My favorite series of all time but far from perfect. What HBO did to Deadwood, ending the series when and how they did was a crime. Deadwood was fantastic. HBO on the other hand sucks ass.
Simply put, greatest thing ever filmed, period . Blows sopranos out of the water in every way possible. Cochrans prayer demanding gods mercy on the preacher. Wordforr Word un matched. And delivered by the guy who voiced chucky nonetheless. Also upon watching the adhoc elections from Hearst balcony- Hearst- " to not find pleasure in one's pursuits, make one a slave to one's destiny " Swearinger- " To accept scrapes to keep from the lash. Says a slave is maybe what you are" Epic!!! From Mr Walcott ' I am a sinner, I expect no special treatment upon my judgment, but I am not a politician!!" And Jim beavers knowledge of westerns and especially on George Reeves suspicious death, incredible! Check out ' Hollywoodland" Ben Affleck, a man I feel has trouble just being himself, let alone acting,does an incredible job .
I just finished watching the 3 seasons of Deadwood and then the Movie. It's a real shame that there weren't more seasons but I found the movie satisfying without being overly nostalgic. The dying of Al Swearengen is even more poignant considering that David Milch had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Al Swearengen is and forever shall be one of the BEST characters on any show! No doubt the real Al Swearengen wishes he was as cool as the one on Deadwood.
God bless the golden era. Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Carnivale (criminally underrated series), Deadwood, The Wire, Entourage. Even into the 2010s they had Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, The Night Of, Chernobyl, The Outsider, so many amazing series'.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 What you said, plus Rome, I have to add; criminally overlooked and made long before the grittiness of Game of Thrones. Sopranos changed everything, but Deadwood and The Wire are the two masterclasses for me that didn't have any missteps. Not even one bad episode, 100% self-conscious and uncompromising rides.
@@TheMoviesCult I agree. People knock season 2 of the Wire but the Sobotka journey is by far my favorite season and I love them ALL. My only gripe was season 5 should've gotten the full 12 or 13 episodes so the ending wasn't quite as rushed but I still loved it. As for Deadwood, it was amazing and so was ending the series on Al scrubbing his own made bloodstain while indirectly consoling Johnny (who no DOUBT now fully earned his respect by standing up to him). I loved the Deadwood film too, and would love to see The Wire get a similar epilogue. (Although unnecessary). I still haven't watched Rome but I must! Carnivale deserved at least one more season.
@@flightofthebumblebee9529 I hate to admit, at first The Wire's season 2 didn't sit well with me, as it felt like a spin-off. After every rewatch though, I appreciate it more and more, cause "all the pieces matter". Now it's up there with all the other seasons (with 3 and 4 being my favorite). Ok when it comes to Deadwood we can talk for hours. What amazes me in both The Wire and Deadwood is the huge cast with almost equally distributed screen time, and fully developed characters. Not one, two, or five, but easily two dozen characters, and I struggle to find many other series accomplishing such a feat. Characters that you hate on first watch and end up loving. The Deadwood film felt more like a fan-service (not that I mind), than what the 2 movies they were planning would and could have been, had they been shot right after season 3, although I will reserve my final thoughts after a couple of rewatches. Yes, Carnivale deserved more. Just when you thought it would end in a typical good vs evil encounter, it slowly built its lore and left so much to be desired - I bet it would have taken an unexpected turn. Oh and if you ever watch Rome, without spoiling, despite all the soldiers and the politicians, keep an eye on the women. I have never enjoyed a female character so much in a series.
