Another episode of “Boardwalk Empire” is in the books, and I have a confession to make: I have not yet learned how to type anything negative about this show.

“Empire” fans, I swear, I'm trying. This space is certainly not reserved for testimonials on the grandeur and overall awesomeness of HBO's newest drama, but for four straight weeks now, the writers are renting to own here while I keep searching for annoyances as the Atlantic City tale unfolds.

There must be a time coming when some character will be a weak addition to the script, or some storyline will annoy me, right? Actually, I may have one lead on this, but confidence is NOT high – more on that later.

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We’re three episodes in, “Boardwalk Empire” fans, and I'm banging the gavel. Let's make it official: “Boardwalk” is an absolutely fantastic show.

Hasty decision? Nope. Jumping the gun? No way. I've been watching TV for quite some time, and when you know, you just know. My taste in TV has evolved, but the gravitational pull to certain characters in certain shows has stood the test of time. Over the years, I have intently followed central figures as they navigated their respective storylines, and occasionally tried on their shoes to see how it felt to walk in them.

Somewhere between Rocky Balboa, Cliff Huxtable and the brash, infinitely evil J.R. Ewing from "Dallas," I've openly rooted for the main guy/gal to wiggle out of the self-induced jam whether he was hero, villain, or some combination of both.

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As a big fan of Hollywood's mafia stories, I've been in "mob withdrawal" for the past few years. The box office hasn't offered much since the release of "The Departed" in 2006, and television hasn't fared much better since “The Sopranos" ended in 2007.

Sure, there are a few store-brand crime dramas like "Law & Order" and "CSI: Wherever” out there, but they just don't move me, you know?

So if you, too, have been aimlessly wandering the wilderness of the multiplex and feeling around in the darkness of nighttime television searching for that new organized-crime "something" to fill the void, ladies and gentlemen, the search is over. The TV gods have hereby granted us "Boardwalk Empire."

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