My latest television fixation has been HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. In keeping with the network’s tradition of producing multi-layered, thought-provoking shows, Boardwalk Empire tackles a very specific place and time—Atlantic City on the eve of and immediately after the passage of Prohibition. It exposes all of the taboos, social mores, and loosely-based historical events that go along with it. It’s not quite on a par with HBO greats like The Wire and The Sopranos, but it’s still very, very good.

There are several notable things about Boardwalk Empire. The first, and most striking, is that the show actually sells the concept of Steve Buscemi as a leading man. Buscemi is what one might call an “interesting-looking” man on a good day—not your typical choice to anchor a drama. But he pulls off his role as Atlantic City’s crooked top boss Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, thanks in no small part to supporting characters who never let up on the conceit that he’s an alpha male.

Second, there is the inherently intriguing mother-son dynamic between Nucky’s surrogate son, Jimmy Darmody, and Jimmy’s mother, Gillian. Gretchen Moll is superb as the sassy-but-vulnerable woman who gave birth to Jimmy at 13 years old after being taken advantage of by an elderly commodore. Let’s just say that she and her son have an—ahem—unhealthy attachment.

If you haven’t checked out Boardwalk Empire yet, it’s definitely worth your time.