Set in an ungoverned stretch of South Dakota soon after the 1876 Custer massacre, Deadwood concerns a lawless, evolving town attracting fortune-seekers, drifters, tyrants, and burned-out adventurers searching for a card game and a place to die. Others, particularly women trapped in prostitution, sundry do-gooders, and hangers-on have nowhere else to go. Into this pool of aspiration and nightmare arrive former Montana lawman Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and his friend Sol Starr (John Hawkes), determined to open a lucrative hardware business. Over time, their paths cross with a weary but still formidable Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine) and his doting companion, the coarse angel Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert); an aristocratic, drug-addicted widow (Molly Parker) trying to salvage a gold mining claim; and a despondent hooker (Paula Malcomson) who cares, briefly, for an orphaned girl. Casting a giant shadow over all is a blood-soaked king, Gem Saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), possibly the best, most complex, and mesmerizing villain seen on TV in years. Over 12 episodes, each of these characters, and many others, will forge alliances and feuds, cope with disasters (such as smallpox), and move--almost invisibly but inexorably--toward some semblance of order and common cause. Making it all worthwhile is Milch's masterful dialogue--often profane, sometimes courtly and civilized, never perfunctory--and the brilliant acting of the aforementioned performers plus Brad Dourif, Leon Rippy, Powers Boothe, and Kim Dickens. --Tom Keogh

Deadwood's characters and storyline have me on the edge of my seat every week to see what happens.

And those that are put off by the naughty curse words and violence, all I ask is 'what kind of language and behavior did you expect from a mining camp in the late 1800's?'

This show captures what it would be like, and makes me wish I was there.

The acting is superior. All concerned, from those in the lead roles to those who are "jest passin' through" convey who they are in depth. While some require more than one episode to fully reveal all of the subtleties and nuances that make up the complete person, such texturing exists right from the start.

Some folks have given up on "Deadwood" after watching the initial episode, claiming it was going nowhere at a slow pace. The fact is, there are a lot of individuals introduced in rapid order; as such, they must become familiar and well-established in our minds before their stories can be told in any meaningful way. At such time, they begin to matter to us.

Once we understand who they are and why they are infused with such drive to achieve their dreams and goals (regardless of what it takes and who may suffer along the way), the audience becomes hooked. We care. These people are three dimensional and full of the inner conflicts that all human beings possess. By the time the first season concludes, we can't wait to learn more about the residents of Deadwood, of who thrives and who is victimized. Their individual stories have become both engrossing and very real to us.

Some Internet naysayers have opined that the two saloon/gambling house/whorehouse owners, Al Swearengen and Cy Tolliver, are cut from the same cloth and are virtually identical. I can only imagine that those who claim such a thing have merely glanced at the surface and not dared to delve any further. In fact, the two men are very different people, indeed!

There's one basic (and hugely significant) difference in their characters that becomes apparent as the series develops: Al Swearengen is a pragmatist. His seemingly cold-hearted and often cruel methods are all committed as a matter of course in "doing business." He gets no joy out of it. (And in many cases, Ian McShane's performance is so beautifully layered we get the sense that he is every bit as disgusted by his actions as the viewing audience).

Cy Tolliver, on the other hand, has strong sadistic tendencies. He frequently enjoys the pain and suffering he inflicts on others and seeks to prolong it. While he too can claim it's all a matter of necessity, Powers Boothe successfully conveys that Tolliver often relishes his use and abuse of power. His handling of the two "thieving kids" is proof positive of how pleased he often is with his own barbaric behavior. The motivations that drive the two men (nowadays we would call them out-of-control A-type personalities) are simultaneously identical and contradictory.

"Deadwood" is a one-of-a-kind series. For adults only, it's not for the squeamish. It's also not to be missed.