Cursing cowboys? ‘Deadwood’ was my favorite stream of the week
Cursing cowboys? ‘Deadwood’ was my favorite stream of the week
The HBO series may not be brand new, but its incredible production value and cast deserves a look from any viewer who hasn’t seen it.
It takes time and dedication to dig through the backlog of prestige TV shows from HBO. The channel has been in operation for quite some time, and in the last 20 years, it has churned out a veritable parade of worthy titles, including “The Sopranos,” “Boardwalk Empire,” and a range of others that risk being outshone by HBO’s newer work.
But this week, being unable to escape from a historical fiction kick, I decided to dive into the 2004 series “Deadwood” for the first time. The result was, by and large, a show I think HBO would be proud to put on the air today, and it was my favorite stream of the week.
“Deadwood” is set in a fictionalized version of the South Dakota town in 1876, when it was a hotbed for gold mining and a host of other, sometimes much less savory activities. The series follows the residents of the town as it grows, using dramatized versions of real-life characters and immersing viewers in the feel of an Old West town, stripped of many of the myths that are conjured up with the image.
The immersiveness of the show is where I think it shines the most. At no point during my stream of “Deadwood” did I feel that I was anywhere other than an actual South Dakota town in 1876. The production values of the series are through the roof; the buildings feel new and roughly built, the costumes (and the people) are dirty, and the dialogue is filled with the kind of adult language and terminology that is meant to emphasize the lawless nature of the place.
As far as the mythology of the Old West is concerned, “Deadwood” shouldn’t be taken by anyone as the true version of events in the town. But all too often, titles set in this time and place are drenched with American exceptionalism to the point that it strains credulity. “Deadwood” avoids those pitfalls in many ways, portraying the town’s citizens and their prejudices against Native Americans, Chinese immigrants, and any other type of outsider in a way that feels authentic.
The show’s cast is as extensive as it is outstanding, with special acknowledgement due to Timothy Olyphant (Seth Bullock), Ian McShane (Al Swearengen), Brad Dourif (Dr. Cochran), Paula Malcomson (Trixie), and Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane. As a group, these actors inhabit their characters as well as I’ve seen a cast do in any show, and their ability to do so only adds to the immersive nature of “Deadwood” overall.
The show can get bogged down in its plotlines sometimes, which happens to nearly every HBO show from time to time. Overall, however, it’s one of my favorite televised portrayals of the American West in the 19th century I’ve seen so far. “Deadwood” has three seasons and a film available to stream on HBO Max, and if you are a historical fiction fan who’s new to the show, as I was, I’d say you’ll have a fantastic time with it.
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