@@TheMoviesCult I am definitely going to watch Rome. I realize season 2 also got cut way too short and they tried to cram way too much into one season. I also agree on The Wire, and while season 2 is my personal favorite due to Chris Bauer and the Greeks, I think season 3 and 4 are beyond amazing. Harvard has courses that study the show it's so important. I agree the Deadwood film was mostly fan service but that said I never expected Al to be sidelined and dying of liver failure and dementia. Plus the scene towards the end with Bullock and Sam Fields was very emotional (where we actually see Bullock crying while watching over a dying Fields). I figured Hearst would survive since he has History-armor but they killed Charlie Utter so I thought maybe Hearst too. (plus the real Swearengen died in his 30s, broke and penniless) but HBO's Deadwood is historical fiction so they can do as they please (even if the 3 seasons were very accurate to history especially season 1). It's nice talking to someone who also appreciates the greatness of HBO. Boardwalk Empire was amazing, so was True Detective (all THREE seasons I loved), The Night Of (an even better glimpse into the judicial and prison system than Oz), Game of Thrones (the first 4 seasons are amazing and season 5 and 6 were pretty good too but I always felt the creators of the series bit off more than they could chew and they completely rushed and dropped the ball on the culmination of the series (meaning s7 and s8). I absolutely was blown away by Chernobyl, and I thought The Outsider was one of the best King adaptations ever put to live action. Even some of the half hour comedy series' were truly great and brought a mix of emotion more than just comedy (Entourage, Enlightened, maybe a couple others). I will always trust HBO and I love watching a series week by week year by year instead of marathoning it. To me it makes for such a better viewing experience. Mare of Easttown was my most recent HBO one.
I've got the DVD's and have watched it several times. Deserved at least 5 seasons, Shakespear meets the wild west, every episode just brilliant, every actor perfectly cast. Must be time I watched it again. Cheers
I've watched and rewatched Deadwood uncountable times. 10? 11? And yet, every time I watch - again - I still have moments wher I think "damn. It's such a fucking shame this show got cut short". So far as I'm concerned, it's the best TV show ever written.
Deadwood was so perfect! Even the intro music and visuals. The horse's reflection in the puddle was so artistic! I used to replay the intro 2-3 times each episode.
Just completed rewatching all 3 series and then watched the movie, introducing it to my fiancé, I’ve never seen a man so connected to a tv show like he became. The tears we cried together. The love we both shared for wild bill. Deadwood is perfection. I just cannot fault it. And the movie! What a beautiful way to wrap up such an incredible series. My god! Welcome to fucking deadwood!
A great pity that the show ended after season 3, the movie was fine, but we really needed another 2 seasons back in the 00s when all the cast were in their pomp.
Deadwood is arguably the best TV show ever made, right there with The Wire. HBO is still good for exclusive content. Yet Deadwood hit different, and the movie was a love letter to the series. "Hooplehead" being my favorite phrase from the show!
This is exactly my assessment too, and it’s never changed. A truly rare perfect storm in every aspect; the writing (and pretty much every scene with Ian McShane) takes my breath away every damn time.
Hi Sam! I, too, loved how each character moved seemingly so easily for "Old West" to Shakespearean dialogue. I had to stay sharp to keep up! What a show... it all came together like none I've seen since. Be well, Maria
Ian Mcshane is LEGEND! And yes, I love Deadwood including the movie. Master class TV writing. Did anyone else play the "guess how many times Cocksucker was said each episode" game?
@@deeds517 good taste in actors. There's something about him that makes me want to go a pub, throw back some whiskey, and tell tall tales. Hell, I loved him in the short lived "American Gods." He made for a perfect Odin!
@@Minchya YES! Didn't you love that Mr. Wu was included in the Deadwood movie? Always made me chuckle when Mr. Wu said the c-sucker word to Al. Perfect!
When I first discovered deadwood (halfway through the 2nd series) I went on an HUGE Deadwood binge and caught up in a few days....Anyways when in the supermarket carpark that same week , I got cut off and the driver told me to "piss off" . I let loose the most EPIC congo line of profanity and insults back that the other person just looked at me stunned. All thanks to the insults I had learnt from Deadwood just that week.......................Thank you Deadwood!
The best program ever created, I watch this yearly and get lost in it. It's amazing! I can remember when it was aired, I was at Uni and used to come home, cook myself a huge steak and watch it. Name one character that is not well thought out, well acted and most of all WELL WRITTEN. The writing was amazing, the old English tones. Sometimes I used to pause it, just so I could figure out the subtleties of the words. E. B was amazing in this, he does not get a mention that much. Think I might put it on again!
Yes! I used to do the same thing-pause, replay dialogue (and Al’s soliloquies!), untangle the delicious intricacies of Milch’s language. Nothing else on television has ever come close. (Though I admit, Our Flag Means Death now stands alongside in the short-form comedic entry, for many of the same reasons.)
