Boardwalk Empire

The years of Prohibition, starting in 1920, were meant to diminish violence and protect women and children. Instead, however, it promoted the underground world of gangsters, bootlegging, and gambling. Within this timeframe, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ shows you the ins and outs of navigating such bootlegging and other base activities in Atlantic City, Chicago, New York, and everywhere between, with most of the actual filming locations within and around New York. ‘Boardwalk Empire’ seasons 1 and 2 set the viewer up for the mobsters of season 3 and the rise and fall of many of the well-connected families and gangs of that time. The filming and cast make you connect and feel for those you might not empathize with in real life, including crooked FBI agents and women within the brothels. Fathers beat their wives and children, mothers kill for their children, and brothers turn against each other, all as matter of survival. With Nucky Thompson, Al Capone, and the rest of the crew of the 1920s and 1930s, the series attempts to show what life was like back then, while not necessarily remaining true to the stories of the gangster life. Affairs, drugs, murder, drinking, and illegal gambling are all part of the mobster culture in a country whose government turns a blind eye. The accuracy and the apparel, as well as living conditions for the poor, rich, and rising middle class, are true to form for the era. While no mobster story can be confirmed or denied 100 per cent, the show portrays common storylines. Created by HBO, ‘Boardwalk Empire’ can be purchased on DVD from seasons that have wrapped.