A western like no other. The HBO series Deadwood premiered on March 21, 2004, and ran for a total of three seasons. Set in the gold mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota, both before and after annexation by the Territory of Dakota, the series was largely a study about how civilization was nothing but organized chaos as shown through the lives and rivalry of saloon owner Al Swearengen and local justice Seth Bullock. Similar to another HBO giant, Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood combined fiction with historical truth, mixing original characters with real-life members of history, including Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill. Violent and compelling, the series is still considered to be one of the best of all time.
However, while Deadwood was beloved by both fans and critics, no amount of praise could save it from getting canceled. The series got the official ax in August of 2006, and the reasons for its abrupt end are as frustrating as one can possibly imagine.
Unlike most shows that suffer from poor ratings or drama from the set, the problems Deadwood faced came from higher up. The show was notoriously expensive, with set design alone taking up a big chunk of change. Showrunner David Milch was also a perfectionist, needing everything to look as authentic as possible. In order to make the show work, WarnerMedia, a subdivision of HBO, had to partner up with Paramount Television to properly produce the series, but the two networks could never get along. Contract disputes and disagreements over profit caused a troubled relationship, and the two finally split before Season 4 could get the green light.
It wasn't just network disputes that got Deadwood off the air, though. Milch the perfectionist wouldn't settle for anything less than what his vision demanded, and refused the initial olive branch the two companies offered him. Unable to reach a satisfying agreement with Paramount, HBO was ready to cut their losses and move on. Instead of a full 12-episode season order, Milch was offered a six-episode final season to wrap up the remaining plotlines, which he quickly turned down.
Milch finally agreed to wrap things up in a two hours series finale in the form of a TV movie, and after many delays, Deadwood: The Movie premiered on HBO on May 31, 2019, providing some much-needed closure for fans. Most of the main cast returned to reprise their roles, with the exceptions of Powers Boothe, Ricky Jay and Ralph Richeson, who all sadly died before production began, and Titus Welliver, who was busy filming Amazon's Bosch.
Deadwood: The Movie picks up a decade after the events of Season 3, with South Dakota celebrating its newly acquired statehood. While not the ending many had envisioned for the series, this final outing did enough to finally lay to rest many of the lingering questions fans had when the series was canceled.