Atlantic City, New Year’s Eve, 1922: The Roaring ‘20s are about to begin in earnest. Despite a booming economy, alcohol is scarce and gangster violence is heating up. With his marriage to Margaret already on the rocks, Nucky Thompson faces the challenge of mending old relationships and encounters new competition from a hair-trigger gangster determined to siphon off his business.

From Terence Winter, Emmy Award-winning writer of “The Sopranos” and Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, “Boardwalk Empire” is set in the 1920s during Prohibition, and chronicles the life and times of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, the undisputed leader of Atlantic City. The Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning drama series kicks off its 12-episode third season Sunday, September 16 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, followed by other episodes on subsequent Sundays at the same time.

In season two, Nucky married Margaret Schroeder to prevent her from testifying in court and took revenge on Jimmy Darmody for his role in a plot against him. But his hopes for smooth sailing were derailed when she signed away his highway windfall to the church. Meanwhile, agent Van Alden fled to Illinois to escape the feds with baby and nanny in tow.

“Boardwalk Empire” stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson; Kelly Macdonald as Margaret, Nucky’s wife; Michael Shannon as federal agent Nelson Van Alden; Gretchen Mol as Gillian, Jimmy Darmody’s mother; Shea Whigham as Nucky’s estranged brother Elias; Michael Stuhlbarg as gangster Arnold Rothstein; Stephen Graham as gangster Al Capone;Vincent Piazza as gangster Lucky Luciano; Michael Kenneth Williams as Nucky’s ally Chalky White, leader of the city’s African-American community; Anthony Laciura as Eddie Kessler, Nucky’s valet; Paul Sparks as gangster Mickey Doyle; Jack Huston as Richard Harrow, a disfigured war veteran; Charlie Cox as Owen Sleater, Nucky’s right-hand man; Bobby Cannavale as Gyp Rosetti, Nucky’s new foe; Arron Shiver as gangster Dean O’Banion; Christopher McDonald as U.S. Attorney General Harry Daugherty; Stephen Root as Gaston Means, a go-between for Nucky and Daugherty; and MegChambers Steedle as Billie Kent, Nucky’s new mistress.

September’s episodes

Episode #25: “Resolution” – Debut: Sunday, September 16 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

While hosting a New Year’s Eve party for 1922-23, Nucky makes a resolution that does not sit well with Gyp Rosetti, a touchy gangster with a thirst for bootleg whiskey. Margaret looks to build on the Thompson endowment at St. Theresa’s Hospital, to her husband’s displeasure. In the absence of Jimmy and the Commodore, Gillian builds a new business while monitoring Richard’s mentoring of her “son,” Tommy. In Chicago, Al Capone is rankled by Irish mobster Dean O’Banion, and Van Alden stumbles onto a confrontation that could change his career path.

Episode #26: “Spaghetti & Coffee” – Debut: Sunday, September 23 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Mixing business with pleasure in New York, Nucky bristles at the collection tactics of Gaston Means, a “special investigator” with ties to Attorney General Harry Daugherty. At St. Theresa’s, Margaret is troubled when her altruism is met with resistance by both a patient and an idealistic doctor. Gyp extends his stopover in Tabor Heights, a town halfway between Atlantic City and New York, with an eye towards establishing a strategic foothold. Chalky and his daughter Maybelle (Christina Jackson) fail to agree on her future with Samuel (Ty Michael Robinson); Eli gets a new boss and faces new realities at home; a major liquor shipment takes an unexpected detour.

Episode #27: “Bone for Tuna” – Debut: Sunday, September 30 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Disturbed by a recent nightmare and Billie’s absence, Nucky reluctantly joins Margaret to receive a high honor from the Church. Meanwhile, Gyp makes a deal with Nucky for a onetime liquor shipment, though the mobster’s longtime intentions remain very much up in the air. Van Alden regrets trying to socialize with his co-workers; Margaret takes her women’s-clinic pitch to a higher authority; Lucky and Meyer (Anatol Yusef) protect their investments; Richard sets the record straight with Mickey, and with Nucky.

“Boardwalk Empire” recently received 12 nominations for the upcoming 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Steve Buscemi) and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Tim Van Patten).

In September 2011, “Boardwalk Empire” received eight Emmy Awards, the most of any program that year, in the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards competition, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Martin Scorsese).

In January 2011, “Boardwalk Empire” received two Golden Globe Awards, for Best Television Series – Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama (Steve Buscemi).

For two years in a row, the series has received Screen Actors Guild awards for both Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (Steve Buscemi).

Among the critical raves for the second season, which concluded in December 2011, New York’s Daily News called the show “delicious entertainment” and “one of the best shows on television,” while Daily Variety termed it “consistently bold and lusty,” as well as “good to the last illicit, intoxicating drop.” The Boston Globe hailed “Boardwalk Empire” as “a must-see show” and “remarkable,” and Entertainment Weekly noted that “drama this good should be illegal.”

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The widely acclaimed HBO series Boardwalk Empire opened a second season on HBO and will continue its tale of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, a politician and a gangster who reigned prohibition era Atlantic City this coming November.

The first episode of the Emmy Award-winning show was the most expensive pilot in television history and directed by the careful hands of Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese.

