A ‘masterpiece’ period drama that has been hailed by fans as ‘one of the best TV shows of all time’ has been made available to stream again.

Compared to hit gangster drama The Sopranos, the series, which stars the likes of Adolescence’s Stephen Graham and Reservoir Dogs’ Steve Buscemi, first hit screens back in 2010 on American platform HBO.

Now, the gangster series has made its return after 15 years – exciting fans all over again and receiving more 10/10 reviews from viewers on the likes of IMDb.

Boardwalk Empire follows Buscemi as Nucky Thompson, as powerful, corrupt politician and crime boss in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era, based on the real life figure Enoch Lewis ‘Nucky’ Johnson.

Well-respected Nucky secretly controls much of Atlantic City’s illegal alcohol trade following the ban of all alcoholic drinks – and the background of the Prohibition creates huge opportunities for organised crime.

The action follows Nucky building his empire through bribery, bootlegging and gangster alliances, all while keeping up appearances in his political career.

A ‘masterpiece’ period drama that has been hailed by fans as ‘one of the best TV shows of all time’ has been made available to stream again (pictured: Steve Buscemi)

+5 View gallery Compared to hit gangster drama The Sopranos, the series, which stars the likes of Adolescence’s Stephen Graham (pictured) and Reservoir Dogs’ Steve Buscemi, first hit screens back in 2010 on American platform HBO

The series closely documents Nucky’s rise to power, and then slow decline, alongside historical figures Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Al Capone, played by Netflix star Steven.

As Prohibition enforcement begins to tighten the reins, rival gangs begin to turn on each other and Nucky is forced to face the consequences of his actions.

Other key cast members in the high-rated drama include Murder by Numbers’ Michael Pitt, The Notorious Bettie Page’s Gretchen Mol and Nanny McPhee’s Kelly Macdonald.

Martin Scorsese directed the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire before serving as an executive producer on the series.

On IMDb, the show has racked up dozens of 10/10 reviews over the years, leaving it sitting comfortably at a total of 8.6/10.

While on reviews site Rotten Tomatoes, the drama has an impressive score of 92%, with the score from non-critic viewers at an even more impressive 95%.

One reviewer wrote: ‘Boardwalk Empire is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. The acting and writing are as good as anything you’ll see on TV. The production is also fantastic, the attention to detail is just incredible.’

Another chimed in: ‘One of the best TV shows of all time. Do yourself a favour and start watching this masterpiece right away.’

Other key cast members in the high-rated drama include Murder by Numbers’ Michael Pitt, The Notorious Bettie Page’s Gretchen Mol and Nanny McPhee’s Kelly Macdonald (pictured)

+5 View gallery Martin Scorsese directed the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire before serving as an executive producer on the series

While a third penned: ‘I have never written a review on iMDb. I have never given a TV show a straight 10/10 before. No other ending has ever left me in the total shock that this ending left me. Apart from a very few exceptions (e.g. The Sopranos, Breaking Bad), no other show has done such a phenomenal job.’

‘For me, it’s up there with The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire, and others we’re so much more familiar with,’ a fourth person gushed.

As a fifth concluded: ‘Boardwalk Empire is absolutely, without a doubt one the best gangster shows ever created. Every season is as addictive as the last.’

Boardwalk Empire ran for five seasons, and was written my Emmy Award-winning writer Terence Winter, who is behind the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street and Tulsa King.

Set in 1920s New Jersey, it’s based on the life of real Enoch L Johnson, a politician and businessman who ran the show in Atlantic City until his conviction and incarceration.

The series would go on to win several Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.

Addressing his return to TV making, Scorsese said in a 2010 interview with Deadline about Boardwalk Empire: ‘ What’s happening the past nine to 10 years, particularly at HBO, is what we had hoped for in the mid-Sixties with films being made for television at first.

‘We’d hoped there would be this kind of freedom and also the ability to create another world and create longform characters and story. That didn’t happen in the 1970s, 1980s and in the 1990s I think.

‘And of course … HBO is a trailblazer in this. I’ve been tempted over the years to be involved with them because of the nature of long-form and their development of character and plot.’

Boardwalk Empire is streaming on NOW.