David Milch has done such an amazing job with Deadwood in every way. The cast is a who's who of veteran character actors that, led by Ian McShane and Kieth Caradine, are truly superior in expression and delivery. The writing is top notch (Milch may be the best dialog writer going), and weaves the facts of the real history of Deadwood Gulch (one of the last American gold rush towns) with a few imagined characters amongst the many based on actual personages to craft and pace the storytelling properly. Milch has said that the underlying theme of Deadwood is the development of order in a culture where laws do not yet exist (Deadwood is in Indian territory, and hence outside of the U.S. proper). It is set in 1877, two weeks have passed since Custer's defeat, and the new town that sprung up on the back of the gold rush is chockablock with foul mouthed characters of all types, either looking to prospect, or service those who are finding the gold. This is by far the best western I've ever encountered. There is a lot of swearing, and the violence that occurs is fairly disturbing, but in my opinion, are necessary to the authenticity of the show. 10 out of 10