Maybe you have heard a good deal of "hoopla" recently about HBO's very ambitious period drama Boardwalk Empire and were left wondering if it was really that "good." While the program may not fit with everyone's tastes, there is no doubt that HBO has really stepped up and produced some memorable and quality television with Boardwalk Empire. Watch the show on satellite TV in high-definition and it will look very striking.

The show is set during the beginning of Prohibition and dives into all sorts of corruption and criminal activity surrounding this interesting period of American history. The series works for a variety of reasons.

Sharp Scripts

The writing is very crisp and lively. Many television programs suffer from dips in quality or simply become boring, as plots just don't gel. However, this doesn't happen with Boardwalk Empire. The pacing is excellent and this is due in a large part to the fact that the writing is top-notch and scripts have been treated with care. While there is no denying that it is violent, it will likely appeal to those who are hoping to find television dramas with more depth and complexity.

Attention to Detail

The look and feel is very time appropriate and does effectively transport viewers in a way that few television programs have ever attempted. The grandeur of the series alone is enough to make it worth trying. Great sets and detailed accurate costumes should be enough to impress most viewers.

Quality Acting

All the actors in the series, regardless of the size of their respective parts, take their roles seriously and it shows in the final product. If you are sick of television programs with weak acting, then you will find Boardwalk Empire to be very refreshing and entertaining.

Ultimately, it is the kind of quality show that people who are busy will want to make time for each week. If you are only going to watch a couple of hours of television a week, you may very well want to give Boardwalk Empire a try. Yes, it actually is that good.

It's sometimes difficult to remember a world before smart television shows had cinematic influences. Whether it's the latest offering from HBO or even a sleeper hit like "Mad Men," everything from set design to film angles that would make more sense in a movie than in a sitcom have crossed over from the silver screen to the flat screens in living rooms across the country. The success of this approach to shooting television can really be traced back to "The Sopranos," the HBO mega-hit that managed to change the face of satellite TV for years to come. Whether it was during the show's original airing on the premium cable channel or its current time in reruns on regular television, the show changed the appearance of television, setting channels like HBO on a course more towards smartly directed, beautifully written programming that would be just as at home at your local arthouse theatre as it is on HDTVs across America.

After "The Sopranos" folded, its fans waited eagerly to see what Terence Winter, screenwriter and producer, would make his next project. Many assumed that it would be with HBO, but initially, it looked as though he was shopping his options. Thankfully, the insanity stopped, and it appears that his next series for HBO won't just blow "The Sopranos" out of the water, but just might revolutionize the way that television is made yet again.

For starters, "Boardwalk Empire" has scored the coup of all coups: the pilot episode is directed by noneother than Academy Award winning director Martin Scorcese. A true expert when it comes to films depicting outlaw organizations and corruption, it makes sense that the man responsible for bringing the public "The Departed," "Goodfellas," "Taxi Driver," and "Casino" would jump at the chance to work with such rich source material. Based on a popular book by Nelson Johnson, the show centers around the world of Atlantic City during the 1920s, when alcohol was illegal and a number of clandestine bootleggers managed to make fortunes for families who would later become legal magnates, all the while also dealing with the corruption of the popular gambling destinations' beginnings.

With such promising material and a world-famous director on-board, it would seem that Winter's latest project was a shoo-in for winning over satellite tv viewers and HBO fanatics alike, but there might have still been critics out where with reservations. After all, sometimes adapting true stories can get a little bit difficult, and it's also tough to strike gold twice. Thankfully, "Boardwalk Empire" is also fortunate enough to have a cast that is just as heavyweight as its writer and director. The always-stunning Steve Buscemi holds the show's pivotal role, and his performance has already been whispered as being deserving of awards in industry insider circles. Perhaps the show's biggest gamble is casting Michael Pitt, a very accomplished but mostly unheard of young actor, who is better known by beglittered glam rock fans for his performance in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," but who blew directors and cinephiles away with his role in "Funny Games." Scorcese, who grew so fond of Leonardo Dicaprio that he helped to re-start his career in a way no one else could have, might very well find traces of a young Dicaprio in Pitt's acting. Casting him in this show might have been one of the best decisions, as finally there will be material rich enough to prove his acting prowess.

So in case the pickings on satellite tv were starting to look a little slim, fear not. If there's anything HBO has a nose for, it's a blockbuster, and "Boardwalk Empire" is shaping up to be just that.