Empire Falls

Based on the novel by Richard Russo, the HBO mini-series Empire Falls stars Ed Harris as the manager of the Empire Grill, the main restaurant in a decaying, depressed mill town in Maine. His ex-lady Helen Hunt dropped a bunch of weight and is now a self-absorbed pain; his dad is a cad, and his daughter is dealing with a vexing ex. Brother Aidan Quinn is just getting his life together, while wealthy Joanne Woodward's daughter has the hots for family employee Ed. Unable to make a break with this confusing, crumbling place, he treads water, plays father, and waits.