Critical Reception
Deadwood received almost universal praise from critics over the course of its three-year run. According to metacritic.com, the third season had near universal acclaim with only one mixed review coming from Newsday's Verne Gay. The praise generally centered on the strength of the writing and Milch's unique style of dialogue. Time Out New York 's Andrew Johnston listed Deadwood in his top ten TV shows for both 2005 and 2006, commenting: "If history is written by the victors, Deadwood is all about giving the losers their due. In the first season, magnificent bastard Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) came off as a villain; this year, his inevitably doomed campaign to save the lawless town from annexation by the United States and exploitation by robber barons served as a brilliant allegory for the evolution of American capitalism." The strength and depth of the casting was cited repeatedly by critics and further substantiated by numerous nominations for best casting in a dramatic series.
Although it did not receive the same level of attention at awards shows as other HBO programs (notably The Sopranos and Six Feet Under), the writers, costume, casting and art direction were repeatedly nominated for major awards. Ian McShane was another major exception to the show's relative anonymity, winning a Golden Globe award in the second season.
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