Boardwalk Empire is one of the most important shows of the first half of the 2010s, unfairly forgotten by both critics and viewers by the end of the decade.
It would be hard to call Boardwalk Empire underrated; it was once adored and appreciated. Big studios just don't do shows like this anymore: historical dramas are now relegated to the miniseries format.
In an era of fantasy and endless nostalgia for the eighties and nineties, the multi-season historical drama looks like both a unique achievement and an echo of the past.
Boardwalk Empire Had the Perfect Cast And Crew
Boardwalk Empire in the early 2010s could only be released on HBO. Only the network that changed everyone's attitude toward television in the 2000s could invite the most important director of our time and so many talented actors for its new project.
The executive producer of Boardwalk Empire was Martin Scorsese himself.
It would be hard to call Boardwalk Empire underrated; it was once adored and appreciated. Big studios just don't do shows like this anymore: historical dramas are now relegated to the miniseries format.
In an era of fantasy and endless nostalgia for the eighties and nineties, the multi-season historical drama looks like both a unique achievement and an echo of the past.
Boardwalk Empire Had the Perfect Cast And Crew
Boardwalk Empire in the early 2010s could only be released on HBO. Only the network that changed everyone's attitude toward television in the 2000s could invite the most important director of our time and so many talented actors for its new project.
The executive producer of Boardwalk Empire was Martin Scorsese himself.
- 4/25/2024
- by zoe-wallace@startefacts.com (Zoe Wallace)
- STartefacts.com
Actor Jack Huston says two creative sparks convinced him to make his feature directing debut with boxing drama Day of the Fight. The first concerned the premise; the second, his star.
“Several years ago, I was watching Stanley Kubrick’s first film, a documentary short he shot in 1951, also called Day of the Fight,” Huston says. The film famously follows the great Irish American boxer Walter Cartier over the course of an ordinary day as he prepares for a 10 p.m. title bout.
“It’s this amazing glimpse into the real life of a boxer,” Huston explains. “He eats breakfast, he goes to church, he visits his twin brother, he goes around town — and it’s all leading up to a big prize fight. I remember thinking, ‘What a wonderful premise for a deeper narrative to develop.’ As we follow our boxer through his day and meet the people in his world,...
“Several years ago, I was watching Stanley Kubrick’s first film, a documentary short he shot in 1951, also called Day of the Fight,” Huston says. The film famously follows the great Irish American boxer Walter Cartier over the course of an ordinary day as he prepares for a 10 p.m. title bout.
“It’s this amazing glimpse into the real life of a boxer,” Huston explains. “He eats breakfast, he goes to church, he visits his twin brother, he goes around town — and it’s all leading up to a big prize fight. I remember thinking, ‘What a wonderful premise for a deeper narrative to develop.’ As we follow our boxer through his day and meet the people in his world,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In need of a last-minute Halloween costume? Are you a big fan of Boardwalk Empire and/or do you just enjoy meta- Halloween costumes featuring a mask of a character who wears a mask? If you screamed “yes!” at the screen just now, that’s weird, but check out this two-part Halloween costume from illustrator Jon Defreest featuring a mask of Richard Harrow — the deformed World War 1 soldier from Boardwalk Empire — complete with its own separate “face mask” mask that Richard wears in the show: You can actually download the mask in high-quality online over at Vulture. If anyone wants to do a group costume, count me in for “Stroke Commodore,” as long as you don’t mind spoon-feeding me candy. This’ll be such c**kf**k fun!!
- 10/27/2011
- by Dan Hopper
- BestWeekEver
Sorry for the delay, Boardwalk fans. There is a certain cable & Internet company out here in Los Angeles (rhymes with “Mime Groaner”) that decides to have sporadic outages on any given week. It’s a pain but compared to everything else that’s going on in the World, I should count my blessings (despite being a devout non-believer in things). Anyway…. Goddamn, Richard Harrow! I don’t know if I would have continued to watch Boardwalk Empire if you had actually pulled that trigger and offed yourself. I get it: you’re lonely and scarred, both physically and mentally from The Great War. And with it being Memorial Day and all, you got to witness average Americans — from politicians to Joe Blows — put on displays of patriotism and pretend to give a shit about the troops. I’m sure that’s no fun. It’s downright disgusting. But thank goodness...
- 10/25/2011
- by Mo Fathelbab
- BuzzFocus.com
For a while now, Richard Harrow (Jack Huston), Jimmy Darmody's half-masked henchman on "Boardwalk Empire," has been almost a stylistic oddity - some sort of character from a Kubrick or even Fellini movie, deliberately brought in just to make you unsettled. But last night that all changed in a big way. Get your "Boardwalk Empire" episode recap here....Read more...
- 10/24/2011
- by Yidio
- Yidio
While Boardwalk Empire‘s first season was busy fleshing out Margaret, Nucky, Eli, Jimmy, and Van Alden, it also gave us two particularly fascinating characters who went for the most part unexplored: Chalky White and Richard Harrow. They were for the most part mysteries, major players in many of the events we’ve seen but their motivations never fully known. It would be an exaggeration to say that season two has been about delving into them, after all Nucky remains the show’s center with Jimmy becoming more and more his archenemy, but the best parts of the season so far have largely...
