Deadwood Dead?

Variety reports that HBO has let their contractual options lapse on the cast of DEADWOOD, which begins airing its third season in a few weeks. This decision frees the cast to pursue jobs elsewhere,  which strongly suggests that HBO has lost interest in a fourth season of the show before the third season has even aired.

HBO insisted that conversations about future
cycles of "Deadwood" are ongoing, and Milch told the Boston Globe in
the April 30 issue that he had always planned to exit the series after
the fourth season; he has been reported as saying that he’d envisioned
each season as a year, and the actual Deadwood camp was destroyed at
the end of four.

"If a series is successful, the commercial
interest is in keeping it on, even after the creative interest is in
ending it," Milch told the Globe. "With ‘Deadwood,’ my intention is to
end at the end of the fourth season. I can’t speak for anyone else, but
that’s where I’m getting off the bus."

Meanwhile, Milch is busy developing his HBO "surf noir" series with author Kem Nunn. I’ll be sad to see DEADWOOD go…it’s one of my favorite shows.

2 thoughts on “Deadwood Dead?”

  1. Well, hell. It’s one of the best shows on TV…but I can see Milch’s point. I think the Sopranos has about run out of plot juice, even as the actors turn in some great performances, and I’d hate to see Deadwood go that route.

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  2. HBO wanted a fourth season at the beginning of the year, now they don’t? What changed their minds?
    Milch has always said he didn’t want to be a part of the show longer than four seasons anyway. Hopefully it’ll end the way he wanted it to.

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