The pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire, HBO’s new series set during 1920s prohibition, just premiered this past Sunday, and already the ‘net is abuzz about it.

The show follows Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), a Treasurer and “undisputed ruler of Atlantic City” who at the start of prohibition sees great opportunity to capitalize on the situation and make an awful lot of money. Almost immediately his plans are in motion, with a strong group of people backing him and nothing but profit in view. Naturally, when something like this is taking place, complications are sure to arise…and they do…leaving Nucky to protect what he’s attempting to do and stay on top of the game. Complications aside, Nucky Thompson and his people turn Atlantic City into “The World’s Playground,” a place where laws aren’t always so enforced and one of the few places someone could easily find a drink.

Just to help get the ball rolling, the man himself, Martin Scorsese, directed the 75-minute pilot and set our TVs on fire. This is easily one of — if not THE — best pilots we’ve seen in a long time. It seems a lot like most shows we love these days still take a few episodes to get moving and win us over, but not Boardwalk Empire. One episode. Audience sold. And this is proven by the news that HBO has ALREADY made their order for a second season of the show…after one single pilot episode. This is because it was the highest rated premiere for the network since Deadwood in 2004, and that it collectively grabbed 7.1 million viewers.

The series was developed and adapted by Terence Winter of The Sopranos fame. And speaking of, an mammoth amount of people are already calling this show the next Sopranos. Don’t listen to ANY of that! I know it might be good for business to be compared to a show so beloved, but really this show looks like it could be far too good to be compared to anything. All I can tell you is, if you haven’t seen Boardwalk Empire, you’ve only missed the pilot episode. Find it, watch it without any expectations or assumptions embedded in your head by unnecessary comparison, and see if you love it as much as millions of other people seem to have.

Unlike some of our TV discussions like for Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and True Blood, this isn’t a big finale, and thus, there’s not a whole lot to really “discuss” so to say. Even so, the thing that is worth talking about for such an exciting prospect of a show is whether you loved or hated it and why, or what the rest of you who haven’t seen it could possibly be waiting for!

Instead of going on and on and gushing about how much I loved the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire (a lot), I’ll instead keep it short and open the floor up to you. Tell us what you think about about the show, its characters, its future, the unbelievable boardwalk set they built just for the series, or anything else that’s on your mind!