This summer may have 90% of fantasy audiences salivating at a brand new theatrical blockbuster every weekend, but there is one epic story that we can’t wait to happen, and it’s on HBO. We’re talking, of course, about this April’s upcoming serialized adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Son of Fire and Ice fantasy novels, now simply called Game of Thrones.

The adaptation looks to borrow some visuals from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, while bringing new lift to Martin’s world of magic and Medieval politics. David Benioff, who helped bring the books to the screen, jokingly referred the adaptation to “The Sopranos in Middle-Earth.”

Needless to say, it’s already drawing some pretty big attention.

The series begins on April 17th, only a few weeks away, but HBO has graciously brought us the first 15 minutes of the pilot, in which we get fully inundated in Martin and Benioff’s world of kings and magic. Take a look at the sneak preview after the jump.

I don’t know about you, but we’re pretty excited for the premiere of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire around here. If you’re looking for intense drama, outstanding acting, writing and direction you should definitely check this show out.

After all it comes from the creative team of Martin Scorsese and Terrance Winter (The Sopranos) who, individually, have been involved in some of the best movies and TV shows of all time. So naturally, with these two talented men working together, anticipation for Boardwalk Empire is very high.

To help get you interested in the series we’ve got three promo videos to share with you today. In them you get a look at some of the characters and situations of the series including its star Steve Buscemi as Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, Kelly MacDonald as Margaret Schroeder, Michael Pitt as Jimmy Darmody and Stephen Graham as a young Al Capone. Plus, you get a real look at the production itself and the care that’s gone into realizing the world of 1920’s Atlantic City.

Check out all three videos after the jump. Boardwalk Empire premieres Sunday at 9/8C on HBO.

Looking at the new upcoming HBO series Boarwalk Empire it seems to have hit written all over it. Created by Terence Winter, one of the writers of The Sopranos, with a teriffic cast led by Steve Buscemi and Exec. Produced by none other than Martin Scorsese, this tale of gangsters and corruption in 1920’s Atlantic City has everything you could want in a show.

As an example, take a good look at this new trailer for it that aired just prior to last night’s season premiere of True Blood. It features all the main characters and sets up the story pretty well. It also looks terrific and very well directed and it should becuse Scorsese did it himself.

The show premieres in September and I, for one, can’t wait to see it. Until then, be sure to check out the trailer for Boardwalk Empire after the jump.

We’ve been following NBC’s freshmen drama Mercy a bit here at the site and so far, it seems to be doing pretty well and has not been canceled — at least so far. With an interesting premise and a cast that includes relative newcomer Taylor Shilling and Buffy alum Michelle Trachtenberg, the show continues to be one of the surprises of the season and will hopefully last until season two.

In contrast to Mercy, Law & Order: SVU is not a freshmen show and is still going strong after several seasons. Both shows returned to the air this week after the holiday break. In case you missed the premiere of these shows, or even if you saw them and still want to relive the magic, we’ve got lots of video for you today — courtesy of our pals at NBC.

In addition to the recaps, we’ve also got previews of upcoming episodes of both shows featuring guest appearances by The Soprano‘s Michael Imperioli, Lost‘s Naveen Andrews and Studio 60‘s Sarah Paulson.

Check out all the clips and interviews from both shows after the break.