Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Sundays, 9 p.m. E.T.), the best new drama of the year, is the sweeping birth story of that myth, centering on Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the man who kept Atlantic City wet. It's also HBO's return to the field of big-budget, big-idea dramas it dominated in the Sopranos era — sprawling and violent, with a dark but clear-eyed view of history.

Empire, based on a history of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson, has plenty of Mob-story DNA. It was created by Terence Winter, once a writer for The Sopranos, and executive-produced by Martin Scorsese, who directed the lavish pilot. There's more to Empire than pinstripes and tommy guns, however. Nucky — based on Nucky Johnson, Atlantic City's real-life treasurer-boss — is something less, and more, than a gangster. He's a public servant who lives on an entire floor of the Ritz-Carlton. Almost every dollar spent in Atlantic City makes a detour through his pocket. But he's a benevolent despot, suave and charismatic, dispensing the patronage that makes the city work.

Click here to see behind the scenes of Boardwalk Empire.