- 10/24/2011
- Pastemagazine.com
Boardwalk Empire season 2 continues to hit its stride with last night’s “Gimcrack and Bunkum,” which sees Eli’s alliance with Jimmy and the Commodore hitting the fan as Richard contemplates his own future out in the woods. The bizarrely titled “Gimcrack and Bunkum” mostly continues Boardwalk Empire’s pattern of fleshing out its side characters, wisely putting fan favorite Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) at the forefront.
There’s been accusations of Boardwalk Empire unfolding far too quietly and slowly for an HBO gangster series, but explosions and gunshots will fall on deaf ears if not for the quieter, more contemplative episodes that the series does so well. Last week’s “What Does the Bee Do?” illustrated its point by focusing on smaller characters like Chalky White (Michael K. Williams) and Gillian Darmody (Gretchen Mol) struggling against a ceiling of power, while “Gimcrack and Bunkum” creates a different study through similar means.
There’s been accusations of Boardwalk Empire unfolding far too quietly and slowly for an HBO gangster series, but explosions and gunshots will fall on deaf ears if not for the quieter, more contemplative episodes that the series does so well. Last week’s “What Does the Bee Do?” illustrated its point by focusing on smaller characters like Chalky White (Michael K. Williams) and Gillian Darmody (Gretchen Mol) struggling against a ceiling of power, while “Gimcrack and Bunkum” creates a different study through similar means.
- 10/24/2011
- by Kevin Fitzpatrick
- TVovermind.com
HBO’s Boardwalk Empire revolves around mob feuds, illegal bootlegging, and the corruption and venality that accompanied Prohibition. But beneath the surface, the show is about grasping at the American dream. That quest for happiness has never been more vivid—nor more painfully realized—than in Boardwalk Empire’s Richard Harrow, a Great War sniper who now kills for profit, wearing a tin half-mask. Jack Huston, the grandson of legendary director John Huston (and nephew to Anjelica and Danny Huston), is stealing nearly every scene of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, where he plays disfigured sniper turned hitman Richard Harrow. At The Daily Beast, you can read my latest feature, "Boardwalk Empire's Scene-Stealer," in which I talk to Huston about this week’s episode, wearing the mask, and whether Richard still has a soul.
Read the full article at Televisionary (http://www.televisionarytv.com).
Read the full article at Televisionary (http://www.televisionarytv.com).
- 10/24/2011
- by Jace
- Televisionary
This week’s instalment of Boardwalk Empire brought us a heaping portion of the old ultra-violence that we so cherish. It’s Veteran’s Day in Atlantic City, a city “built to help people forget” says Nucky in his speech to the throngs gathered to commemorate the occassion, “but today is for remembering.” Is it ever. Nothing in this episode seems to be forgotten or forgiven – every past slight is remembered and every debt paid for.
The ceremony itself goes off without a hitch, Nucky pays tribute to his nemesis, the Commodore, who is incapacitated by his stroke and unable to attend the festivities. Nucky then calls Jimmy to the podium, to Jimmy’s surprise. It’s a challenge, and one that Jimmy handles ably despite his shaky nerves. “You think I don’t know how to play this game?” Jimmy asks his ‘father’, “I don’t even think you know the rules.
The ceremony itself goes off without a hitch, Nucky pays tribute to his nemesis, the Commodore, who is incapacitated by his stroke and unable to attend the festivities. Nucky then calls Jimmy to the podium, to Jimmy’s surprise. It’s a challenge, and one that Jimmy handles ably despite his shaky nerves. “You think I don’t know how to play this game?” Jimmy asks his ‘father’, “I don’t even think you know the rules.
- 10/24/2011
- by Thomas Drance
- DorkShelf.com
A review of tonight's "Boardwalk Empire" coming up just as soon as I kill Mary Pickford... "Would you fight for me?" -Richard "Of course I would. Right down to the last bullet." -Jimmy Among the large and colorful cast of characters on display in "Boardwalk Empire," why are so many of us drawn to Richard Harrow? He didn't turn up until the second half of the first season, appears irregularly even now that Jack Huston is a full-time castmember, and isn't as central to the action as Nucky, Jimmy and Margaret. Is it the eery, lifelike mask that does it? Is...
- 10/24/2011
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
Now this is more like it, Boardwalk Empire. None of that annoying “Lucy wants to get out of the house” crap. We got down to some of the nitty gritty in the superb “What Does The Bee Do?”. And when there wasn’t a gritty to be nitty about, we got to spend some down time with the more interesting (and well-defined) characters who populate Atlantic City and the neighboring metropolises. First thing’s first: let’s get some of this season’s main plots out of the way. From the looks of it, The Commodore (Dabney Coleman) will be out of commission for quite a while thanks to the stroke he suffered while watching Gillian (Gretchen Mol) dance around half-naked in his chambers. His ailment has left half of his face paralyzed which has him unable to talk properly (He’s like an older Richard Harrow). And his scheme...
