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Mud, gold, and the unrefined sound of civilization being born out of nothing. “Deadwood” is not a western; it is a reckoning. Timothy Olyphant enters this masterpiece of HBO, and does not leave you alone during a single frame in four memorable parts.
The Setting
Deadwood, South Dakota, in the 1870s, was not a town; it was a challenge. A lawless mining camp that stood beyond every statute that man had ever known, it attracted murderers, idealists, and speculators in equal numbers. David Milch constructed his series right there at the end of that gorgeous, frightening mess and never wavered.
The Creator
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Digging Deadwood is the brainchild of David Milch, the renowned author of NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues. His writing does not approach the American frontier as a myth but as a mirror – a mirror which reflects how all societies, ancient and modern, manage to carve their own ways into order by compromising, being corrupted, and suffering through the humiliating contradictions of humanity.
Olyphant’s Brilliance
Olyphant stars as Seth Bullock, a historical lawman who was the first sheriff of Deadwood. It is a furiousness of the jaw which he brings into every scene– a man of iron, unreservedly iron, plunged into a world which is utterly hostile to him. It is among the best performances in the history of television, which is so quiet yet explosive.
McShane Dominates
When Olyphant is the conscience behind the show, Ian McShane as saloon owner Al Swearengen is the heart that beats dark and hard. Devious, lyrical, and frightening, Swearengen brought McShane a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. The clash of principle and pragmatism, which they have, is the gravitational center of the whole series.
Real History
Deadwood brings back historical characters in actual life, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and mining magnate George Hearst, combining factual historical information with abundant fictional narration. This rootedness in actual history makes each power game, each averted negotiation, weigh, as it seldom does in the movies, however brilliantly written.
Four Parts
The first season was aired on HBO, between March 21, 2004, and August 27, 2006, over three seasons and 36 episodes that were tightly written. More than ten years later, HBO brought back the full original cast in Deadwood: The Movie, which rolled out May 31, 2019, and provided the roaring closer that this tale always needed to get.
Award Dominance
Throughout the series, Deadwood has garnered 28 Emmy nominations and eight Emmy awards, including directing, cinematography, costuming, and sound editing. TVCA has awarded creator David Milch its Career Achievement Award. In 2006, a Peabody Award solidified the series as an institution of television storytelling excellence in America.
Beyond Westerns
Deadwood appeals to a non-Western audience as it is, to its heart, Shakespearean power drama with frontier boots. No shootouts, spectacle on the screen. Each scene is a bargain of allegiance, of life, and of righteousness. This DNA will not pass unnoticed by viewers who are fans of The Sopranos or The Wire.
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