‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season Five September Episode Guide

Boardwalk Empire Season 5 September Episode Guide
Steve Buscemi in ‘Boardwalk Empire’ season 5 (Photo: Macall B. Polay/HBO)

HBO’s kicking off the fifth and final season of the critically acclaimed drama Boardwalk Empire on September 7, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT. The final season of the award-winning show will find Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi) squaring off with rivals Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza) and Meyer Lansky (Anatol Yusef) while trying to establish legitimate deals with liquor producers. Prohibition is coming to an end, the country’s struggling through the Great Depression, and Atlantic City is a hotbed of criminal activity.

Per HBO’s official announcement: “The first four seasons took place during the 1920s. In the final season, which takes place in the depths of the Depression in 1931, Nucky recalls his Atlantic City roots and plots a post-Prohibition future.”

The cast of season five also includes returning stars Kelly Macdonald, Michael Shannon, Shea Whigham, Stephen Graham, Paul Sparks, Michael Kenneth Williams, Gretchen Mol, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Rosenfield, Patricia Arquette, and Michael Zegen.

Joining the cast for the final season are Jim True-Frost, Matt Letscher, Giampiero Judica, and Louis Cancelmi.

Boardwalk Empire September 2014 Episodes

Episode #49: “Golden Days for Boys and Girls”
Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 7 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 7 (11:30 p.m., 2:00 a.m.), 8 (12:40 p.m.), 9 (midnight), 10 (8:00 p.m.), 11 (10:00 p.m.) and 13 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 8 (8:00 p.m.), 10 (10:00 p.m.) and 14 (1:50 p.m.)
Nucky (Steve Buscemi) is awash in memories from pier-boy days growing up in 1884 Atlantic City, when the young Nucky (Nolan Lyons) caught the eye of the Commodore (John Elllison Conlee). In 1931 Cuba, Nucky joins Sally Wheet (Patricia Arquette) and, with a U.S. Senator in tow, forges ties with Bacardi Rum in hopes of Prohibition’s repeal in the U.S. Working on Wall Street, Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) finds herself in the hot seat when her boss, facing an internal investigation, decides his own future. Down but never out, Chalky (Michael Kenneth Williams) seizes an opportunity to extricate himself from a difficult situation. In New York, Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza) sets in motion a bold plan that reverberates all the way to Nucky in Cuba.
Written by Howard Korder; directed by Tim Van Patten.

Episode #50: “The Good Listener”
Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 14 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 14 (11:30 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 15 (12:05 a.m.), 16 (11:30 p.m.), 17 (8:00 p.m.), 18 (10:00 p.m.) and 20 (11:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 15 (10:00 p.m.), 17 (10:00 p.m.) and 21 (3:45 p.m.)
Back from Cuba after a dangerous encounter, Nucky pays a visit to the now-retired Johnny Torrio (Greg Antonacci), who agrees to broker a meeting with the new “Boss of Bosses,” Salvatore Maranzano (Giampiero Judica). In Chicago, Eli (Shea Whigham) and Van Alden (Michael Shannon) are tasked by Mike D’Angelo (Louis Cancelmi), Al Capone’s (Stephen Graham) new right-hand man, to recoup money lost during a federal raid by Eliot Ness (Jim True-Frost). Fresh out of law school, Willie Thompson (Ben Rosenfield) has a job interview. Rebuffed by a group of would-be financiers, Nucky dines with Tonino Sandrelli (Chris Caldovino) before sending a message to Lansky (Anatol Yusef) and Luciano (Vincent Piazza). In 1884, a young Nucky deals with the death of his sister, Susan (Onata Aprile), while his father (Ian Hart) has a standoff with the Commodore.
Written by Terence Winter; directed by Allen Coulter.

Episode #51: “What Jesus Said”
Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 21 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 21 (11:30 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 22 (12:15 a.m.), 23 (11:00 p.m.) 24 (8:00 p.m.), 25 (10:00 p.m.) and 27 (1:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Sept. 22 (9:00 p.m.), 24 (10:00 p.m.) and 28 (12:15 p.m.)
Chalky heads in a new direction after assessing his latest partnership. In New York, Margaret finds herself in a quandary as a result of her association with Arnold Rothstein. Nucky hosts a prospective “big fish” partner from Boston. Luciano and Siegel meet with Narcisse (Jeffrey Wright) in Harlem, promising business as usual, but encounter resistance. In 1884, young Nucky is privy to the passion of a hotel guest, and flirts with a young girl.
Written by Cristine Chambers and Howard Korder; directed by Ed Bianchi.

Episode #52: “Cuanto”
Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: Sept. 28 (11:30 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 29 (10:45 p.m.) and 30 (midnight), and Oct. 1 (8:00 p.m.), 2 (10:00 p.m.) and 4 (11:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdate: Sept. 29 (9:00 p.m.)
Facing a shared dilemma, Nucky and Margaret find common ground in Atlantic City. Luciano encounters an old adversary while meeting with Capone (Stephen Graham) in Chicago. Sally Wheet (Patricia Arquette) makes a payment in Cuba amidst concerns of a grass-roots uprising. In 1884, young Nucky shows young Eli (Oakes Fegley) how the other half lives, and takes another step up the Commodore’s ladder.
Written by Howard Korder & Cristine Chambers & Terence Winter; directed by Jake Paltrow.