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Season guide

Boardwalk Empire: Season 1

12 episodes Premiered Sep 19, 2010 Updated Jul 20, 2026

Boardwalk Empire Season 1 follows Atlantic City county treasurer Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi) as he prepares to profit from the nation‑wide enactment of Prohibition in 1920. The series depicts how the ban on alcohol creates a lucrative market for gangsters and rum‑runners, turning the city’s already complex political landscape into a battleground for power. Throughout the season Nucky confronts a determined

Season overview

Boardwalk Empire Season 1 follows Atlantic City county treasurer Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi) as he prepares to profit from the nation‑wide enactment of Prohibition in 1920. The series depicts how the ban on alcohol creates a lucrative market for gangsters and rum‑runners, turning the city’s already complex political landscape into a battleground for power. Throughout the season Nucky confronts a determined federal agent, navigates ambitions among his own lieutenants, and contends with external rivals such as Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano and Al Capone. The narrative also introduces Margaret Thompson (Kelly Macdonald), who becomes entangled in Nucky’s world, and Nelson Van Alden (Michael Shannon), a federal officer whose investigations intersect with the city’s illicit activities. Eli Thompson (Shea Whigham), Nucky’s brother, appears as a key figure in the family’s operations. The season establishes the interplay of back‑room politics, organized crime, and the social upheaval of the early Prohibition era,

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Episodes

S1·E1

Boardwalk Empire

Sep 19, 2010 · 73 min

January 1920. On the eve of Prohibition, Atlantic City's Treasurer, Nucky Thompson, condemns alcohol at a Women's Temperance League meeting, where he is noticed by Margaret Schroed

S1·E2

The Ivory Tower

Sep 26, 2010 · 53 min

Nucky deals with the fallout from Jimmy's rogue heist, sending Eli to sow the seeds of doubt in the mind of Margaret, who seeks help in the wake of her husband's demise.

S1·E3

Broadway Limited

Oct 3, 2010 · 52 min

An unlikely witness to the woods massacre threatens to expose the perpetrators, sending both Eli and Van Alden rushing to the hospital. Margaret starts a new job at an upscale Fren

S1·E4

Anastasia

Oct 10, 2010 · 54 min

In Chicago, Jimmy bonds with one of Johnny Torrio's prostitutes, Pearl, and finds himself increasingly at odds with the hot-headed Al Capone. Back in Atlantic City, Nucky looks to

S1·E5

Nights in Ballygran

Oct 17, 2010 · 54 min

On the day of the annual St. Patrick's Eve dinner, Nucky deals with Eli's oratory ambitions, as well as a group of disenchanted "Leprechauns". Feeling ignored by Nucky, a frustrate

S1·E6

Family Limitation

Oct 24, 2010 · 60 min

After the brazen robbery of one of his ward bosses, Nucky turns up the heat on Lucky Luciano. An emboldened Margaret stands up to Lucy at the dress shop and accepts an offer from N

S1·E7

Home

Oct 31, 2010 · 53 min

After his father Ethan is injured in a fall, Nucky uses the opportunity to refurbish his childhood home. On a double-date with new friend Annabelle and her beaux, Margaret tries to

S1·E8

Hold Me in Paradise

Nov 7, 2010 · 50 min

Nucky visits Chicago for the Republican National Convention, where he finds himself intrigued by the candidacy of Warren G. Harding over more established candidates. The D'Alessio

S1·E9

Belle Femme

Nov 14, 2010 · 53 min

Nucky is forced to readjust his political alliances with a Democratic mayoral candidate promising to wipe out corruption. Jimmy returns from Chicago to deal with the D'Alessio gang

S1·E10

The Emerald City

Nov 21, 2010 · 59 min

Nucky asks for Margaret's assistance in backing his mayoral candidate with the passage of women's right to vote, leaving her conflicted about her role. Doyle switches sides back fr

S1·E11

Paris Green

Nov 28, 2010 · 57 min

Nucky has emotionally charged conversations with both Margaret and Eli over his business and the killing of Margaret's husband. Jimmy meets with his dying father for the first time

S1·E12

A Return to Normalcy

Dec 5, 2010 · 61 min

Nucky faces Election Day in Atlantic City and pulls out all the stops to keep power in Republican hands. Torrio brokers a discussion between Nucky and Rothstein to resolve their gr