I absolutely love Ed O'Neill. He has a direct line to my funny bone and my only regret is I'll probably never get to meet him. And I'm prefacing so I can say this... There is NO WAY IN HELL Ed could've done better than Ian McShane. It was like that role was made for him. It was the best role of his career and he absolutely owned it. (Change my mind.)
I loved this series and always wished someone would continue it. Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant were my favorites. Very sad to hear about Milch’s disease though.
My favorite show . I will fight anyone who does not agree with me that it is by far the most well casted show of all time. Every Actor was perfect for their role.
I wish there had been more, but I'm grateful that the little there was remained a pure work of television art. In a time where so many shows and movies are made purely for corporate gain, its glad to stream the three season's of "Deadwood" and know that sometimes there is a masterpiece.
My favorite thing is when I try to sell the show to people I tell them it's great, the writing is amazing but just know, there is a lot of swearing. You think you're ready for it but it still catches you off guard. They always just say yeah, yeah, yeah, they've seen movies/shows with a lot of swearing before then they watch it and come back and say to me "MY GOODNESS, THERE IS SO MUCH SWEARING!!!" Makes me laugh but the show is amazing, I miss it but glad we got what we did.
This was and still is the greatest series of all time. I totally pisses me of there wasn't 3 or more seasons. Milch is a fuckin timeless genius. When the movie came out it pissed me off...... to late, but I watched. This show was better than the Sopranos, GOT, or any other show that ever was. Thank you David Milch for this incredibly wonderful series, even though it was waaaaay to short.
Ooh, you’re IN for such a treat! I’ve rewatched this series far more times than ANY other in my life and each time it astounds me how masterfully done are the writing, acting, production values, cinematography and direction...etc etc etc!
Wow, I had no idea that David Milch was stricken with Alzheimers, so sad. Yet somehow fitting that he could still exert creativity and control over his masterpiece. I am over the moon that FX is bringing back Justified for a limited run, it would be so awesome if there could be more life in Deadwood in the future.
Best thing ever committed to film in my opinion, and here in Ireland that swearing is considered tame, the ONLY tv show I would watch every year at least
It's a damn shame that Deadwood didn't run for a couple more seasons. At least we got the movie we all waited on for decades. Deadwood will always be in my top 3, it is a very special show. I wish that there were more tv series about this time period.
Deadwood was fantastic. Definitely one of the best shows ever made - and like too many of them, vanished in anticlimactic mess (not even seen the movie). Firefly, Rome, GoT got something great... lets not finish on a high. God knows why. Ian McShane was well to us as "Lovejoy".... it was an impressive transformation!
when it was on repeats, History Canada, would show it in the day around 1pm heavily edited, , then at 10pm it was full on everything, but with a warning of nudity language ect.. same with Rome and Vikings
@@canturgan true! but after a while the nudity and sex got to be too much and was distracting lol a great war scenes going on then BOOM the lead bad lady is having sex with someone other guy to get power, might as well been porn in some eps lol
Its a real shame the show was cut, it leaves the best ending being to cut off the last few episodes, as there is a natural end to the story but they had to write all the material they had into the budget they had left, led to a really rushed last few episodes that let the show down hard
That really wasn't the case. Nor David Milch or the cast had any idea that the show was about to get pulled. If you listen to numerous interviews with writer, cast and crew it was all quite unexpected. Therefore, there was no rush to wrap things up, as you suggest, because they didn't know it was all going to end. The pacing of what turned out to be the third and last season was, in my opinion, tense and suberbly crafted. The movie was also a masterclass in how to return to a story ten years on and create a moving and poingnant ending. Deadwood is certainly up there as a serious contender for the best series of all time. I say this as a real fan of David Simon's The Wire, David Chase's Sopranos, and Vine Gillegan's Breaking Bad. David Milch is simply outstanding as were his cast and crew on every episode of Deadwood.
I never recognized Geri as the woman that played a role in Facts of Life. She looks so different. I am soooo happy they went with Ian rather than O'Neil for Swearengen though. OMG that would have changed the chemistry of the show for the worse.
@@thewkovacs316 Oh I am not throwing shade on O'Neil, I think he is an under appreciated actor honestly. I just don't think the role of Swearengen would not be near as memorable as Ian's though.
