Nucky did it all for the booze

Set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition of the 1920s, “Boardwalk Empire”’s debut season was engaging, suspenseful, provocative and perhaps most importantly, a huge success for HBO.

Steve Buscemi, who has played roles ranging from a horny geologist in “Armageddon” to a bowler ill-fated to always be out of his element in “The Big Lebowski,” creates an unlikely character in Nucky Thompson, local politician and notorious gangster, that is both frightening and awesome to behold.

The first season has its slower moments, with long dialogue and complicated booze-running logistics. But each of these drawn-out conversations inevitably leads to a fatal breakdown in communication, creating some intense retaliation scenes.

Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody, Nucky’s protégé, and Kelly MacDonald as Irish immigrant Margaret Schroeder are brilliant in their respective roles, comfortably sharing the screen with Buscemi.

Everything falls into place for this period drama to stick around for a while.