Deadwood: Season 1 (4 Discs) (HB0)

Since the mid nineties HBO has crafted a reputation for creating gritty, realistic drama and despite only lasting for three seasons Deadwood, which certainly justifies its 18 certificate, ranks only just outside its best.

Set in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the 1870's following the richest gold strike in American history the series opens with Seth Bullock (Olyphant) giving up his life as a Montana sheriff in order to make a fresh start elsewhere. This leads him and business partner Sol Star to open a hardware store in the town of notorious town of Deadwood. Unfortunately for Bullock, being a lawman, he finds himself unable to ignore all the chaos and disorder he sees around him, most seemingly perpetrated by saloon and brothel owner Al Swearengen.

Fantastic sets and a terrific ensemble cast help bring creator David Milch's well written scripts to life from the very start of this first season and in Swearengen, thanks in part to an amazing performance by Ian McShane, he has created one of televisions truly memorable bad guys. Of course, as with all great dramas, the distinction between good and bad is often blurred with seemingly honourable people often forced into making decisions or taking actions as a result of unavoidable circumstances. It could be tough to watch at times but as this first season progressed we are given a fantastic insight into the motivations of all the major characters as alliances were drawn and enemies were made setting the scene for the second season.

Since the mid nineties HBO has crafted a reputation for creating gritty, realistic drama and despite only lasting for three seasons Deadwood, which certainly justifies its 18 certificate, ranks only just outside its best.

Set in the Black Hills of South Dakota in the 1870's following the richest gold strike in American history the series opens with Seth Bullock (Olyphant) giving up his life as a Montana sheriff in order to make a fresh start elsewhere. This leads him and business partner Sol Star to open a hardware store in the town of notorious town of Deadwood. Unfortunately for Bullock, being a lawman, he finds himself unable to ignore all the chaos and disorder he sees around him, most seemingly perpetrated by saloon and brothel owner Al Swearengen.

Fantastic sets and a terrific ensemble cast help bring creator David Milch's well written scripts to life from the very start of this first season and in Swearengen, thanks in part to an amazing performance by Ian McShane, he has created one of televisions truly memorable bad guys. Of course, as with all great dramas, the distinction between good and bad is often blurred with seemingly honourable people often forced into making decisions or taking actions as a result of unavoidable circumstances. It could be tough to watch at times but as this first season progressed we are given a fantastic insight into the motivations of all the major characters as alliances were drawn and enemies were made setting the scene for the second season.

if you are a western lover, this series is top of the bill. if you're not into westerns it's nevertheless a very good series that's more than worth a try.
it's like a real western, but served in delicious pieces (episodes).
the story is great, the acting is excellent, good typecasting, lively characters, the vibes are right, .... and all this straight out of the deep west of ol' america.
great tv and a real joy to watch. keep away if you don't wan't to get hooked!

if you are a western lover, this series is top of the bill. if you're not into westerns it's nevertheless a very good series that's more than worth a try.
it's like a real western, but served in delicious pieces (episodes).
the story is great, the acting is excellent, good typecasting, lively characters, the vibes are right, .... and all this straight out of the deep west of ol' america.
great tv and a real joy to watch. keep away if you don't wan't to get hooked!

Whether or not you are a Western fan, you will love this. Dirty, gritty, realistic, outrageously funny, great acting and an amazing set - it's as good as it gets. Season one is by far the best of the three though I would be insane not to advise you to buy them all.

This is perhaps one of the greatest creations on tv. Semi historical with a grounding in real events and characters. The story of the transition of the mining camp of Deadwood into a full fledged town of the US starts with this season. Excellent acting, notably Ian McShane, with a host of well known faces, such as Brad Douriff. A slow burning drama come thriller with agripping plot and characters you believe in. Beautifuly shot and perfectly realised.

One of the best drama productions in the history of the medium. Dozens of fantastic actors, all at the top of their game; writers producing episode after episode of well crafted, complex and involving stories. This is a show for anyone who loves the english language; the writers obviously do, creating complex interplay between a large cast of characters, all of whom are fully drawn and human. Humanity, with all its achievements and flaws is at the centre of this story.

It's difficult to single out any one actor for special praise in such a Company; Ian McShane creates a truly memorable study in villainy, but with such amazing wit, charm and sympathy that he almost makes you forget just how evil he is; Brad Dourif is fantastic as the town's doctor and conscience; William Sanderson is worth the cost of the box set alone, as a scheming none too bright henchman; finally, Robin Weigert plays "Calamity" Jane Canary as a foul mouthed lost soul.

The characters swear like it's going out of fashion. The real historical characters used blasphemy to shock and offend the listener, but this doesn't work today. Apparently the writers originally tried period cursing, but everyone just sounded like Yosemite Sam. The modern profanity is used to elicit the same response from a 21st century audience.

Buy this DVD now if you like intelligent, grown up television that challenges as much as it entertains. If you're put off by the swearing then I'd suggest you never leave your house and type "Terry and June" in the box on the left of the screen.

This show, if it was around when i was about nine, would have been a godsend, as i like to swear and i like to hear swearing of the best calibre. But, the stories are also top notch as are the characters. Invest in this and you'll have a few days of pure television gold. If charlie brooker likes it, its good enough for you. Brooker is a TV critic for the Guardian, and the best in the world. type his name into google and trust his opinions. hes right.

People seem to watch Deadwood and be driven away by the amount of swearing in the script. It's a shame really. If they sat through an entire episode, they would not be able to resist the series.
It is relentless. Completely and utterly relentless. Very rarely does it leave things to the viewers imagination.
BUT. This series has so much more to it than the swearwords. It is one of the most dramatic series' I have ever watched. This is a western show. If you are thinking, no, it does not mean it has cowboys and gun fights (well, it has some gun fights.)
The script is amazing. Some of the metaphors people use are genius, and the monologues are amazing, and well delivered by the actors.
The action when it takes place (almost every episode) is often shown very graphically, brutally and is very believable.
The series also isn't all action. It has some really emotional scenes in it, which I have no interest in ruining for you.

This is a program that will draw you in from the start, leave you quite often in awe, and scrambling through the menu to start the next episode.

You will know instantly, Deadwood is not a nice place to live. At all.
And the main thing I ask myself is:
'Is it bad that I like Al Swearingen?'

Ok admittedly i am a huge western fan so when i heard about this TV series i was without a doubt going to purchase it and what a good decision that was!! Now if you hate swearing i suggest you avoid this because even i was not expecting quite so much of the 4 letter words to come out of the actors/actresses mouths but thinking about it this just adds to the true to life feel of how the west no doubtedly was! The acting is top class i dont think there is a weak link but the actress who plays Calamity Jane steals every single scene she appears in(once again even the women swear a lot in this so be aware). Truly one of the best TV series i have seen in a while but probably not to everyone's liking!