Boardwalk Empire Renewed for Season 3

The show everyone thinks they like will be back next season: HBO has renewed Boardwalk Empire for a third season just three episodes into Season 2. We can assume Season 3 will follow its predecessors and debut in September 2012.

Boardwalk Empire‘s most recent episode earned 2.85 million viewers and a 1.2 rating in the adult demo. The drama about Prohibition-era Atlantic City won the Emmy for Best Direction this year and racked up seven more statues for technical achievements, but some people expected it to collect more prestigious wins.

For all of its accolades and critical praise, Boardwalk Empire seems to inspire indifference among the common folk online. I recognize that it’s a good series, but can’t pull myself together to watch it every week. Same with Treme. Maybe one of these rainy days, I’ll catch up. It does have gangsters, violence, and sex.

With Boardwalk returning, HBO’s current lineup looks solid: Game of Thrones, Treme, Boardwalk Empire, and True Blood, plus upcoming series Luck, Veep, Ricky Gervais’ Life’s Too Short, and Aaron Sorkin’s More as the Story Develops.

Informal Poll: What do you think of Boardwalk Empire? Is it a show you can’t wait to watch each week, or do you find tuning in a bit of a chore?

Follow TV.com writer Tim Surette on Twitter: @TimAtTVDotCom