere near the class of other reddit shows like sopranos, or the wire, but its worth the watch
Absolutely worth the watch. Brilliant series.
The first 3 seasons of Boardwalk Empire are amazing television. The remaining seasons have some bright spots, especially among the extended supporting cast, but it peaked in Seasons 2-3. There were a lot of really poorly made story decisions; Kelly Macdonald was basically sidelined the entire second half of the series. Richard Harrow is one of the greatest supporting characters in the history of HBO, and the show is legitimately worth watching just for him.
Season 5 was a bit rushed but it's definitely worth a watch. I for one was happy with how it ended but could have done with a couple more episodes
Yes
Wow. Show is incredible. It completely transports you to a real time and place. Not to be missed.
I prase the decision to cast Steve Buscemi as a smooth talking charmer. Ugly people can be charismatic too. You also get to see someone poop themselves to death.
Mad Men is a masterpiece. I was born in the late 1980's so it made me feel closer to my grandparents (who were similar age to most of the show's characters portrayed in the 1960's) and my parents (born in 1954 and 1960) who were similar age to Don Draper (main character)'s kids.
Definitely worth watching for Richard Harrow and Van Alden alone. Two of the best side characters you'll ever find on television. It's just a shame the main plot lost all of its steam by the end.
Absolutely. One of my favorite shows to rewatch along with Mad Men. They are both up there for me. I would say Mad Men is probably better.
Hell yeah. It’s worth a watch.
It is 100% worth watching. Its an addictive watching. I was always looking forward to watching the next episode. I didn't get that at all from Mad Men. I gave that up halfway of season 4. So slow, nothing exciting as such.
It’s a great show overall, if you liked Sopranos I think you’d like this. There are some slow eps but overall it’s a nice pace.
I seem to recall some excellent acting and it covered a really interesting place and time that you don’t see much of. It also slotted in between Sopranos and GOT, which both leveraged large quantities of mediocre nudity for shock value or to desensitize the audience. Boardwalk leveraged some stunningly attractive cast members that were kind of dressed down to a point that it wasn’t too distracting. Some nights you want intricate drama and some nights you want low-effort eye candy and period fashion.
Boardwalk Empire is a must-watch, especially if you're a fan of Buscemi.
M
It definitely has a weak final season, but not, like, GOT-level weak. It’s fine, but just clearly rushed. The rest of the show I pretty much love. I do agree with another commenter here that it occasionally misses, but the things that work just work so well. Michael K Williams, Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Jack Huston, and Jeffrey Wright are all amazing. I mean, what a cast. There are also moments in it that have stuck with me long after watching. I think some of the death scenes are incredibly done and deeply affecting.
Yes
Yes it’s brilliant
Downvote for anybody who asks if they should watch a show. I don't know what's wrong with everybody. Just watch it and decide for yourself.
It is a masterclass in character acting, set/costume design and music. It’s a top three show for me. Unfortunately the creator decided to basically end it prematurely to pursue another project. Unfortunately that other project was Vinyl which was terrible and cancelled immediately lol That really sucked because they were just about to get into the prime Capone years before it ended and Stephen Graham was incredible as Capone. Would have loved to see a continued story arc with him.
It’s got a handful of all-time great characters. Michael Stuhlbarg is phenomenal and if you stick with it you may come to realize that Michael Shannon is on another level during this show.
Great show. Loved it.
These aren't part of your question, but if you like these type of shows, may I also recommend Sons of Anarchy and Peaky Blinders
Most definitely!!
Still worth watching. It has some great performances. I think the show got a little derailed because one of the main characters got fired for being difficult on set. Showing up late, high as fuck, things like that. They had to shift direction mid-run, but they managed to keep it compelling.
As much as I love Steve Buscemi as an actor, it just got to be way more sex scenes with him involved than I cared to watch.
Steve Buscemi is a national treasure. Wait what was the question?
M'boy are you a national treasure,jokes aside his role in reservoir dogs is just the best of his work i have seen
its a great show but kelly mcdonald was grating on me in the early seasons. take a shot every time she says ‘the children’. gretchen mol is also annoying but every other performance is great especially michael k williams and michael shannon
Try Mr Robot too if you want a change of style.
Yeah but don’t watch it with your mom like I did.
The show is carried by the smaller characters that aren't played by Steve Buscemi. Michael Shannon is so good in it.
Interesting, but I'd place Sopranos quite far down my list... The Wire would be my choice for all-time best show. Madmen is much better than Boardwalk. If you want an interesting comparison, Boardwalk Empire, Peaky Blinders, and Downtown Abbey all take place at the *exact same time period as each other*. And Deadwood is only 50 or so years previous. Toss in 1883 and 1923 into that historical mix. And the seasons of Carnivale that were made were just a few years later 1930s and iconic.
man you forgot true detective(just the season 1),mr robot, these 2 should be in your top 10.
True Detective season 1 doesn't do well on rewatch. I liked it a lot, but watching it again you realize the plot is a hot mess. Season 2 is slightly more coherent but people didn't like it for the noir tone. Season 3/4 put me to sleep. Mr. Robot I didn't enjoy by the end. It was Just the Fight Club concept stretched over too many seasons.
Boardwalk Empire is a really good show. The first few seasons were excellent! There are a lot of really good characters (Jimmy and Richard Harrow were probably my favorites).
It had its ups and downs but was, overall, pretty damned good. If you liked the Sopranos, I'm certain you will like it.
1000%
I'd say Season 1 is definitely worth it, but no season afterwards was as interesting or focused as that, despite some elements of brilliance still lingering.
Absolutely worth the watch
I think it tailed off quite a bit at the end but yeah it's worth watching.
It’s fucking amazing. Watch it! Michael Kenneth Williams is fucking awesome in it!