Boardwalk Empire Gets Third Season

It's all good.

The networks can have their little ’60s revival wars; HBO is doubling down on the ’20s. Tripling down? Whatever. The point is, they’ve ordered a third season of Boardwalk Empire, which is so far only three episodes into its second.

No direct word on the show’s episode order, but HBO tends to give twelve episodes to its non-Game of Thrones dramas and both of Boardwalk‘s first two seasons fit that pattern. The show’s ratings have fluctuated a bit in the second season so far, scoring near a series low for its second episode before rebounding, but HBO doesn’t measure ratings the way everybody else does and their statement counts the show among its most popular ever.

Maybe There’s More to Life than HBO

Probably the weirdest Emmy reaction I shouldn’t really have been surprised by comes from TV Guide‘s Michael Schneider, who wonders if HBO is “Losing Its Touch” because it only won nineteen Emmys this year.

To be fair, ABC Modern Family broke HBO’s eight-year streak at the Primetime Emmys, winning five awards on Sunday to edge out HBO’s four. But HBO’s total still puts it on top for the awards overall, and the supporting actor win for Game of Thrones was one of the big surprises of the night.

It takes some serious acrobatics to turn that into a story about a network that’s losing it’s edge. When discussing Boardwalk Empire‘s “heartbreaker” on Sunday, Schneider is reduced to saying that the show — the most-awarded of the year, with eight Emmys overall — came one Emmy short of tying The West Wing‘s nine-win record. Pathetic, right?

News Roundup: Trains, Tundra, Feel the Force

Long way from the Sopranos.

Evening, all. Here’s a bit of news for your long weekend:

• Starz has now completely dumped Netflix, after talks to renew their content deal broke down. Good thing I saw Spartacus when I did, I guess.
• James Gandolfini is coming back with HBO for Big Dead Place, a drama about the U.S. Antarctic Program.
• Awesome vintage subway train, courtesy of Boardwalk Empire.
• ABC has committed to a comedy pilot from Claudia Lonow, creator of Accidentally on Purpose, named How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life apparently as an entrant for some Pointlessly Longest Title award.
• And the CW apparently decided they’d gone too long without a cop show, so they’ve bought one, Musketeers 3.0, from Homicide guys Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson.
• The Fringe folks have released some new photos to promote the fourth season, undoubtedly loaded with hidden meaning. (And, sure, here’s some Glee photos, too.)
• Some Star Wars fans are calling for a boycott of the re-rejiggered Blu-Ray editions. Let’s mull how much traction that’s likely to get.