Special Exhibit: DEADWOOD

 

Year: (2004-2006 + 2019 Film)

Seasons: 3 + Film

Episodes: 36 (+1 Film)

Duration: 45-60 minutes (The film is 110 minutes)

Where to watch: HBO

 

Despite being widely regarded as one of the greatest series of all time, and one of the early pieces of prestige TV, I’ve been surprised about how many people have missed on it, which is why it will become my first official recommendation on the blog.

Maybe it has something to do with its famous cancellation while at the height of critical acclaim. It certainly was the reason that kept me away from this show for a long time, as I’m always reticent to watch series that were cut short. Luckily, last year, showrunner David Milch brought us some closure in the form of a TV film.

Deadwood brings us all usual elements of the typical HBO super production. The look is very authentic, as the production design is excellent; the dirty lawless town really comes alive like in few westerns before it. Of course, being from that network, there is also the expected extensive cussing (the show is famous for it, and it quickly becomes funny), sex and nudity (blissfully, much less gratuitous than in other famous prestige series), and gory violence (also surprisingly restrained given the setting, and usually reserved for true narrative effect).

The cast is on point, the undisputable standout being Ian McShane as bar owner/kingpin Al Swearengen (loosely based on a historical Deadwood inhabitant, his name not a reference to his vast swearing). McShane, who is always delightful to see in everything he does, is doubly so in here, and you never quite know if you love to hate him or the other way around.

He’s accompanied by a large, talented ensemble which soon grows into you, some notables being the always drunk "Calamity" Jane Cannary (an award-worthy Robin Weigert), the smarmy, easy to loathe E.B. Farnum (William Sanderson), the quietly noble Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie), the ruthless Tolliver (Powers Boothe) and the reliable Dr. Cochran (Brad Dourif). Even the “town fools”, Richardson and Jewel are a joy to behold.

Of course, they are supported by the remarkable writing by Milch and co. Though the pacing is sedate at times, and it juggles with some storylines that add little to the narrative and are sometimes truncated, the scripts stand out in two regards:

1-      Its depiction of morality is incredibly complex. It’s hard to determine good and evil within this narrative. Even such reproachable characters like Swearengen can seem gallant at times, while the ostensibly principled lawman Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) frequently dwells on dark deeds.

2-      The dialogue is where the show truly shines. I’ve heard some complains about it being hard to follow, and at first the language might be bewildering, but I think you quickly fall onto it, and I’m not even a native English speaker. The series has such a distinctive way of writing its dialogues (and frequent monologues) that I simply cannot imagine this show scripted in any other way.

Saying much more would be spoiling the show, and that’s hardly the intent of this recommendation.

If you haven’t seen Deadwood yet, put it on your watch list. If you have, sound off in the comments.