The best kept secret on television is Deadwood, a semi-true story of the lawless town in South Dakota that popped up during the gold rush days of the 1800's. The real Deadwood boasted legendary residents like Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickock. Both figure prominently as characters in the TV series but are far from the only great characters on display.

Perhaps you've heard of the series, but never gave it a look. Or perhaps you were warned by others that the language was so profane as to render it unwatchable. True, the series isn't for anyone under the age of 18, but it must be understood that this semi-historical piece was written to represent the actual dialect and social tenor of the region at that time. Deadwood was a rough place without real law, and gold was on everyone's mind. All the elements for great drama were there. Greed, corruption, deceipt, innocence, morality (or a lack thereof), hope, hate, fear, addiction, murder, jealousy and love. Deadwood truly represents a kind of sociological study of human evolution within a laissez faire society.

It was clear from episode 1 that the new Deadwood series on HBO was something special. By episode 4, I was certain that Emmy nominations/awards were imminent. The show was largely ignored by the Emmys, likely sufferering from a combination of "newcomer syndrome" and overshadowing by The Sopranos. But make no mistake, it was more than worthy with the actors comprising a splendid balance of the familiar and the unfamiliar. Regardless of fame however, there isn't an off performance to be found in the season. Nor is there a grossly derivitive one. The characters are all satisfyingly deep, nuanced and often downright quirky.

The writing, as is the case with most HBO original series, was entirley engaging with a character and rhythm all its own. It is to be savored as a fine wine or concerto. Unlike many adult drama series on the "other networks", Deadwood never loses its momentum. There is no need to manipulate the audience with cheap antics to get them to care week to week. The story, actors and writing take care of that. Each episode flows to the next with amazing fluidity while always maintaining an anticipatory mood.

There is really no need to get into plot points as it would require a review the size of the Deadwood script and would involve spoiling much of the drama that one should experience as purely as possible. Suffice it to say if you enjoy adult themed series such as The Sopranos, you will love Deadwood. Even if you don't like westerns, it won't matter. The acting, writing, and plot are just that good. Give it a chance. You won't be sorry.

This is my nominee for best new drama. This revisionist western will knock your socks off with its fascinating characters and atmosphere. It's May 1876 former Montana marshal Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and his business partner Sol Star (John Hawkes) open a hardware business in the gold-mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota. Deadwood becomes the crossroads for the famous, infamous and the people they kill. Bullock meets Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine) and has a run in with Gem Saloon owner Al Swearengen (Ian McShane). Swearengen lives up to his name; he's a man with the foulest mouth one can imagine and a pretty nasty fellow to cross. McShane's portrayal of Swearengen makes him one of the most complex villans this side of Tony Soprano.

"Deadwood" becomes the nexus for some of the most important figures of the old west creating a great opportunity for storytelling from writer/creator/producer David Milch ("NYPD Blue"). A sprawling, down and dirty revisionist western, the pilot directed by Walter Hill ("Southern Comfort", "Hard Times", "The Warriors") features marvelous performances from Ian McShane, Brad Dourif, Timothy Olyphant, Molly McShane, Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe. Authentic right down to the pig crap, "Deadwood" features the great dialogue, action and storytelling skills we've come to expect from Milch, Hill and the other collaborators on this cable TV series. A warning for viewers--you'll hear a lot of bad words because, well, because Milch feels that folks spoke like that back then.

There may only be 12 episodes included here but they're all high quality. My only complaint is that the series probably could have been packaged with more episodes per disc making the set less cumbersome. The price is a bit steep for what you're getting as well but given the quality of the series, packaging and extras, makes this a worthwhile edition to pick up.

Twelve episodes spread over six discs presented in a high quality anamorphic widescreen presentation, ensures that the image quality of the show is kept sharp, clear and with nice, robust rustic colors. The 5.1 sound mix actively surrounds you in the environment of the old west. Since much of this drama is dialogue based the 5.1 atmosphere comes across most effectively when there's action sequences.

Although this isn't an extra per se, the designing and packaging of this series makes "Deadwood" special right away. One of the best packaged boxed sets I've seen, the box resembles the Star Trek: The Next Generation sets with a sturdy outer box and an accordion fold out holder for the DVDs. It's big, bulky and personally I like the package that way. Sure, it takes up a lot of space but, hey, it's better than some of the flimsy packaging we've seen lately with these expense sets. While there isn't any booklet to tell you about the show, each episode has a brief synopsis of each one. There's also a preview and recap for each and every episode included.

There's a featurette on the making of the show with a generous helping of interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Milch and the cast. Featuring vintage photographs of the actual Deadwood. Milch, the cast and crew appear in the featurette as well discussing the intersection of fiction and reality in this 25 minute glimpse into the inspiration for the show. Milch and his collaborators discuss both the attraction of the town and the mythos that it represented. Essentially a promo piece for the series it also provides a nice introduction to the series with a generous helping of clips from the show. Interviews with local historians highlight the featurette on the real Deadwood. Keith Carradine and Milch interview each other for "The Language of the Old West". There's a number of commentary tracks with Milch and most of the main cast. The quality of the commentary tracks vary quite a bit but all are informative and interesting.

A terrific series well packaged (but you end up paying for the packaging) with excellent extras, "Deadwood" will keep you involved in the petty dealings of saloon owner Swearengen and his conflicts with the residents and prospectors of the town.

This is one of the best shows on Television. The acting and plot lines are mesmerizing. The actor playing the main villian, Al Swearengen, is by far the most interesting character you will see on any type of visual medium. Why this guy didn't win an Emmy is one of the biggest crimes in television history. The one knock on this show is the language. Cursing is used liberally and beyond. At first it takes away from the show, but it eventually calms down and it really seems realistic. If you love westerns and enjoy seeing something new in that genre, you will love adding this to your western collection.