Claim: Boardwalk Empire airs on the television cable channel HBO.

Boardwalk Empire is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and airing on premium cable channel HBO . The series is set in Atlantic City , New Jersey during the Prohibition era and stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson . Winter , a Primetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer , created the show , inspired by the book Boardwalk Empire : The Birth , High Times , and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson about historical criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson .   The pilot episode was directed by Martin Scorsese and produced at a cost of $ 18 million . On September 1 , 2009 , HBO picked up the series for an additional 11 episodes . The series premiered on September 19 , 2010 , and completed its five-season run on October 26 , 2014 .   Boardwalk Empire received widespread critical acclaim , particularly for its visual style and basis on historical figures , as well as for Buscemi 's lead performance . The series received 57 Primetime Emmy Award nominations , including two for Outstanding Drama Series , winning 20 . The series also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series -- Drama in 2011 and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012 .