- 10/17/2011
- by Mo Fathelbab
- BuzzFocus.com
Filed under: Reality-Free, TV Replay
Less than enthused about her latest attempts to paint on 'Boardwalk Empire' (Sun., 9Pm Et on HBO), Angela struck upon a bold idea when Richard Harrow arrived to pick up her husband Jimmy. She asked if he would be willing to sit for her, so she can paint him.
At first, she painted him with his mask on. But as she worked, he began to open up to her about love and how the war changed him. He talked about how close he and his twin sister Emma were before the war.
"When I came back from the war, she nursed me and gave me morphine to keep the pain at bay, but suddenly I felt different toward her," he admitted. "I would stare at her and feel nothing."
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Less than enthused about her latest attempts to paint on 'Boardwalk Empire' (Sun., 9Pm Et on HBO), Angela struck upon a bold idea when Richard Harrow arrived to pick up her husband Jimmy. She asked if he would be willing to sit for her, so she can paint him.
At first, she painted him with his mask on. But as she worked, he began to open up to her about love and how the war changed him. He talked about how close he and his twin sister Emma were before the war.
"When I came back from the war, she nursed me and gave me morphine to keep the pain at bay, but suddenly I felt different toward her," he admitted. "I would stare at her and feel nothing."
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments...
- 10/17/2011
- by Jason Hughes
- Aol TV.
HBO is bringing back Nucky Thompson for a third round.
The premium network has renewed Emmy-winning Prohibition Era-drama Boardwalk Empire. Sunday’s most recent episode delivered 2.9 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in the adult demo. (Though as with most HBO shows, each episode tends to rack up higher numbers, thanks to repeats and On Demand viewing. Boardwalk has traditionally averaged around 10 million viewers).
How are you liking S2 of Boardwalk? For me: Slightly better than the first, though whenever the action cuts to the uptight Prohibition agent or depressed masked man Richard Harrow, I’m hitting Ff on the remote.
The premium network has renewed Emmy-winning Prohibition Era-drama Boardwalk Empire. Sunday’s most recent episode delivered 2.9 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in the adult demo. (Though as with most HBO shows, each episode tends to rack up higher numbers, thanks to repeats and On Demand viewing. Boardwalk has traditionally averaged around 10 million viewers).
How are you liking S2 of Boardwalk? For me: Slightly better than the first, though whenever the action cuts to the uptight Prohibition agent or depressed masked man Richard Harrow, I’m hitting Ff on the remote.
- 10/12/2011
- by James Hibberd
- EW - Inside TV
There are those who would bemoan the idea that Boardwalk Empire pours itself at a slow pace. Well, to them I say…you’re absolutely right. However, like a smooth whiskey cascading down the ice, “A Dangerous Maid” will keep whetting your anticipation.
Poor Lucy Danziger (Paz de la Huerta) feels increasingly like a punching bag for Boardwalk Empire, particularly when paired with the transcendentally condesecending Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), but in spite of her despair “A Dangerous Maid” finally gives Lucy a chance to shine.
Most of “A Dangerous Maid” sees the Boardwalk Empire players yearning for something in the distance just beyond their reach, whether its Lucy longing for the music across the alley, Margaret, Richard and Al Capone all longing for family relations they’ll never have, or Nucky trying to claw his way out of a deepening grave. The only real action comes when our...
Poor Lucy Danziger (Paz de la Huerta) feels increasingly like a punching bag for Boardwalk Empire, particularly when paired with the transcendentally condesecending Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), but in spite of her despair “A Dangerous Maid” finally gives Lucy a chance to shine.
Most of “A Dangerous Maid” sees the Boardwalk Empire players yearning for something in the distance just beyond their reach, whether its Lucy longing for the music across the alley, Margaret, Richard and Al Capone all longing for family relations they’ll never have, or Nucky trying to claw his way out of a deepening grave. The only real action comes when our...
- 10/10/2011
- by Kevin Fitzpatrick
- TVovermind.com
With the exception of Nucky’s confrontation with the Commodore and Jimmy in the restaurant, the third episode of Boardwalk Empire‘s second season is the least eventful of the episodes we’ve been treated to so far. Titled “The Dangerous Maid” for Katie, Margaret’s maid, who at this point “knows too much,” the episode is preoccupied with Nelson’s functional imprisonment of Lucy and fully fleshes out her resultant desolation, but otherwise, it’s a table-setting episode.
The dichotomy drawn between Nucky and Van Alden is stark and tough to miss. Nucky may “order people murdered and fix elections” as Van Alden quite rightly says, but Van Alden is no saint either – and “at least Nucky was fun.”
That Nucky is fun, or more accurately, both generous and highly empathetic, is undeniable – just try to return your fancy clothes as a cost-cutting measure and see how he reacts.
The dichotomy drawn between Nucky and Van Alden is stark and tough to miss. Nucky may “order people murdered and fix elections” as Van Alden quite rightly says, but Van Alden is no saint either – and “at least Nucky was fun.”
