Tom Lawrence, Black Hills Pioneer | Posted: Friday, July 27, 2007 11:00 pm
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DEADWOOD - Is the brilliant and profane HBO show
"Deadwood," well, dead wood?
Maybe.
HBO officials said earlier this month that they may never make
the two movies that were to wrap the series based on the pioneer
days of the Black Hills gold-mining camp.
"It's doable, but frankly it's daunting," Michael Lombardo,
president of the HBO programming group, told TV critics. "It's
certainly on our books as something we're still interested
in."
"Deadwood" creator David Milch has changed his focus to
the new HBO series "John From Cincinnati," a bizarre tale of a
family of surfers. The only good news is that the surf series
hasn't done very well in the ratings and may not be
renewed.
Lombardo said HBO officials "haven't had a conversation" with
Milch about making the two movies to wrap
"Deadwood."
The bad news is that the cast of "Deadwood" is no longer
under contract and some have signed to do other work. Getting all
of them back on board would be a mighty task.
If that's the case, Milch, who was described as "exhausted"
from his work on the new series, may decide never to complete the
"Deadwood" saga. A former Yale student and teacher who
battled alcohol and heroin addictions, Milch has been a highly
acclaimed writer who has worked on important and popular TV series
such as "Hill Street Blues" and "NYPD Blue."
Milch, who grew up around gangsters who knew his father, a
surgeon, took the rough parts of his life, blended them with
history and used them to create "Deadwood."
"Deadwood" was a sensation when it debuted. The
incredibly foul language, graphic violence and captivating
storyline drew widespread critical praise.
Timothy Olyphant starred as businessman/sheriff Seth Bullock
and veteran actor Ian McShane reached new career heights as the
ruthless yet compelling Al Swearengen. McShane won a Golden Globe
for his role and the series was nominated for 22 Emmys, winning
seven.
The series was closely based on real Deadwood history.
It opened days after Custer's Last Stand in June 1876 and an early
plot line was based on Wild Bill Hickok's short stay in Deadwood.
But the foul-mouthed and charismatic Swearengen, with his 10-letter
adjectives and sharp knife, soon came to the
foreground.
The series was especially popular in South Dakota and was
credited with helping spark interest in Deadwood and
the Black Hills.
"Our Web hits went through the roof when it was on the air,"
said Deadwood Chamber of Commerce Executive Director George
Milos. "Our Internet sales of merchandise went way
up."
Milos said the show let people across the world know that
Deadwood was a real place. It brought tourists to the area
and will continue to do so, he said.
"It's going to be a factor for a lot of years," Milos
said.
He said he and his staff were disappointed to hear the series
may not be concluded.
"Absolutely it's sad news," Milos said.
Adams Museum and House Director Mary Kopco said she is "sad"
about the possible end of the show but hopeful the story will still
be completed.
Kopco, who spent a week on the set of "Deadwood" during
the filming of the second season, said it was an invaluable aid to
the museum and the city. "It showed people the town really
existed," she said. "It's been huge for all of us."
The Adams Museum and House was contacted in May about some
background material for the movies, Kopco said. It was widely
believed the movies would focus on the Sept. 26, 1879, fire that
destroyed most of Deadwood as well as the efforts to rebuild
the town.
But HBO stopped calling, she said.
"I think it's just very sad," she said. "I feel bad for the
cast and the crew and the writers."
She was pleased, however, with news that several "friends" had
been nominated for creative Emmys for their work behind the scenes
of "Deadwood."
Kopco said a change in HBO's top management hurt the show's
chances of returning for a fourth season. Money concerns and
escalating cast salaries were another factor, she said.
"I think that a lot of it had to do with money," Kopco
said.
HBO co-president Richard Plepler said the chance of
"Deadwood" returning for a fourth season is "50-50," a figure
that was echoed by an HBO publicist.
But that's better odds than many would have given for a hit
show about a rough-and-tumble mining camp. "I'm holding out for
it," Kopco said.
