I know you receive tons of ...
Question: I know you receive tons of questions still on
Deadwood, but the feeling of betrayal just won't leave me so I need to ask: Has there ever been a show with the ratings or the buzz that
Deadwood had that was canceled so that the creator could debut a new show? I know HBO mentioned doing a movie to quell the outcry. But I am starting to get the feeling this was a red herring to calm us and to give
John from Cincinnati a chance. I for one have not watched the show and do not plan on it. I also know many people who feel the way I do. We loved
Deadwood. How is
John doing in the ratings, and is there any chance this show will be canceled so that
David Milch can concentrate on that possible
Deadwood movie? Yes, I know I need to move on, but it is hard with so many great HBO shows gone and this one yanked prematurely.
Answer: I don't remember another circumstance precisely like this, where an acclaimed show was sacrificed at the altar of the show creator's new (and much lesser) project. Not that
Deadwood ever got
Sopranos- or
Sex and the City-level numbers, mind you. I'm always fuzzy when it comes to HBO ratings, but it's fair to say that most of the
John buzz is negative — I certainly couldn't find anyone with anything good to say about it during the weeks I was in Los Angeles last month — and if its ratings were anything to crow about, HBO would be doing so. I haven't a clue if HBO will give
John a second season. Networks like this (and FX, for that matter) can be pretty arrogant when it comes to admitting mistakes. (Even the wretched
Mind of the Married Man got a second season, although to HBO's credit,
Lucky Louie did not.) Even if
John goes the way of the dodo bird, that might not mean
Deadwood gets the greenlight. HBO officials were evasive on the subject at press tour, which isn't a good sign. And logistically, bringing that entire cast together again won't be easy. All in all, I think you'd have to give HBO an F on this one.
