Promising start to Boardwalk Empire

Last night saw the opening in a new HBO series about Prohibition-era Atlantic City, Boardwalk Empire. It was a promising start. With Martin Scorsese directing, and lots of investment, it had feature-film production values.  Almost inevitably, the opening episode spends time introducing the characters. But even so, it kept a pretty good pace.

Prohibition, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, was one of the most interesting developments in 20th-century American history. The movement behind it was clearly about more than just alcohol per se. That such an extreme policy could be introduced is also just another reminder to me that anything is possible in politics.