Which is better, Boardwalk Empire or Peaky Blinders?
Boardwalk Empire vs Peaky Blinders compared: ratings, awards, Emmys, style and endings — which 1920s gangster drama is better and which one to watch first.
Two shows about men in extraordinary coats doing crimes in the 1920s. One has Cillian Murphy's cheekbones and a Nick Cave needle-drop; the other has Steve Buscemi, a Scorsese-directed pilot, and 20 Emmys. The internet has been fighting about this for a decade, so let's settle it with the seriousness it deserves, which is: some.
The tale of the tape
- Boardwalk Empire (HBO, 2010–2014): Prohibition-era Atlantic City, Nucky Thompson, real gangsters everywhere — Capone, Luciano, Rothstein. 57 Emmy nominations, 20 wins, plus the 2011 Golden Globe for Best Drama . Scores: 92% from critics, 95% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.6 on IMDb .
- Peaky Blinders (BBC, 2013–2022): post-WWI Birmingham, the Shelby family, razor blades in flat caps. Scores: 93% critics, 94% audiences, 8.7 on IMDb, and an ending that's more definitive than most prestige dramas manage.
Statistically, this is a photo finish. Emotionally, it is not, because these are two completely different drugs sold in similar packaging.
The actual difference
Boardwalk Empire is the museum piece: meticulous sets, period-correct everything, a stronger sense of place, and a slow-burn pace that critics loved and casual viewers filed under "homework." Screen Rant calls it quietly one of the best American crime shows ever made — overshadowed in its own era by flashier dramas, which is the most Boardwalk Empire fate imaginable.
Peaky Blinders is the music video: anachronistic soundtrack, slow-motion walks, a protagonist engineered in a lab to become a Halloween costume. It's the one that conquered pop culture; Boardwalk never got a single teenager to adopt its haircut.
Boardwalk Empire is the better-built show. Peaky Blinders is the show you actually rewatch. Pick your sin.
Verdict: if "better" means craft, ensemble depth, and awards shelving, Boardwalk Empire takes it on points. If "better" means the thing you'll quote, dress as, and finish twice, it's Peaky by a cheekbone. And since Boardwalk is essentially the American Peaky Blinders anyway, the only wrong answer is watching neither.