Deadwood (2004–2006)

A show set in the late 1800s, revolving around the characters of Deadwood, South Dakota; a town of deep corruption and crime.

Creator:

David Milch

Stars:

Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 16 wins & 48 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Timothy Olyphant	...	Seth Bullock (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Ian McShane	...	Al Swearengen (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Molly Parker	...	Alma Garret (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Brad Dourif	...	Doc Cochran (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
W. Earl Brown	...	Dan Dority (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
John Hawkes	...	Sol Star (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Paula Malcomson	...	Trixie (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Dayton Callie	...	Charlie Utter (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Leon Rippy	...	Tom Nuttall (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
William Sanderson	...	E.B. Farnum (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Robin Weigert	...	Calamity Jane (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Sean Bridgers	...	Johnny Burns (36 episodes, 2004-2006)
Jim Beaver	...	Whitney Ellsworth (35 episodes, 2004-2006)
Jeffrey Jones	...	A.W. Merrick (35 episodes, 2004-2006)
Bree Seanna Wall	...	Sofia Metz (35 episodes, 2004-2006)
Kim Dickens	...	Joanie Stubbs (34 episodes, 2004-2006)
Powers Boothe	...	Cy Tolliver (34 episodes, 2004-2006)
Titus Welliver	...	Silas Adams (27 episodes, 2004-2006)
Peter Jason	...	Con Stapleton (26 episodes, 2004-2006)
Anna Gunn	...	Martha Bullock (24 episodes, 2005-2006)
Larry Cedar	...	Leon (24 episodes, 2004-2006)
Geri Jewell	...	Jewel (22 episodes, 2004-2006)
Ralph Richeson	...	Richardson (19 episodes, 2004-2006)
Keone Young	...	Mr. Wu (18 episodes, 2004-2006)
Garret Dillahunt	...	Francis Wolcott (16 episodes, 2004-2005)

Storyline

The town of Deadwood, South Dakota in the weeks following the Custer massacre is a lawless sinkhole of crime and corruption. Into this uncivilized outpost ride a disillusioned and bitter ex-lawman, Wild Bill Hickok, and Seth Bullock, a man hoping to find a new start for himself. Both men find themselves quickly on opposite sides of the legal and moral fence from Al Swearengen, saloon owner, hotel operator, and incipient boss of Deadwood. The lives of these three intertwine with many others, the high-minded and the low-lifes who populate Deadwood in 1876.

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Plot Keywords:

south dakota | saloon | mining town | female nudity | tough guy | 

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Taglines:

A hell of a place to make your fortune.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History | Western

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

HBO [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deadwood, pueblo corrupto

Filming Locations:

Frazier Park, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

CBS Paramount Network Television, Home Box Office (HBO), Paramount Network Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to a 2004 'Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles' interview with show creator David Milch, when John Hawkes first met Milch to audition for the role of Sol Star, Hawkes told Milch that he was not actually Jewish (unlike both the real-life Star and the "Deadwood" character). Milch's response was to ask Hawkes, "have you ever felt shame or sadness or ostracized?" and when Hawkes responded, "every day," Milch told him, "then you're Jewish."

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Goofs

The series shows Seth Bullock and Sol Starr witness Wild Bill Hickok's arrival in Deadwood, however in reality, Wild Bill arrived in Deadwood two weeks prior to Bullock. Bullock arrived in Deadwood on 1 August 1876, the day before Bill was killed by Jack McCall.

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Quotes

Al Swearengen: Don't forget to kill Tim.

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Connections

Referenced in The Making of 'The Larry Sanders Show' (2007)

User Reviews

They finally got the western right!

Don't get me wrong, there have been great westerns to come before Deadwood, but none of them really got it right. There is just a reality that some people aren't willing to deal that after 50 years of our history being whitewashed through film and TV, we're finally starting to see the truth. David Milch has done his research and discovered the wonderfully bizarre contradiction of languages used in the old west. Watching the cast of Deadwood converse with a combination of old world English laced with profanity straight from the gutter is incredible and feels right for the first time. Where do people think our language came from? People always want to think that they were the first to do something, when things like profanity, substance abuse and prostitution have been around since before man walked erect.

Along with the incredible dialog and storytelling, David Milch has introduced possibly the greatest character to ever come to TV or film...Al Swearengen. Ian McShane plays Al with the same intense conviction and truth that the character himself lives by. In Al's world things are black and white and never apologizes for a second for living his life by a strict code of morals of his own making. I don't think we've ever seen a character go from crying after a mercy killing to watching a murder he orchestrated stone faced.

This is indeed a special show that is continuing to pave the way for the facts of our history to finally be told with truth...Instead of the whitewashing we've seen our whole lives to make us feel better about ourselves.