"Boardwalk Empire" is the pilot episode of the HBO crime drama of the same name. Written by series creator Terence Winter and directed by Martin Scorsese with a budget of $18 million, the episode introduces the character of Nucky Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, as the corrupt treasurer of Atlantic City who is involved in gambling and bootlegging in 1920. The show used a large ensemble cast and a specially constructed boardwalk set to re-create the Prohibition and Jazz Era, and was based on Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. Filming for the pilot took place at various locations in and around New York City in June 2009. The episode first aired in the United States on September 19, 2010. David Hinkley of the New York Daily News awarded the episode five stars, saying, "Watching HBO's new 'Boardwalk Empire' is like sitting in your favorite tavern and hearing someone say, 'Drinks are on the house.' Friends, it doesn't get much better." Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "... an event not to be missed," and praised Buscemi in particular, calling his performance "fascinating." The episode gained a 2.0/5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49 and garnered 4.81 million viewers. This was the highest rated premiere for an HBO series since the pilot of Deadwood in March 2004. Following this successful debut, HBO immediately renewed the series for a second season. Plot In 1920, two masked men ambush a group of bootleggers smuggling Canadian Club whisky from offshore boats into the United States. The scene then cuts to three days prior, as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the treasurer of Atlantic County, New Jersey, delivers the keynote address at a Women's Temperance League rally on the eve of Prohibition. He inspires the all-female audience with his rags-to-riches story and anti-alcohol rhetoric. Nucky leaves the rally early and promptly heads to Babette's Supper Club, where a raucous gathering of elected officials, including his younger brother, Sheriff Elias "Eli" Thompson, celebrate the onset of Prohibition and the lucrative bootlegging opportunities it will bring. Nucky appoints his driver, World War I veteran James "Jimmy" Darmody, as an assistant to Paddy Ryan, a young ward boss belonging to Nucky's political machine. As midnight strikes and Prohibition officially goes into effect, the partygoers toast the "death" of alcohol. Moody and uncomfortable, Jimmy quickly leaves. The following morning, Jimmy