Those two guys have written actual books, before becoming TV writers, so it is no surprise that the one show both of them wrote for, with which I am familiar, "The Wire," is one of the best-written I have ever seen.

So two Wire writers are going to join a staff that includes one of the better Sopranos writers (I think Terence Winter wrote the episode with the Russian mobster in the Pine Barrens), following an excellent season, that more than either of the previous ones, seemed to have been written like a book, instead of a TV show. That was one thing I had always liked about the story structure of The Wire - that it didn't seem to give a damn about episodes or seasons, just making each episode a part of an integrated story. There was a lot of that this year in Boardwalk - I saw a lot of characters and plotlines utterly disappear for two or three episodes in a row, only to pop up and be important in the end, and while some of the main characters seemed to be spinning their wheels earlier, in hindsight, it seemed to come together a lot better, and it all paid off in the end.

So now Boardwalk Empire is like a period-drama of the Sopranos, with real historical figures to give it a scope and grandeur that the Sopranos lacked, and eliminate the sources of whiny angst that dragged it down (I count maybe two or three dreams at MOST on three seasons of this show, and mostly quick ones). They seems to be leaning more towards writing a whole season-long story, rather than a bunch of hour-long stories with a common theme, and they have just hired two writers who were really good at that kind of show.

Between this news and the spectacular finale (Richard kicks ASS), I cannot wait for next year. Between Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, Walking Dead & this show, my faith in TV has pretty much been totally restored this fall.