That Nucky is fun, or more accurately, both generous and highly empathetic, is undeniable – just try to return your fancy clothes as a cost-cutting measure and see how he reacts.
- 10/9/2011
- by Thomas Drance
- DorkShelf.com
Oh Nucky. We know you're out gallivanting with ladies of the night, but your greatest asset is right under your nose! In this week's episode, ''Ourselves Alone,'' Nucky gets out of jail after everyone turns on him. Margaret pulls a fast one on the authorities and saves Nucky's butt. Chalky White takes over the jail and the Commodore pits Jimmy against Eli. Never a dull moment in this show, right? Check out our recap of the episode below:
Nucky doesn't spend a whole lot of time in jail, but public opinion is against him. It's widely believed that he did indeed commit election fraud and he can't manage to joke with the press the way he usually does. Never thought we'd see the day where Nucky's wit can't get him out of anything. He doesn't know who did this to him at the beginning, but he's certain he can get himself out of it,...
Nucky doesn't spend a whole lot of time in jail, but public opinion is against him. It's widely believed that he did indeed commit election fraud and he can't manage to joke with the press the way he usually does. Never thought we'd see the day where Nucky's wit can't get him out of anything. He doesn't know who did this to him at the beginning, but he's certain he can get himself out of it,...
- 10/3/2011
- UGO TV
Boardwalk Empire is back on HBO and we got to see even more flimsy morals from ole Nucky Thompson. We rejoin our merry band of lushes, corrupt politicians, twisted cops and criminals and loose ladies in 1921.
If you recall, we left last season with Lucy pregnant by Agent Van Alden. Nucky used some rather shady techniques to get his candidate for Mayor elected. Chicago gangster Jimmy Torrio brokered a deal between Nucky and Arnold Rothstein and Jimmy teamed up with Nucky's brother Eli and the Commodore, otherwise known as "dear old dad" against Nucky.
Now that we're all caught up, let's break down "21":
After we get a glimpse of the masked man Richard Harrow heading up a beach front whisky shipment, we enter a montage, set to a song about a man who gets what he wants and then doesn't want it anymore. A bit on the nose, but anyway,...
If you recall, we left last season with Lucy pregnant by Agent Van Alden. Nucky used some rather shady techniques to get his candidate for Mayor elected. Chicago gangster Jimmy Torrio brokered a deal between Nucky and Arnold Rothstein and Jimmy teamed up with Nucky's brother Eli and the Commodore, otherwise known as "dear old dad" against Nucky.
Now that we're all caught up, let's break down "21":
After we get a glimpse of the masked man Richard Harrow heading up a beach front whisky shipment, we enter a montage, set to a song about a man who gets what he wants and then doesn't want it anymore. A bit on the nose, but anyway,...
- 9/27/2011
- UGO TV
Boardwalk Empire – the star-studded prohibition era drama from HBO – returned to our television screens with a bang this past weekend. The show seems to have found its footing right out of the gate, and is at its well-acted, violent, multi-faceted best in this season’s opening episode – titled “21” for the year portrayed (1921).
When last season closed, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) had just won the re-election for his party and superficially seemed to have consolidated his hold on booze distribution and political power in Atlantic City. However, a re-invigorated former boss – the Commodore (Dabney Coleman) – had enlisted Nucky’s brother Eli (Shea Whigham) and his protege Jimmy (Michael Pitt) in a conspiracy to overthrow Nucky. In this season’s first episode, the Commodore and his cronies make their first moves to attack Nucky’s lucrative position of power.
The show opens with a visually appealing montage, set to some of those gorgeous,...
When last season closed, Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) had just won the re-election for his party and superficially seemed to have consolidated his hold on booze distribution and political power in Atlantic City. However, a re-invigorated former boss – the Commodore (Dabney Coleman) – had enlisted Nucky’s brother Eli (Shea Whigham) and his protege Jimmy (Michael Pitt) in a conspiracy to overthrow Nucky. In this season’s first episode, the Commodore and his cronies make their first moves to attack Nucky’s lucrative position of power.
The show opens with a visually appealing montage, set to some of those gorgeous,...
- 9/27/2011
- by Thomas Drance
- DorkShelf.com
Boardwalk Empire seems to have polarized audiences and critics alike. While the first season managed plenty of viewers, and a load of award nominations, it doesn't seem to have become the next big thing everyone is talking about, and it looks like there is just as much talk about it being rather... "meh."
I write a lot of the negatives off to genre bias, because I find it difficult to make sense of them otherwise. Frankly, it's pretty understandable to a degree. It's not a show for everyone. Not only is it in some mob/corruption genre, it's also period, and possibly not everyone's favorite period. Beyond that, it's often just plain weird.
For those who can manage to get past the kind of show Boardwalk Empire is, it's one of the finest treats in recent years. Of course, even for fans, the really crazy agent gunning for Nucky might...
I write a lot of the negatives off to genre bias, because I find it difficult to make sense of them otherwise. Frankly, it's pretty understandable to a degree. It's not a show for everyone. Not only is it in some mob/corruption genre, it's also period, and possibly not everyone's favorite period. Beyond that, it's often just plain weird.
