5. Deadwood
HBO's Deadwood is a savage western that depicts the very real figures of the American west shot through a postmodern prism, with the characters engaging in rampant sex, swearing like there's no tomorrow (the period vernacular of "tarnation" would seem a bit tame, would it not?) and general debauchery. The man running the show in this emerging town, Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), is a delightfully demented figure, impossibly brutal but also hilarious with his inventive cursing. The show's period detail and famous cast meant that it was not a cheap one to make. HBO proposed to creator David Milch a shorter fourth season to wrap things up; he counter-offered with two TV movies, but the plans stalled and it seems like everyone has now moved on. This
could still happen, but it's extremely unlikely.