@@jcfra420 it wouldnt have been, but i can understand looking at o'neil ive seen his dramatic work and he is good. and i dont think hbo thought of mcshane as an "unknown" while most of his work was in the uk, he had done a lot of american tv and movies. i knew who he was
I never had time for Deadwood. I did see all of Hill Street Blues. I heard a Chief Petty Officer give me 20 minutes of his most rude and not one nasty 'was said twice.
I've been a amateur historian and the story of James Butler Hickock always fascinated me. The guy shot a man through his heart at 75 yards with a .36 cal. pistol in the middle of a street for not returning his father's gold watch Hickock lost to him in a poker game ! When I heard there was a show about Deadwood, I had to see it. The language was a bit shocking at first. My wife was in another room and came out to ask what I was watching. By the end of the first episode we were both hooked ! Not particularly foul mouthed by nature, that all changed. Getting cut off in traffic was enough for me to utter "Cocksucker"! With both of us laughing. Television doesn't get any better than this.
I'm pretty sure they filmed it in my home town at the beginning, but we had a huge cold snap for a few weeks, and they said. "fuck this shit" as it was -30 for weeks.
I think the villainous Hearst killed this show. Much like I think that Blackwater type outfit killed Jericho. Predictive programming and exposing skeletons of important people only goes so far. Epic video... I'm a sucker for this show.
For those who could not get past the profanity, they really missed out. The dialogue and story was Shakespearian, interlaced with historical figures. Really a description of the nature of man. It’s done so well, the minor characters plan huge rolls. My favorite scene is then the Doc is pleading to with god to take the minister.
Dude, obviously Ian McShane is iconic in the role, but I legit got excited thinking about the take Ed O'Neil would bring to it...would've been equally awesome in a different way.
The only problem I had with the movie was that it basically stole from the original material. The chilling of Charlie was basically the same as the killing of Ellsworth.
Was a great show i think it being ended at 3 seasons made it even more special it did not drag on and get formulated. I liked seeing all the bit actors from so many other shows in it.
@@samanthab1923 I remember seeing him in a crowded scene in the movie, only as an extra. Maybe he knows the showrunners or something. I could be wrong on the movie, but I’m 90% sure. It was either at the end or near the end I believe
I don't understand how the doc survived until the movie, in season 3 he had tb but I am glad he made it and it does suck badly Si Tolivers chareter didn't make it. I always wondered why he stabbed Leon at the end of season 3 for no reason that I seen.
I started out a huge fan. The WTF moments were refreshing and incredibly genius at first but by the third season I couldn't make sense of where the heck Milch wanted to take the story. Characters would take one arc and then would follow a completely opposite one. After multiple incredibility moments, I just got disgusted with the whole production. When I heard of Milch's dementia I think I finally realized where the constant and inexplicable script changes had their origin.
They didn't swear like in the show, if they did swear it was more along the lines like Damn You, Go to Hell, and so on. Back in those days curse words were not as vile but were serious nonetheless. In fact most of the swearing could have gotten you shot on the spot so great care was taken. Curses were normally spoken when someone was under the influence which resulted in some very nasty beatings, an/or being shot. The word like F, or FY were most likely never spoken. Although the word F (you know the word) has been around since Roman times. The reason why the director wanted the words to be used in the way they were being used was to reflect the coarse nature of their surroundings along with it's brutality, and also capture the violence that could, and most likely took place where people congregated who were looking for gold, who gambled, and drank all of their findings all the while road agents were attacking quite a few on the roads in, and out of Deadwood. Anyway, the words are used to portray how wild the west was.
Some people will have been turned off that it's a Western. Some by the course language. I think the it's the greatest show in television history, and it ain't close. There are a number of series especially produced by HBO which are masterpieces. Sopranos, Rome, The Wire. But Deadwood stands alone in its genius, and Milch for the way he weaves threads into a grand tapestry. I'll leave it for a few more years, then watch it again with my kids to see their reaction.
I will tell you the truth about Deadwood. Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell makes a cameo in season 3. Only just learned that yesterday. Ive not seen the english version yet and watched all seasons so far in german. Lots of swearing i remember
I stopped watching when the narrator asked “did they really curse that much”? Deadwood was one of the finest shows made. To even ask such a stupid, irrelevant question just frustrated me so much.