For those who can manage to get past the kind of show Boardwalk Empire is, it's one of the finest treats in recent years. Of course, even for fans, the really crazy agent gunning for Nucky might...
- 9/21/2011
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Chicago – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 10 admit-two passes up for grabs to the VIP advance-screening Chicago party for season two of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” starring Steve Buscemi! Star Michael Kenneth Williams will be in attendance! Season two of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” debuts on Sept. 25, 2011 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt.
Each HollywoodChicago.com winner will be treated to a VIP cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011 followed by an advance screening of the first episode of season two of “Boardwalk Empire”. The advance screening will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Chicago.
Your name must be on the list for entry. To win your free VIP pass to the advance-screening Chicago party for “Boardwalk Empire” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just submit a comment below along with your first and last name. Your entry will be invalid without your first and last name.
Each HollywoodChicago.com winner will be treated to a VIP cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011 followed by an advance screening of the first episode of season two of “Boardwalk Empire”. The advance screening will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Chicago.
Your name must be on the list for entry. To win your free VIP pass to the advance-screening Chicago party for “Boardwalk Empire” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just submit a comment below along with your first and last name. Your entry will be invalid without your first and last name.
- 9/13/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Season 2 of Boardwalk Empire hits our screens next month and HBO have unleashed another promo which reveals how much Nucky (Steve Buscemi) is up against this season and features a whole host of new footage. Whilst the first teaser (view here) showed the battle lines that had been drawn between Nucky and Jimmy (Michael Pitt), this new promo reveals which major players will be on each side with Agent Van Alden (Michael Shannon) gunning for them all.
The theme of this season appears to be loyalty with the tagline "Know Who's Behind You" serving a double purpose. The second promo that HBO released (see here) featured Nucky being harassed by a large crowd, whilst the main ensemble cast hung back on the peripheries creating a feeling of menace and paranoia. This new trailer plays on aspects of both of the previous promos; using the same slick editing from the first...
The theme of this season appears to be loyalty with the tagline "Know Who's Behind You" serving a double purpose. The second promo that HBO released (see here) featured Nucky being harassed by a large crowd, whilst the main ensemble cast hung back on the peripheries creating a feeling of menace and paranoia. This new trailer plays on aspects of both of the previous promos; using the same slick editing from the first...
- 8/26/2011
- by emma fraser
- TVovermind.com
Boardwalk Empire returns for season 2 next month on HBO and to gear up for the new season a new promo has been released. Unlike the last promo (to view head here) which shows a collection of scenes from new episodes, this one is purely to set the tone and the dangerous situation that leading man Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) appears to to be in.
We get to see Nucky taking a customary stroll on the boardwalk, something that he did on many occasions last year and was generally met with well wishers (except that one time when someone tried to shoot him). This takes a turn for the menacing as the group that surround him look like they are wanting more and more. This claustrophobic feeling of this large crowd bombarding Nucky is heightened by those familiar faces that we see on the periphery. This long list includes Nucky's brother...
We get to see Nucky taking a customary stroll on the boardwalk, something that he did on many occasions last year and was generally met with well wishers (except that one time when someone tried to shoot him). This takes a turn for the menacing as the group that surround him look like they are wanting more and more. This claustrophobic feeling of this large crowd bombarding Nucky is heightened by those familiar faces that we see on the periphery. This long list includes Nucky's brother...
- 8/10/2011
- by emma fraser
- TVovermind.com
HBO's Boardwalk Empire Season 2 takes us back to Prohibition era Atlantic City after the last season's finale, and all I can think about is Margaret (Kelly MacDonald). With 18 Emmy nominations, it is safe to say that "Boardwalk Empire" was the top new drama last year. The rich setting of 1920s Atlantic City is written with a blend of real and fictitious characters who seamlessly deliver edge of the seat ballsy performances. Favorite character to ponder: Jack Huston's Richard Harrow, who blazes as the disfigured Wwi veteran taken under the wing of Darmody (Michael Pitt). Plus the effervescent killer Al Capone (Stephen Graham) and prickly Arthur Rothstein (Michael Stuhlbarg) will deliver knock out scenes as the story...
- 8/10/2011
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
It's hard to wait for a show you love so much, so it goes with HBO's amazing period drama "Boardwalk Empire," which saw two fantastic performances in season one from a few secondary characters. Jack Huston's Richard Harrow, and Christopher McDonald's Harry Daugherty, campaign manager for Warren G. Harding during the 1920 presidential election were extraordinary. HotCuppaTV.com's Kate O'Hare interviewed McDonald about his role in "Harry's Law" for NBC, and he also shared that his character for HBO's "Boardwalk" was to be reintroduced in season two, happy news for those of us who have followed his career closely and enjoyed his brief behind-the-scenes string pulling scenes in season one. "Thankfully," McDonald told O'Hare, "they are going to bring...
