Al Swearengen better start bribing executives at HBO, or at least threatening them with Mr. Wu's piggies. Hollywood Reporter says it looks like the third season of the acclaimed Western, which returns to the cable network June 11, could be its last.
Although no official announcement has been made, the cable giant has reportedly declined to renew the contracts for the actors on the show. At the same time, Deadwood creator David Milch has begun work on a new series for the network, titled John From Cincinnati, which is being described as "surfing noir."
Deadwood tells the true, yet fictionalized, story of the frontier town of Deadwood, which existed in the Dakota Territory before the US annexed it and created the state of South Dakota. The town is filled with cursing, colorful characters, such as saloon owner Al Swearengen (played by Ian McShane), who serves as the unofficial mayor of Deadwood. Swearengen is the kind of businessman who feeds his opponents to pigs owned by an associate, Mr. Wu.
Deadwood premiered in 2004 in the time slot after The Sopranos, and the duo formed a powerful Sunday punch. When Sopranos creator David Chase took extra time writing and filming that show's sixth season, leaving Deadwood without a strong lead-in, ratings fell.
Milch said from the outset that the show could never last beyond four seasons, as the real town of Deadwood burned down after four years, in 1879.
Comments (23)
I agree with the majority of the previous comments, I love Deadwood, and it needs to finish right. The cast is outstanding, I hate that thier gone. They need to finish the story.
HBO should be boycotted. Everytime they have a great series..i.e. Deadwood, Rome, Carnivale, they cancel it. These shows are great and how dare them tease us with such great story-lines and then cancel them prematurely.
i hope hbo picks it up for the fourth season. let milch complete his show
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http://www.savedeadwood.net <br />
http://www.savedeadwood.net/pledge.htm<br />
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"And you out there who bleed pure DW as I said. I know only you can make the course of history. Shape the destiny of what the masses see. I am in spirit with you but know this I am Heng Dai!" --Mr. Wu, HBO Community Boards
Many Americans have become fed up with the rapacious corporate greed that puts profits before customers in every area of our lives, even in the area of accessible art that gives life some of its finest moments and makes the rest of the day-to-day drek more bearable. <br />
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We have lost some of our sense that we can make a difference any more as citizens, but we still may have some power as consumers. And maybe a successful effort as a consortium of consumers will breed in us the confidence to take something back of our citizenship. In any event, I, too, will be among the thousands cancelling HBO after Season Three of "Deadwood" if there is no conclusion to Mr. Milch's masterpiece.<br />
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Help let "Deadwood" live ... for just as long as it takes its artist/creator to tell his story. Please visit the website at www.savedeadwood.net . It's important to our particular cause, and maybe even to a very much larger one as well. <br />
moreless
Oh this isn't good. This isn't good at all.
If you want to join the effort to save this masterpiece, go to: http://savedeadwood.net/index.htm<br />
for ideas on how to help. There are also plans to organize a "National Cancel HBO Day" for the day after these Yankton fools prematurely end the series. HENG DAI HOOPLEHEADS!
LEAVE THE SHOW ON AND LET THEM FINISH THE CHARACTERS IN THE SEASON AND LET THEM COME TO AN END.
Well, that just bites.
Deadwood requires the fourth series to complete the story.<br />
Yet again money comes before Art.<br />
How to destroy a good series --- Leave the Americans in charge of the finances.
would be a shame to see this show end early.<br />
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Deadwood is the best western on TV and movies that Ive seen to give a realistic look & feel of what the Wild West was really like. Because of this though I must admit I find the show hard to watch LOL as its quite often disgusting to watch and its very hard to find a likable character.
Everyone needs to get off their duffs and raise cane about this. Write HBO and tell them how you feel about the premature cancelation of this great show. You can find contact info on HBO's official website.<br />
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I think there's still a chance to save this thing, but not if people just sit there. Tell them that you'll cancel your subscriptions and refuse to buy anymore DVD's if they do this.<br />
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The people who are responsible for this only care about money, so let's hit'em in their pockets.
South Dakota, not Montana.
Deadwood is a great show. It's really sad to think that it will be gone after the upcoming season. Like others have said, they should do the fourth year and end it with the 1879 fire.
nooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Please we need this WESTERN! It's the last of the Mohicans! It's one of a kind! It's brilliant!
Um, yeah, I'm from South Dakota, and I'm pretty sure that Deadwood was in the Dakota Territory and still exists in South Dakota today. As far as I know, Montana hasn't enveloped any part of South Dakota since South Dakota has been a state.
Give us the another season(4) and let us see Sweagen! reaction!
I'm not surprised they want to "can" it. The writers lost their edge just like they did with Carnivale---what a serious waste.
Give us the last season (4) and let us watch the town burn down!!!!!!!
WHAT???? But they reported that it was renewed for a fourth season just from the dailies of the third season (as yet to be debuted on HBO)!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
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But as for "Milch said from the outset that the show could never last beyond four seasons, as the real town of Deadwood burned down after four years, in 1879," it's not as though they didn't REBUILD, hello?
So third season is not the last one, the need 4 seasons to complete the story!
say it ain't so!!!