Deadwood starts this weekend on HBO, right after The Sopranos on Sunday night.
Anyone else interested in this? It’s supposedly incredibly gritty and realistic. A western based on historical documents and then spiced up with an HBO “no punches pulled” presentation.
I’m pretty excited, but then again I’m completely in love with HBO’s original programming. Other than the painful “K Street”, they’ve been solid gold - the best TV I have ever had the pleasure to watch. The Sopranos, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Carnivale… I can’t include Six Feet Under on that list because I’ve never watched, but one day I’ll rent it.
SFU is highly recommended, especially the first two seasons. They are rerunning the whole last season right now, just before Sopranos.
I’m very psyched about Deadwood. Timothy Olyphant was the drug dealer in Go, and I’ve loved his work ever since. Plus Powers Boothe, who has carried Western credo since he played Curly Bill in Tombstone. I hope it’s a little surreal, but it’s hard to tell (probably not).
Yeah, from what I understand it’s “just a Western” but they’re really gunning for realism. Sorry for the pun ;)
Gritty, harsh, and based on what I’ve heard, it makes previous realistic Westerns look like pleasant children’s fairy tales. I think they used actual historical documents as source material - they even made sure they got the swearing exactly right.
I think “Deadwood” has potential to be great, but it’s not going to be Carnivale + Tombstone or anything of that sort. Which is fine by me, when I want my weird fix, I can look forward to Season 2 of Carnivale. Which is, to date, my favourite of all the HBO programming.
I’m not even a big Western fan, but HBO’s track record is enough to get me to try it on for size.
/Eph
PS I have every intention of getting into SFU, I just haven’t had the large period of free time to rent the first Season on DVD and plow through it. That’ll probably happen this summer, I suspect, when TV Land goes quiet.
Did they really say fuck and cock-sucker that much in the late 1800’s?
I like the set up. Saloon owner with his hands in a lotta stuff. Ex-lawman carrying out street justice. Wild Bill showing up. Cooky doctor. A butt-load of good character actors. Fun stuff.
The more I reflect the more potential I believe it has. Sopranos/Deadwood, Sunday is going to be my must-see night now.
Well, for what it’s worth, numerous articles in the Sunday New York Times went on about how much David Milch, the series creator, researched the time period including the use of profanity. The articles almost made it sound like he had to sell HBO on the idea of naughty words which just seems odd, all things considered.
Most uses of the word "cocksucker’ evar. I liked the show, but it relied pretty heavily on that one word. It was almost like a Garth Ennis comic, where even little old ladies say “motherfucker” every couple of pages.
Yeah, that was how I felt, but I guess we will get used to it. Remember when it seemed like the characters in the Sopranos cursed more than humanly possible?
They certainly did not stray much from those two words (fuck/cock) so maybe it was all they had. Shit, ass, and son of a bitch must not have been cultivated as swear words until the early 20th century.
Did anyone think the ex-sheriff was too brooding and Eastwood-y? I was afraid he was going to be a little too much like a bad wild west movie charicature after the first few minutes, but in the end I think he pulled it off. Part of his selling me on the portrayal was that great first scene someone mentioned above.
Yeah it was great - “None of you moves until my partner… gets done with… whatever… the hell he’s doing.” I just loved the whole feel of that scene, and the end with Hickok and the others riding out to the massacre site (and with Jane’s late arrival) near the end was really well done.
I wonder if Jane is a bit of overcompensation of being masculine, acting masculine, scripted masculine, or all three. I realize that she’d have to be all a lot of bluster and talk, but at points it’s extremely annoying to see Jane strut around all bow-legged cursing every other word. I guess that’s the point of the character but still…
Good stuff. Remember: it isn’t a true-life Western until someone beats a whore. Tim Olyphant delivered on the intensity I was expecting from him as the ex-Sheriff. Keith Carradine delivered as well as Wild Bill, I really enjoyed the way he’s playing Bill: realizing he’s past his prime, but still as as bad an MF’er as you’d ever want to tangle with. The whole scene at the card table was great “Say it. Say you only outdrew me at poker.” And I like the relationship he’s building with Olyphant. “Was that you or me?” “Pretty sure it was you.” I didn’t know going in that Brad Dourif was the Doc, I like him. And Calamity Jane is hilarious. Also, loving the Scottish and Irish accents.
Early prediction: Mrs. Fancy-Pants goes for Olyphant.
That’s funny. I was thinking as I watched the show last night, You know, I’ll just bet her real personality doesn’t come anywhere NEAR Jane’s Superdyke! persona. Her family is probably laughing their asses off.
“I don’t drink in a saloon where I’m the only one with balls!”