- 2/12/2011
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
David Chase rounds out the cast for his upcoming film debut for Paramount Pictures. The creator and producer of the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe-winning critically acclaimed series The Sopranos, announced today that Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett will be featured in the director’s music-driven story set in 1960′s suburbia. James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Bella Heathcote (Beneath Hill 60, Neighbors), Christopher McDonald (Boardwalk Empire, Harry’s Law), Molly Price (Bionic Woman, Third Watch) and comedian Lisa Lampanelli also join the film, which is set to begin principal photography in New York.
Said Chase, “Brad brings a funny, wry intelligence to his role as a composer / music producer.”
As previously reported, Chase and Gandolfini are re-uniting on this film, after an acclaimed six-year collaboration on The Sopranos. Elaborating on Gandolfini’s role, Chase said, “It is so great to be working with Jim again. He is the perfect actor for this part – a postwar,...
Said Chase, “Brad brings a funny, wry intelligence to his role as a composer / music producer.”
As previously reported, Chase and Gandolfini are re-uniting on this film, after an acclaimed six-year collaboration on The Sopranos. Elaborating on Gandolfini’s role, Chase said, “It is so great to be working with Jim again. He is the perfect actor for this part – a postwar,...
- 2/4/2011
- by Kevin Coll
- FusedFilm
Boardwalk Empire might be the most gorgeous show on television. The first season of the gangster drama was overstuffed with lavish visuals — raucous Prohibition parties, a lively Gop Convention, and period-perfect recreations of Manhattan, Chicago, and Atlantic City. The most impressive visual is right there in the title: Every episode prominently featured the boardwalk, which is actually a massive set in Brooklyn enhanced by what one can assume is a ludicrously expensive set of digital effects. Brainstorm Digital, the company behind most of Boardwalk’s effects, has just released a video showing how they make the magic happen. There’s...
- 1/4/2011
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Boardwalk Empire fans, rejoice: Jack Huston, who plays disfigured veteran/tormented assassin/coolest-character-on-tv Richard Harrow, will join the Boardwalk Empire cast as a full-time regular for season 2, according to Deadline. With only half his face showing, Huston stole the show every time he appeared in season 1. It’s great to hear that he’ll continue to be a part of the show…although we should be cautious about this news. Michael Stuhlbarg is nominally a “regular” on Boardwalk, but as Arnold Rothstein, he was maybe in one scene per episode for the vast majority of season 1. So while we’re...
- 12/18/2010
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
TV news bites to keep you going for the holidays home stretch:
You'll see Sarah's ex on "Parenthood" in 2011, and he'll look a lot like John Corbett. The "United States of Tara" star will have a recurring part on the NBC show as Sarah's (Lauren Graham) screwup of an ex-husband, who hasn't been seen since the show's pilot (and who was played by Darin Heames at the time). [Deadline]
Occasional "Bones" squint and "Avatar" co-star Joel David Moore will guest on an episode of "Hawaii Five-0" in the new year. He'll play the deputy director of a tsunami tracking center whom the team calls on in a crisis. [Movieline]
The final episode of "Larry King Live" drew 2.24 million viewers on Thursday night (Dec. 16). That's way above its typical audience and led the cable-news race for its timeslot. [CNN]
NBC has announced audition dates and sites for its new singing competition "The Voice." They start Jan.
You'll see Sarah's ex on "Parenthood" in 2011, and he'll look a lot like John Corbett. The "United States of Tara" star will have a recurring part on the NBC show as Sarah's (Lauren Graham) screwup of an ex-husband, who hasn't been seen since the show's pilot (and who was played by Darin Heames at the time). [Deadline]
Occasional "Bones" squint and "Avatar" co-star Joel David Moore will guest on an episode of "Hawaii Five-0" in the new year. He'll play the deputy director of a tsunami tracking center whom the team calls on in a crisis. [Movieline]
The final episode of "Larry King Live" drew 2.24 million viewers on Thursday night (Dec. 16). That's way above its typical audience and led the cable-news race for its timeslot. [CNN]
NBC has announced audition dates and sites for its new singing competition "The Voice." They start Jan.
- 12/18/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
We've got a great deal of TV odds and ends to present to you, so let's kick off with one that is a big deal to those involved: Syfy has decided not to pick up Stargate Universe for a third season, which is a nice way of saying the show is canceled. A Stargate show has been on the air since 1997, but the numbers for the first season of Universe were low -- Stargate Sg-1 and Stargate Atlantis, in their best days, had twice the draw of Universe. The final episodes of the show will air as planned. [Variety [1]] After the break, news on Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Locke & Key and the proposed 24 spin-off film. One of the fan favorite characters in Boardwalk Empire is Jack Huston's broken-faced sharpshooter Richard Harrow. He's had five espisodes to build a following this year, and he's been promoted to a series regular for Season...
- 12/17/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
The breakout star of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" (next to Michael Shannon who plays Agent Nelson Van Alden) is Jack Huston. Huston is cast as wartorn Richard Harrow on this amazing period drama which dazzled us this year, and he is now firmly in the fold of the core cast. Nellie Andreeva of Deadline reports this happy news and we couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present. So thanks Nellie! Huston is an up-and-coming British actor who nailed the complex psychological damage and resignation that this Wwi veteran brings home on-screen. Harrow's fortuitous chance meeting at the Va hospital with Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt), also scarred by the war, creates a male friendship born of unspoken empathy and practical...
