ACCLAIMED HBO DRAMA SERIES "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" KICKS OFF SECOND SEASON SEPT. 25

Atlantic City, 1921: Though his fortunes have soared in the wake of the enactment of Prohibition, Nucky Thompson is paying a steep price for wielding ultimate power in "the world's playground." Following the '20 election, Nucky finds himself the target of an investigation for voter fraud and faces not only jail, but insurrection by some of those he considered his closest allies.

From Terence Winter, Emmy(R) Award-winning writer of "The Sopranos" and Academy Award(R)-winning director Martin Scorsese, BOARDWALK EMPIRE is set in the 1920s in the early days of Prohibition, and chronicles the life and times of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the undisputed leader of Atlantic City, who was equal parts politician and gangster. The Emmy(R)-nominated, Golden Globe-winning drama series kicks off its 12-episode second season SUNDAY, SEPT. 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, followed by other episodes on subsequent Sundays at the same time.

In season two, Nucky and his lieutenants - including young World War I veteran Jimmy Darmody - appear to have solidified their hold on power by rigging an election and getting a crony elected mayor. However, after a bloody KKK attack at Chalky White's bootleg warehouse, Nucky finds his hold on Atlantic City weakened, first by state agents who arrest him for election fraud and ransack his office, then by members of his own inner circle and even his family, who align with Jimmy's father, the aging Commodore Louis Kaestner, in an attempt to oust him altogether. Meanwhile, mobsters like Arnold Rothstein, Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Al Capone wait in the wings, looking for the chance to grab a bigger piece of Nucky's pie.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson; Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody; Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder, Nucky's mistress; Michael Shannon as federal agent Nelson Van Alden; Michael Kenneth Williams as Chalky White, leader of the city's African-American community and Nucky's bootleg point person; Gretchen Mol as Gillian, Jimmy's showgirl mother; Dabney Coleman as Commodore Louis Kaestner, Nucky's mentor; Shea Whigham as Nucky's resentful brother Elias, the sheriff of Atlantic City; Vincent Piazza as Lucky Luciano; Stephen Graham as Al Capone; Michael Stuhlbarg as Arnold Rothstein; Aleksa Palladino as Angela Darmody, Jimmy's wife; Anthony Laciura as Eddie Kessler, Nucky's valet; and Jack Huston as Richard Harrow, a disfigured war veteran who's been befriended by Jimmy.

September's episode:

Episode #13: "21"

Debut: SUNDAY, SEPT. 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: Sept. 25 (10:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 27 (11:30 p.m.) and 28 (10:00 p.m.), and Oct. 1 (12:30 a.m. ET/11:30 p.m. PT)

HBO2 playdates: Sept. 26 (10:00 p.m.), 29 (12:30 a.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.), and Oct. 2 (2:00 p.m.) and 13 (9:00 p.m.)

Nucky (Steve Buscemi) is rocked by an insurrection among his inner circle; Chalky's (Michael Kenneth Williams) life and livelihood are threatened by a vicious KKK attack; Margaret (Kelly Macdonald) copes with her son's (Rory and Declan McTigue) disciplinary problems; Angela (Aleksa Palladino) vies with Gillian (Gretchen Mol) for Jimmy's (Michael Pitt) affections at home; Van Alden (Michael Shannon) shows his wife Rose (Enid Graham) around town as an anniversary present.

Written by Terence Winter; directed by Tim Van Patten.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE was recently nominated for 18 Emmy(R) Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Steve Buscemi), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Kelly Macdonald) and two nominations for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Jeremy Podeswa, Martin Scorsese).

In Jan. 2011, BOARDWALK EMPIRE received two Golden Globe Awards, for Best Television Series - Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama (Steve Buscemi)

The series also received two Screen Actors Guild awards, for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (Steve Buscemi).

Among the critical raves for the first season, which launched in Sept. 2010, People called the show "not-to-be-missed," hailing Steve Buscemi's "brilliant, brutally funny performance," while USA Today observed that BOARDWALK EMPIRE "looks to be the season's best new show on any outlet." The Philadelphia Inquirer said the series "stands at the pinnacle of TV achievement," with the New York Observer noting, "It's really, really good."

Created by Terence Winter, BOARDWALK EMPIRE is executive produced by Terence Winter, Martin Scorsese, Tim Van Patten, Stephen Levinson and Mark Wahlberg; co-executive produced by Gene Kelly and Howard Korder; produced by Joseph Iberti and Rick Yorn.