Boardwalk Empire season 4 explained

Season Number:	4
Bgcolour:	5A5A42
Network:	HBO
Num Episodes:	12
Episode List:	List of Boardwalk Empire episodes

The fourth season of the HBO television series Boardwalk Empire premiered on September 8, 2013, and concluded on November 24, 2013, consisting of 12 episodes.^[1] The series was created by Terence Winter and based on the book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. Set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era, the series stars Steve Buscemi as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (based on the historical Enoch L. Johnson),^[2] a political figure who rose to prominence and controlled Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition period of the 1920s and early 1930s. The fourth season takes place between February and August, 1924. The fourth season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on August 19, 2014.^[3]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Ron Livingston and Jeffrey Wright joined the main cast, while Charlie Cox and Bobby Cannavale departed.

• Steve Buscemi as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the former treasurer of Atlantic County, New Jersey, now a full-time bootlegger.
• Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Thompson, Nucky's estranged wife who's now working at a business firm in New York City.
• Michael Shannon as Nelson Van Alden/George Mueller, a former FBI agent and former iron salesman who is now a debt collector for the Capones and works as an undercover agent for them by disguising himself as O'Banion's henchman and florist at his flower shop.
• Shea Whigham as Elias "Eli" Thompson, Nucky's younger brother and the former sheriff of Atlantic City who now is co-owner of one of Nucky's alcohol warehouses.
• Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothstein, a New York gangster and gambler whose luck in gambling is going down.
• Stephen Graham as Al Capone, a Chicago gangster who seeks to make it big.
• Vincent Piazza as Charlie Luciano, a New York gangster and Masseria's enforcer and associate who also plans to make it big.
• Michael Kenneth Williams as Albert "Chalky" White, a black gangster, Nucky's business partner, leader of Atlantic City's black community and owner of the Onyx Club who faces trouble and a threat from Dr. Narcisse.
• Anthony Laciura as Eddie Kessler, Nucky's bumbling German butler who suffers from his boss's verbal abuse and decides to make it big himself.
• Paul Sparks as Mickey Doyle, a comedic Polish-American gangster and one of Nucky's business partners who co-owns one of his main alcohol warehouses with Eli.
• Jack Huston as Richard Harrow, a WW1 veteran, former enforcer for Jimmy Darmody and former bodyguard of the Artemis Club who is now a contract killer and assassin hoping to reunite with his sister.
• Ron Livingston as Roy Phillips, a Piggly Wiggly businessman who becomes Gillian's lover however is secretly a Pinkerton agent set up by Leander Whitlock.
• Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Valentin Narcisse, a Harlem Doctor of Divinity and bootlegger who has a feud with Chalky White.
• Gretchen Mol as Gillian Darmody, the deceased Jimmy's mother, Tommy's grandmother and the former madame of the Artemis Club who is now suffering from heroin addiction.

Recurring

Episodes

Reception

Critical reception

The fourth season of Boardwalk Empire received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the fourth season scored 77/100 based on 13 reviews.^[4] Another aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, gave the fourth season a 98% rating based on 43 reviews, with an average score of 8/10. The site consensus read, "Boardwalk Empire continues to benefit from its meticulously realized period trappings, but what keeps the show watchable is its supremely talented ensemble players."^[5]

Awards and nominations

For the 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the cast was nominated for Best Drama Ensemble, Steve Buscemi was nominated for Best Drama Actor, and the series was nominated for Best Stunt Team.^[6] Jeffrey Wright received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards.^[7] For the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Tim Van Patten was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the episode "Farewell Daddy Blues".^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: HBO Sets Return Dates for 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Eastbound & Down' Final Season (Updated). The Wrap. Gilman. Greg. June 6, 2013. October 13, 2013. September 14, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130914143112/http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/hbo-sets-return-dates-boardwalk-empire-eastbound-down-final-season-95786. live.
2. Web site: Boardwalk Empire . The New York Times . Alessandra . Stanley . September 16, 2010 . September 2, 2013 . October 15, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131015145425/http://tv.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/arts/television/17boardwalk.html . live .
3. Web site: Boardwalk Empire - Press Release for The Complete 4th Season: Date, Cost, Extras, Artwork. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Lambert. David. May 8, 2014. May 9, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140511050341/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Boardwalk-Empire-Season-4-Press-Release/19778. May 11, 2014.
4. Web site: Boardwalk Empire: Season 4 . Metacritic . October 13, 2013 . November 27, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201127205118/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/boardwalk-empire/season-4 . live .
5. Web site: Boardwalk Empire: Season 4 (2013). Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. April 25, 2014. October 27, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201027020557/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/boardwalk-empire/s04. live.
6. Web site: SAG Award Nominations: Breaking Bad, Big Bang, 30 Rock Lead the Pack, Kerry Washington, Mayim Bialik Sneak In; Orange, Mad Men Shut Out . TVLine . Michael . Ausiello . December 11, 2013 . December 12, 2013 . December 11, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211165244/http://tvline.com/2013/12/11/sag-nominations-2014-list-screen-actors-guild/ . live .
7. Web site: Big Bang, Fargo, The Good Wife, Masters of Sex, The Normal Heart Lead 2014 Critics Choice Nominations . TVLine . May 28, 2014 . May 28, 2014 . May 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529051842/http://tvline.com/2014/05/28/critics-choice-awards-nominations-television-2014-list/ . live .
8. Web site: 2014 Emmy Awards: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Fargo’ Lead Nominations . Variety . Brian . Lowry . July 10, 2014 . July 10, 2014 . July 13, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140713033753/http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/emmy-nominations-2014-list-emmys-nominees-1201260236 . live .