- 12/17/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
• Boardwalk Empire: HBO confirms the very happy news that crazy-cool killer Richard Harrow (Jack Huston), aka the Tin Woodman of Atlantic City, N.J., will be a regular character on season two of Boardwalk Empire. Thank you for the early Christmas present, Empire bosses! • Stargate Universe: Change is afoot at the Syfy network. Stargate Universe, the latest iteration of a franchise that has had a place on the channel since 2001, has been canceled, following the cancellation earlier this fall of Caprica. But don't worry, we'll always have Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. Plus, for all you Grey's Anatomy fans, find out when Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw) is returning to Seattle...
- 12/17/2010
- E! Online
TV news bites to keep you going for the holidays home stretch:
"Dexter" is giving Chip Johannessen the cut. The Showtime thriller is switching out Season 5's showrunner with Scott Buck going into the sixth season. Buck's not exactly new to "Dexter," having been a co-executive producer since Season 2, but now they're ready to hand him the power. He's written the last three season finales. He used to write and produce for "Six Feet Under," which also starred Michael C. Hall. [Deadline]
CBS has friended Rita Wilson and F. Murray Abraham. The two will visit "The Good Wife" for a February episode that's inspired by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and "The Social Network." [EW]
"Eden" has been populated. USA's pilot has cast "Heroes" Nick D'Agosto as John Sparks, a concierge for an elite New York hotel. He calls on Eddie, "Dollhouse's" Enver Gjokaj, for help. Eddie's an escaped con though, so therein lie the shenanigans.
"Dexter" is giving Chip Johannessen the cut. The Showtime thriller is switching out Season 5's showrunner with Scott Buck going into the sixth season. Buck's not exactly new to "Dexter," having been a co-executive producer since Season 2, but now they're ready to hand him the power. He's written the last three season finales. He used to write and produce for "Six Feet Under," which also starred Michael C. Hall. [Deadline]
CBS has friended Rita Wilson and F. Murray Abraham. The two will visit "The Good Wife" for a February episode that's inspired by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and "The Social Network." [EW]
"Eden" has been populated. USA's pilot has cast "Heroes" Nick D'Agosto as John Sparks, a concierge for an elite New York hotel. He calls on Eddie, "Dollhouse's" Enver Gjokaj, for help. Eddie's an escaped con though, so therein lie the shenanigans.
- 12/17/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Exclusive: There will be a lot more of the brilliantly scary Richard Harrow on HBO's Boardwalk Empire next year. Young British actor Jack Huston, who played the role in five episodes during the second half of the prohibition era drama's first season, is joining the cast as a regular for Season 2. Harrow, a disfigured war veteran and former sharpshooter in the American army who has the left side of his face covered with a painted tin plate, got a second shot at life when Jimmy Darmody (Michael Pitt) hired him as a hit-man and bodyguard. Huston, who is part of an acting dynasty as the grandson of John Huston and nephew of Anjelica Huston, is coming into his own. In addition to getting the plum series regular role on Boardwalk Empire, he recently landed one of the leads in The Sopranos creator David Chase's feature debut, a music-driven coming...
- 12/17/2010
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
The tenth episode of Boardwalk Empire brings more character development than you could shake a tommy gun at, and is all the better for it. As Nucky and Jimmy strike up a deal with a former enemy to get back at Rothstein for his aggressive moves toward Nucky’s organisation, Van Alden attempts to deal with bureacratic frustration and Capone starts to get his act together.
Another character is drawn out very interestingly in Richard Harrow, a disfigured war veteran standing guard for Margaret, who likens him to the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. Many references to the Oz stories have been made throughout the season – most obviously in this episode’s title – and parallels are easy to find: Capone needs a brain, Nucky’s the Great And Powerful Oz, and Margaret is Dorothy, lost in a strange, unfamiliar world that she has to get used to fast...
Another character is drawn out very interestingly in Richard Harrow, a disfigured war veteran standing guard for Margaret, who likens him to the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz. Many references to the Oz stories have been made throughout the season – most obviously in this episode’s title – and parallels are easy to find: Capone needs a brain, Nucky’s the Great And Powerful Oz, and Margaret is Dorothy, lost in a strange, unfamiliar world that she has to get used to fast...
- 11/27/2010
- by Mark Allen
- Nerdly
I find it depressing that some viewers are less than enchanted with HBO's soaring period drama Boardwalk Empire, which once again turned out a remarkable installment ("The Emerald City"), written by Lawrence Konner and directed by Simon Cellan Jones, this time about truth, consequences, and the lies we all tell ourselves. Every fairy tale, after all, has to come to an end, even for Margaret Schroeder. The parallels between Dorothy's visit to Oz within L. Frank Baum's novel, Margaret's discovery of her own artifice, and Richard Harrow's dream brought the lesson right out into the light. We can all dream and our dreams can be filled with beauty but eventually we all come crashing back down to reality, whether that be Richard's realization that he is once again disfigured (poor Emily screaming bloody murder) or Margaret catching sight of herself in a mirror. What we see looking back...
