Deadwood did sort of peter out in season 3. It’s a shame if that happened because Milch lost interest in it.
Hah… I’m glad I didn’t waste too much time looking for that… Oy.
I’m a little sceptical that that was what he told the HBO execs they were buying during the pitch-meeting when he was trying to get them to greenlight it.
I remember seeing John described as “surf noir”. Kem Nunn, who writes surf noir, was involved in the production.
So it’s possible that HBO thought they were getting a fairly straight-up dark drama, like The Sopranos. There’d be drugs and a maybe murder or two, in an unusual setting, and with some spectacular surfing scenes.
I’m glad I taught you that fucking word.
Building on DonLogan’s post, here’s what Wiki has to say about the cancellation: Deadwood (TV series) - Wikipedia
We missed out on a lot of crossover Al Bundy/Al Swearengen humor, that’s for sure.
Just noticed the Deadwood post,read only a few but I gotta say ending the season w/o any sort of violence happen to Hearst sucked.They couldof taken alittle poetic license.Really tho,some of swearingins quote’s damn near changed my life philosophy.
That is awsome news.I can’t find the 3rd season tho,on line at wl. mrt. it’s 50 bucks!
Loved Deadwood but the ending was atrocious and the character assassinations that came with it.
It was losing a lot of steam in season three.
Another Dragnet fan. Yes, I really don’t doubt that O’Neill would have made a wonderful Swearengen…
They already took a ton of license with the character. But one of the problems with that season was the fact that you knew they couldn’t kill Hearst and couldn’t even realistically “defeat” him, so it was hard to believe the two sides were really fighting on equal terms. And in the end they couldn’t come up with a satisfying way to resolve the conflict.
Hey all, greetings and all the salz
I have been noticing cancellations of really good shows before they get there call. I have a few claims …
Deadwood got canned pry more toward the time period edge. Cmon, they brought in a young wyatt but no Doc ? stupid writers should have learned something
The conflict ended when the fictional “Hearst” bought or killed all his competitors with his army of Pinkertons and all the little people died or sold their souls for next to nothing. It was the perfect ending to the allegory of entrepreneurship. Back to scrubbing blood off the floors of the whorehouse, an “out damned spot” Lady MacBeth moment. The only thing that could have been better would be a wipe/fade into a modern tourist gift shop with postcards and jewelry boxes and a pull away zoom out on the modern Deadwood street showing all the tourists where people had their dreams.
Well once the zombies started appearing on main street, it was every cocksucker for himself.
“Now who can argue with that? I think we’re all indebted to Gabby Johnson for clearly stating what needed to be said. I’m particulary glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.”
Well, zombies are relevant here. Deadwood was cancelled because the audience all fell asleep.
I am amused at the people appalled at the idea of Ed O’Neil as Swearengen. That’s like doubting that “that guy from Malcolm in the Middle” could handle as role as a crystal meth chemist.
I like that idea a lot.
I don’t see anyone “appalled” at the idea, just surprised.
I am, however, appalled at Milch implying that O’Neill would have saved the show from cancellation. Whatever was wrong with Deadwood, it sure as hell wasn’t Ian McShane’s performance.