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. 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), 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.
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
Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Thompson
Michael Shannon as Nelson Van Alden/George Mueller
Shea Whigham as Elias "Eli" Thompson
Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothstein
Stephen Graham as Al Capone
Vincent Piazza as Charlie Luciano
Michael Kenneth Williams as Albert "Chalky" White
Anthony Laciura as Eddie Kessler
Paul Sparks as Mickey Doyle
Jack Huston as Richard Harrow
Ron Livingston as Roy Phillips
Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Valentin Narcisse
Gretchen Mol as Gillian Darmody
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. Another aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, reported 98% of critics gave the fourth season a "Certified Fresh" rating, based on 43 reviews with an average score of 8/10, with the site consensus stating "Boardwalk Empire continues to benefit from its meticulously realized period trappings, but what keeps the show watchable is its supremely talented ensemble players."
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. Jeffrey Wright received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards. For the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Tim Van Patten was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the episode "Farewell Daddy Blues".