New Boardwalk Empire Trailer: And Steve Buscemi as Tony Soprano

The first real trailer for the Martin Scorsese HBO series Boardwalk Empire has appeared online -- first because mostly wordless and ethereal teaser trailers don't count -- and the enjoyment you get from it depends solely on your answer to one question: Did you always want to see Steve Buscemi as Tony Soprano? If the answer is yes, then good news! You'll love this blood-soaked 90-second jaunt through 1920s Atlantic City. If the answer is no, however -- well, at least there's Michael Shannon.

Here's the thing: Buscemi is neither threatening enough nor entirely believable in the short bursts shown here to play what's supposed to be an ostensible man of violence like "Nucky" Thompson. You should never discount an entire performance from a trailer, but this immediately doesn't feel like a strong fit; Buscemi's strengths are in his Peter Lorre-like ability to play slimeballs, not in reading menacing voice over.

Thank goodness, then, for Shannon, the other star given major face time here -- blink and you'll miss Michael K. Williams, Kelly MacDonald and, perhaps, Gretchen Mol; co-star Michael Pitt is nowhere to be found. As the beleaguered law enforcement official -- think of him as Russell Crowe in American Gangster -- the Academy Award nominee looks certain to start a wave of "Michael Shannon deserves an Emmy" Facebook pages. Dearest Hollywood: Can Shannon be in everything ever? Thanks, Me.

VERDICT: Sold. Buscemi aside, this is still a show from Martin Scorsese and The Sopranos producer Terence Winter. Add it to your DVR now.