Fans and critics have praised the show for its visual and historical accuracy and audiences can look forward to more character-driven drama by Steve Buscemi as the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic County, Michael Pitt as Nucky’s protege Jimmy Darmody and Kelly MacDonald as Margaret, Nucky’s mistress. Also starring is Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham and Paz de la Huerta.

Episode #19: “Peg of Old” – Debut: Sunday, Nov. 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

While Nucky enlists heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey (Devin Harjes) to promote the wireless broadcast of his upcoming fight, Jimmy faces a decision that could shape the future of Atlantic City. Margaret travels to Brooklyn for a bittersweet reunion with the family she left behind in Ireland.

Irked by the arrival of Daugherty’s (Christopher McDonald) new federal prosecutor, Esther Randolph (Julianne Nicholson), Nelson (Michael Shannon) weighs his options as his personal and professional problems converge. Badly in need of support, Lucy (Paz de la Huerta) visits an old flame for a handout. Owen (Charlie Cox) settles one score, and sets his sights on a new conquest.

Episode #20: “Two Boats and a Lifeguard” – Debut: Sunday, Nov. 13 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

In the wake of a personal loss, Nucky solicits advice on his political situation from Arnold Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg), while Eli (Shea Whigham) remains suspicious of his brother’s actions. Nucky finds himself in the unfamiliar position of showing gratitude toward a federal agent; Angela (Aleksa Palladino) meets a new friend at the beach, and eavesdrops on her husband’s treachery;

Nelson gets a nanny; Nucky approaches Owen with an overseas proposition; Jimmy flexes his muscles, at Mickey Doyle’s (Paul Sparks) expense.

Episode #21: “Battle of the Century” – Debut: Sunday, Nov. 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Arriving in Belfast, Nucky and Owen meet with IRA leaders with a barter proposition.  Meanwhile, in Atlantic City, Jimmy and his partners broker a deal with George Remus (Glenn Fleshler) for his “medicinal” alcohol before taking a break to see/hear the Dempsey fight. Margaret frets when Emily’s (Josie and Lucy Gallina) illness takes a turn for the worse;

Dunn Purnsley (Erik LaRay Harvey) orchestrates a worker’s strike at the Ritz; Waxey Gordon (Nick Sandow) takes action against Manny Horvitz (William Forsythe) in Philadelphia; Randolph and Clifford Lathrop (Curt Bouril) grill Halloran about Nucky’s past.

Episode #22:  “Georgia Peaches” – Debut: Sunday, Nov. 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Undercut by Nucky, who has a new source for alcohol, Jimmy and his partners look to cultivate a new revenue stream in Atlantic City. With the peak tourist season approaching, the Commodore’s (Dabney Coleman) crew faces a choice in dealing with the city’s striking workers: negotiate or fight back.

Fearing that sin has led to misfortune, Margaret approaches Father Brennan (Michael Cumpsty) with an “act of devotion.” Nucky gets a new lawyer; Van Alden faces an uncertain future; Manny Horvitz takes exception to a debt payment.

Created by Terence Winter, Boardwalk Empire is executive produced by Terence Winter, Martin Scorsese, Tim Van Patten, Stephen Levinson and Mark Wahlberg.

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The critically acclaimed Boardwalk Empire, about Prohibition era America, has been approved for a third season after resounding award-winning approval of the series second season, debuting on September 25. President of HBO programming, Michael Lombardo, made the announcement last week.

“Following a triumphant first season, I was eager to see what Terry Winter, Martin Scorsese and the rest of their stellar team had in store, and they continue to surpass our highest expectations,” said Lombardo. “The response from the media and our viewers has been extremely gratifying.”

Emmy Award-winning writer of The Sopranos, Terence Winter, is the creator of the revered series set in the 1920s, in the early days of Prohibition. It chronicles the life and times of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, the undisputed leader of Atlantic City, and the lives and souls that surrounded him.

According to a press release from HBO, the renewal of Boardwalk Empire is the latest in a number of recent drama series pickups, following True Blood, Game of Thrones and Treme, as well as commitments to new series including Luck, Life’s Too Short and Aaron Sorkin’s as-yet untitled project.

Steve Buscemi leads the impressive cast that includes Kelly Macdonald, Paz de la Huerta, Michael Pitt, Gretchen Mol and Michael Shannon. Among the early critical raves for the new season, New York’s Daily News called the show “delicious entertainment” and “one of the best shows on television,” while Daily Variety termed it “consistently bold and lusty,” as well as “good to the last illicit, intoxicating drop.”

The Boston Globe hailed the Atlantic City gangster drama as “a must-see show” and “remarkable,” and Entertainment Weekly noted that “drama this good should be illegal. Boardwalk Empire has managed to rank among HBO’s most popular series with an average gross audience of 10.7 million viewers.

The mesmerizing character of ‘Nucky’ Johnson is based on the real life Johnson. According to IMDB.com, the real life ‘Nucky’ resembled the physique of James Gandolfini in The Sopranos more than Steve Buscemi but Winter wanted to write a character that differed from his previous show and wrote the role specifically with Buscemi in mind.

At the recent Primetime Emmy Awards, the series was nominated for eighteen awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The show’s director Martin Scorsese won the category Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.

In January this year, the show further received two Golden Globe Awards, for Best Television Series – Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama, Steve Buscemi.

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