Can fans save a show? Well, if they act quickly, try hard enough, and use financial pressure, the answer seems to be “Yes!” When it was announced that HBO would we cutting the wild-west Deadwood series short after three seasons, fans of the HBO series got, well, downright ornery! They signed petitions, took out an ad in Variety (a Hollywood trade paper), sent letters and made calls indicating that they would cancel their HBO subscriptions at the end of Deadwood’s third season (which recently started airing).
As a result, HBO and Deadwood creator David Milch have now come to an agreement. Deadwood will return following the third season… sort-of. Rather than a full-blown 12-episode season to complete the series (which would have been quite costly and now, very difficult to coordinate), HBO and Milch will instead produce a pair of two-hour movies.
But wait, hadn’t HBO previously offered to pay for a six-episode fourth season? How is this better? Milch has said that he wasn’t in favor of doing a six-episode season because each episode of Deadwood has typically represented one day in the lives of the characters and South Dakota area. Shifting to two-hour movies will allow him to break that format and to be able to complete the storytelling he had for the final season. Milch has said that he’s thrilled that they worked out a way to continue Deadwood past the third season.
But what about the series actors that were released from their contracts over a month ago. Can HBO get them back? Though Deadwood cast members have not been signed for the movie projects as yet, it seems clear that HBO intends to do all it can to work out this aspect as well. One source has reported that HBO intends to “make it worth their while.” No doubt. Wouldn’t want to upset these fans . . . 
It is so depressing to think that my favorite tv series is now a rerun (which is better than nothing). I can’t believe that such a high calibre show is cancelled yet reality shows succeed ( Pleeeze no more f***king, c**ks*cking crap.The language issue is mute , ever see Caligula ? There were lots of naysayers to that movie, but it was truth and it was brilliant! History, people ..keep it real or else it is just more hollywood fodder. I believe the dumification of our tv culture is set. How sad, how sad.
I agree the story may not have a lot of remaining ground to cover. However with each episode covering a day in Deadwood would that not leave at least 600 plus episodes for our enjoyment? At least before the main characters move on to other pursuits.
I sure miss the show! I hope we can get the movies at least to offer some type of conclusion.
HBO should continue the series just as it was. But first run the whole series from begining to end. I missed the first part and started from the end of the 2nd season. I was hooked rather quickly. This is the only series that I really enjoyed. If this does return to HBO I hope that it is with all of the original actors.
I have never been more in love with a TV series before Deadwood and was very bummed out when I heard that the series was cancelled & the actors released. But on further study about the actual time & place that the show Deadwood is set in, I’ve concluded that there really isn’t much more story to tell. In the next couple of years along this time line, the Gem burns down….a couple of times, along with a bunch of other buildings. The Gem is rebuilt into a theater of sorts….and burns down, and most of the colorful characters move… Read more »
I have never been more in love with a TV series before Deadwood and was very bummed out when I heard that the series was cancelled & the actors released. But on further study about the actual time & place that the show Deadwood is set in, I’ve concluded that there really isn’t much more story to tell. In the next couple of years along this time line, the Gem burns down….a couple of times, along with a bunch of other buildings. The Gem is rebuilt into a theater of sorts….and burns down, and most of the colorful characters move… Read more »
I have been e-mailing every week since I first heard that the had plans to kill of Deadwood. Unfortunely I’ve been e-mailing HBO. They obviously do not read their e-mails, or they just can’t read period. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be makeing the BIGGEST mistake in HBO history. Deadwood is without a doubt the BEST show on t.v. There is true history being shown with the best actors on television today. What idiots. I’m cancelling HBO. I like Big Love. But not that much.
I travel the world often, and can’t find HBO Deadwood where it’s not greatly sensored, such as in the Philippines. Then I have a hard time seeing each episode. So my solution was tto buy the HBO Deadwood Box Set. Season one had me hooked! The best and most realistically historical show I’ve ever seen on TV. I let friends see my box set and they too were instantly hooked. I have many friends that have boght the box sets 1 and 2. They were super. I wish I could buy season 3 box set now as I missed it.… Read more »
It is quite astonishing that the decision was made so far in advance of the final showing although it appears really well set up for a return. How could Hearst just ride off into the ‘sunset’ without any retribution from Al, Seth and even Johnny who really paid such a high price in the end. The truth is the show has been a storming success here in the UK and how good it was to see an actor who typifies Englishness play the lead as Ian McShane has done but to be honest even the Deadwood set was star quality.… Read more »
I can’t believe they have cancelled Deadwood. Why not cancell something that people don’t care about. I am sick of the games that the networks play.
I remember when a show use to be on for a full season now they can get cancelled after one show. How do you know how a show is going to do if you don’t give it a chanse.
I can’t believe that HBO would even think of canceling Deadwood. I have been watching from the start and know that there is still a lot of story left to tell.
While I really enjoyed the first two seasons of Deadwood, this season was fantastic. Michael Harney as Steve was hilarious, and Gerald McRaney was so creepy. I’ve grown to love some of these characters, and except for the way he spared Trixie, found him even likeable this season. Timothy Olyphant, as always, was great, and the writing was so intelligent. I had to reference the dictionary each week because I wondered how these crass, uneducated people in the late 1800s had a larger vocabulary than most of the college educated people I know. Some of the phrases that came out… Read more »
I just watched the season finale of the best show on television . I don’t understand how HBO couldn’t see that or listen to the fan response when all the talk about cancelling Deadwood was going on. I understand that there is more than likely a lot of other things that can complicate keeping a show on the air. Contract renewal, money issues, and other related topics. It’s just to bad for all the fans. I’m pretty much a TV show junkie and through out the years of my time with television this is one of the best shows I… Read more »
It is real simple. They set the bar and jerk it out from under you.
F**k HBO you suck, first you get rid of Carnivale now Deadwood, and I bet Rome will “cost to much” in the next year or so . You used to set the bar for shows now you follow network t.v. in shutting down good shows because “They cost to much” well now its going to get harder because not only am I going to cancel my subscrption to HBO but I know about 10,000 people in Indianpolis and I’ll do everything I can to get them to cancel, I’ll rent as many billboards that are available in the city to… Read more »
I am so sick and tired of finding a great show to watch and then told it’s going to be taken off the air. Deadwood is by far the best show on TV because it is fresh, different and the only wild west show you can see every week for all those western fans out there. You would think an award- winning show like Deadwood would produce enough funds to keep it going. I’m sick of the hollywood folk making decisions without public opinion. We are ones who make or break shows (and stations) and it is about “f***ing” time… Read more »