- 11/22/2010
- by Jace
- Televisionary
A review of tonight's "Boardwalk Empire" coming up just as soon as I grab a tripod... "Sometimes I forget what I look like. Then I pass a mirror, and I remember. I stare sometimes at my face, and can't recall how I was before." -Richard As we barrel towards the end of season one, can any of these characters look at their reflections and remember the person they used to be? Or would they all be as startled by who they've become as Margaret is? Forget Richard Harrow, whose pre-war face we get to glimpse in an opening dream sequence.(*) Margaret...
- 11/22/2010
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Hitfix
This is a Recap of Boardwalk Empire Season 1 Episode 7, “Home”, originally airing October 31st, 2010. Beware of its spooooky gangsters and scaaaarily superfluous lesbian nude scenes. This week opens with Nucky’s crotchety old dad from the 1400s slipping on some squalor and lying on the ground unable to move or ruin the ground’s childhood. Eli eventually arrives with a doctor, but Nucky shows up later as the first move in his nonstop quest to re-affirm to his dad how much they hate one another. Nucky wants to move his dad into an Ether Home, or something, but Eli’s happy to have the dad stay with him because “the kids love him” – back before tv, watching old angry dudes fall comprised 80% of entertainment. Nucky decides to give the house to Ward Boss Fleming so he can fix it up, purely out of random generosity and not because Nucky wants...
- 11/2/2010
- by Dan Hopper
- BestWeekEver
I'm not really sure about the timeline from last week to this week: it's certainly still winter because they're still wearing coats in Atlantic City (they're still wearing coats in Chicago also but that might mean it's early May); it seems it might be more than a week later because the snow is gone. Whatever amount of time has passed, Margaret appears to have adjusted surprisingly well to being a kept woman and now her biggest concern is making sure she can stay in the nice concubine apartment (I hear you Margaret: if I were offered a three-bed vintage apartment with a cantilevered staircase and a stunning fireplace with acanthus leaf and basket detail, I might just hop into bed with Steve Buscemi also....eyes closed all the time of course). She's not crazy about taking her neighbor's advice about dipping into Nucky's pockets to set up a nest egg,...
- 11/2/2010
- by Dustin Rowles
Jimmy’s parting words to Liam this week expressed that some people, maybe Jimmy himself, feel that being alive is much worse than dying.
The episode "Home" explored the this existential crisis of life in a fairly engaging way. Like with many installment, the pacing was slow, but the increased attention on Nucky’s inner turmoil was refreshing after having spent so much time with supporting characters.
St. Patrick’s Day indicated that there were some deep-seated issues between Nucky and his father. Watching his dad shamble around the filthy home where both Nucky and Eli grew up displayed how truly distant the elder brother is from his family home.
While overseeing the remodeling of the house, Nucky is bombarded with painful memories of the abuse he suffered at his father’s hands and made aware of the continued lack of support and love from his only parent. Pictures of...
The episode "Home" explored the this existential crisis of life in a fairly engaging way. Like with many installment, the pacing was slow, but the increased attention on Nucky’s inner turmoil was refreshing after having spent so much time with supporting characters.
St. Patrick’s Day indicated that there were some deep-seated issues between Nucky and his father. Watching his dad shamble around the filthy home where both Nucky and Eli grew up displayed how truly distant the elder brother is from his family home.
While overseeing the remodeling of the house, Nucky is bombarded with painful memories of the abuse he suffered at his father’s hands and made aware of the continued lack of support and love from his only parent. Pictures of...
- 11/1/2010
- by tlopez@utk.edu (T-Lo)
- TVfanatic
HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" revisits the horror of war and abuse in tonight's episode.In "Home," Darmody (Michael Pitt) forges a new friendship with Richard Harrow (Jack Huston), an aptly named fellow soldier, whose harrowing tour of duty left him without the left side of his face.World War I saw many surviving veterans returned stateside suffering the most horrific of injuries, as advances in battlefield medicine was able to save lives normally felled in past military battles; the dough boys were stabilized and sent back home. Harrow, courtesy of HBO Modern plastic surgery technique was born and refined from many physicians (aided by artists and sculptors) thinking creatively to help soldiers like "Boardwalk's" Harrow re-enter society with the least...
- 11/1/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Jack Huston is popping up all over. Who is this guy? Any relation to Angelica, Danny, John, or Walter? Well, it turns out, all of the above. Earlier this week we announced the Roadside Attractions December release of the twenty-seven year old actor's upcoming film Hemingway's Garden of Eden with Mena Suvari. Now the actor is shooting a British crime comedy with Ray Winstone and Colm Meaney called The Hot Potato, the first film directed by vet sound editor Tim Lewiston (he also wrote and produced). You might have glimpsed Huston in HBO's Boardwalk Empire (Richard Harrow) or ABC's Eastwick (an eight episode arc through 2009-2010). He turned up as a depression vampire victim in Twilight: Eclipse and had small roles in Outlander (2008) with ...
- 10/22/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
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