The series is set in the s in Deadwood, South Dakota , before and after the area's annexation by the Dakota Territory , and charts Deadwood's growth from camp to town. The show was created, produced, and largely written by David Milch. The plot lines involving these characters include historical truths as well as fictional elements. Milch used actual diaries and newspapers from s Deadwood residents as reference points for characters, events, and the look and feel of the show.
Deadwood received critical acclaim, particularly for Milch's writing and McShane's performance, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest television shows of all time. After several years of discussion and pre-production, Deadwood: The Movie began filming in October The film is set ten years after the end of the third season and premiered on HBO on May 31, The first book that the show's creator, David Milch, purchased as research for the series was Deadwood: The Golden Years by Watson Parker , a historian who specialized in the history of the Black Hills.
Milch has pointed out repeatedly in interviews that the intent of the show was to study the way that civilization comes together from chaos by organizing itself around symbols in Deadwood the main symbol is gold.
Initially, he intended to study this within Roman civilization the central symbol was to be the religious cross , but HBO's Rome series was already in development and Milch was asked by the network if he could stage the story in another place.
From its debut, Deadwood drew attention for its extensive profanity. The historical accuracy and dramatic intent of its use of obscenities has been the subject of controversy and discussion. The first season takes place in , six months after the founding of the camp, soon after Custer's Last Stand. Seth Bullock leaves his job as a marshal in Montana to establish a hardware business in the gold-mining camp of Deadwood, along with his friend and business partner, Sol Star.
