RIP Boardwalk Empire

Boardwalk's Emprire's greatest strength and greatest weakness was Steve Buscemi. It was brilliant casting because he represents the dichotomy of everything that constantly makes us choose between competence and comfort.

I want to be careful not to insult any great actors, but its clear to me had Boardwalk Empire gone with a more traditional face it would have been a bigger hit. 

The greatest wear time well. The Sopranos and The Wire are the gold standard for popular serialization entertainment. Game of Thrones and the Walking dead are pure silver and knocking at the door. Boardwalk Empire has been consistently bronze with brass aspirations.

As far as final episodes go Boardwalk Empire is the clear winner. The message of the Sopranos is pretty muddled and the end reflected this. The Wire was a documentary disguised as a TV series and the ending was a footnote. Boardwalk Empire which was a thinly disguised attack on the war on drugs and political corruption sealed the deal.  Nucky moves from dealing drugs to great success by manipulating the stock market. Even though he is now clean and altruistic he still dies because his past catches up with him.

Culture can transcend centuries. We know which painting have staying power. We know which music can last. There are a plethora of plays and fiction that remain as relevant today as when they where written sometimes thousands of years ago.

I predict that Boardwalk Empire will be the first digital Beethoven.