Deadwood: Season One (2004)
12 episodes, approx 55 minutes each.
Most of the cast are exceptional, not just some of the principal actors. Ian McShane plays foul-mouthed saloon owner Al Swearengen, the show’s main villain; although nothing is really that black and white in Deadwood. It's undoubtedly the role that McShane was born to play. All thoughts of antique dealer Lovejoy will cleanly wash away.
Although it's Brad Dourif as Doc Cochran that over time became my favourite part of the show. If you’re familiar with Dourif from his film work, then you'll know the power he can bring to a scene.
I want to also mention Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane; she steals most scenes she stumbles into with a lashing tongue and a wicked humour.
The presentation is flawless. The cinematography, particularly in the early episodes, helps it transcend the usual TV limitations. Every inch of the frame is purposefully lit. And it seems like every corner of the burgeoning town bustles with life, so it never feels empty or forgotten.
- The formidable Al Swearengen, saloon owner and professional bastard -
Some viewers will struggle with the period vernacular used, but pay close attention and you shouldn't have too much of a problem. It's certainly much more fascinating than what we use today. The excessive use of profanities isn't there just to offend; although often anachronistic, they help place people socially and are an integral part of characterisation.
Try also to be on the look out for things implied though subtle glances and quiet movement, because what's unsaid is as weighty and as important as what's overtly revealed.
Provided you don't baulk at the use of language, I feel that Deadwood is essential viewing for fans of the Western genre, and anyone who's bored of the seemingly endless slew of procedural crime and terrorist-centric dramas that the US spews out year after year. Alongside the violence, the double dealings and the remorseless aggression are moments of genuine sensitivity, often tinged with sadness, a combination that plucked an opera on my heartstrings during the finale.
- Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), while arguably the weakest of the primary cast nevertheless provides a solid foil for the town's unofficial leader, Swearengen -
