10 Reasons You MUST Finally Watch Deadwood
7. The Characters And Ensemble Cast
On its own, Deadwood is an interesting enough setting, but it's the varied cast of regular characters, played by an exceptionally strong (and large) ensemble cast that sets the show apart.
The main protagonist in Deadwood is the explosive Sheriff Bullock (Timothy Olyphant), but there's an extensive list of other important regular characters and real-life historical figures.
There's Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), the proprietor of The Gem, as salty as they come and a regular thorn in Bullock's side. There's E.B. Farnum (William Sanderson), a snivelling, untrustworthy creature and there's Trixie (Paula Malcomson), an outspoken and foul-mouthed "employee" at The Gem.
There are also the good guys like Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie), with his strong sense of decency, the long-suffering Doc Cochrane (Brad Dourif) and, of course, the permanently inebriated Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert) to name but a few.
With so many characters involved, it's a constant testament to the strength of the writing and the ability of the cast that the show never becomes a confusing mess.