Boardwalk Empire

"Pilot" (also known as "Boardwalk Empire") is the pilot episode of the HBO crime drama Boardwalk Empire. Written by series creator Terence Winter and directed by Martin Scorsese with a budget of $18 million, the episode introduces the character of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, as the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic City who is involved in gambling and bootlegging in 1920. The show used a large ensemble cast and a specially constructed boardwalk set to create the Prohibition and Jazz Era, and was based on Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. Filming for the pilot took place at various locations in and around New York City in June, 2009. The episode first aired in the United...