Boardwalk empire.

• Author: Balko, Radley
• Position: Briefly Noted - Television program review - Brief article

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Crammed with corrupt cops, nymphish flappers, black market violence, and prunish, prudish temperance activists, HBO's latest drama has lots for a libertarian to like. Boardwalk Empire follows the rise of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, a character loosely based on Enoch Johnson, the bootlegger and mobster who ran Atlantic City during Prohibition.

The corruption that comes with forbidden vice is illustrated well. We see city treasurer Thompson (played deftly by Steve Buscemi), the city's mayor, police chief, and other officials gather on the eve of the Volstead Act taking effect. They're...