We are 10 days away from the 10th anniversary of the premiere of “Deadwood,” David Milch’s revisionist Western and one of the greatest drama series to ever grace this medium.
You all are no doubt familiar with my love of “Deadwood” by now, whether as a chapter in my book or one of the main topics of conversation for the last three summers of the blog as I re-reviewed each episode. Along the way, we were lucky enough to be graced with the presence of Jim Beaver, Keone Young, W. Earl Brown and Garrett Dillahunt, as these alums of the show offered their own memories of each episode, each of them suffused with the passion that comes from having been part of something so strange and so special for too short a period.
Now I have another Beaver-related “Deadwood” reverie for you, in video form. My old partner in crime Matt Zoller Seitz and his frequent collaborator Steven Santos have put together a half-hour documentary about the series, narrated by Beaver, that HitFix is very proud to co-present with the Seitz-edited RogerEbert.com.
Just seeing some of those images again, hearing snippets of Milch’s incredible dialogue, and hearing Beaver’s warm voice discussing the show’s history and genius put a very large smile on my face, and I imagine it will do the same for anyone who loved that show and still dreams of a more proper conclusion. (Though, as I note in my review of the last episode, it really does work as an ending, just not the one Milch might have made had he gotten one more season.)
Enjoy.