When Executive Producer David Milch (John from Cincinnati, NYPD Blue) approached HBO with an idea for a new series, he originally pitched one that was basically about a couple of street cops in ancient Rome. He was turned down. HBO already had something like that in the works. Going back to scratch, the lawlessness wrapped around the founding of Deadwood, South Dakota, appealed to Milch and the idea he developed sold. Deadwood, The Complete First Season, is loosely based on the founding of the mining town. It revitalizes the western genre with no whitewashing of the period and, for those with strong sensibilities, is engrossing for anyone who enjoys westerns or historical drama.

Gold was discovered in Deadwood Gulch in November 1875 and by March of 1876, thousands were swarming the region in hope of hitting the Mother Lode. The first episode opens with Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) resigning his job as sheriff in Montana Territory, to go to Deadwood and open a hardware business with his partner, Sol Star (John Hawkes). Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) owns the Gem Saloon and faces a personnel problem when one of his wh*res, Trixie (Paula Malcolmson), shoots a violent john in self defense. Even the great 19th-century celebrity, Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine), lured to the promise of gold, joins a wagon train with Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie) and Calamity Jane (Robin Weigert) to the mining camp. Hickok, recently married, was there to seek his fortune in prospecting, but succumbs to his old weaknesses of gambling and alcohol instead.

Unlike so many other DVD sets of TV shows, where the regular characters start a new adventure each week and frequently come back to their status quo at the end of each episode, each installment of this serial needs to be watched in order without missing one to fully understand what is going on in the storyline. The story comprises twelve one-hour (approximately) parts.

Many of the episodes used in the plotline follow true accounts of incidents that actually occurred as Deadwood was being settled. For instance, men outnumbered women about 10 to 1. Of the women who came out west, 95% were prostitutes who were in heavy demand. One scam in these boomtowns was to have a removable panel in the wall of a crib (prostitute's "workroom") for an accomplice to use and go through the trick's pockets for valuables while he was being entertained. There were definitely precedents for the accusations against and abuse of Trixie, but there is also documentation of a true occurrence where a soiled dove shot a trick to protect herself. This series also touches on the high suicide rate among prostitutes of the Old West.

Deadwood has a reputation for its excessive use of profanity, but even that has a basis in historical fact. At one point, a local ordinance was passed limiting bad language. One amusing incident arises as Mister Wu (Keone Young), one of the leaders in the Chinese segment of the community, demands satisfaction from "Swijen" when one of his opium couriers is killed by a couple of white men. Wu speaks precious little English, but one of the few words he's learned well is c*cks*cker.

The slaughter of the Metz family, who were on their way back to Minnesota, was based on another true account of a family attacked by road agents. This series also has one of the most accurate dramatic reenactments of the murder of Hickok, as well as the follow-up trial of the coward Jack McCall (Garret Dillahunt). However, one has to keep in mind that the intent of this series is entertainment, not documentary. This show is not a "slave to history," as Carradine puts it. In order to keep the interest of viewers, some factors have been rearranged or altered. For example, history records that Seth Bullock arrived in Deadwood only one day before Hickok was killed and Bullock held the gunslinger in poor regard.

While more than half the cast is based on true historical figures, a few are either composites of a combination of people or completely imagined. Deadwood actually had a few different doctors practicing during its early days, but the series only shows one, Amos Cochran (Brad Dourif). Dourif (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Chain Letter) states that he thought of his character as a composite of Robert Knox, the early 19th-century Edinburgh doctor who accepted the bodies provided to him by the notorious serial murderers Burke and Hare, and an unnamed Civil War surgeon who suffered from combat neuroses. (On the other hand, while Milch was writing the script he was thinking of John Hunter, an 18th-century British doctor who was anxious to dissect the body of a 7-foot-6-inch Irishman before the patient had even died.) Brom Garret (Timothy Omundson) was a fictional character who is representative of many Eastern rubes caught up in the romance of making a fortune in prospecting in the move west. Jewel (Geri Jewell), a cerebral palsy victim who helps out at the Gem, was inserted into the story because Milch wanted to explore how someone with a disability functioned during those pioneer days.

Overall, though, the writing and production values pull together to make an impressive simulation of what life was like in a 19th-century mining town. Swearengen, through his saloon, is looking for money and power and believes the Dakota territory needs to be annexed to the U.S. Bullock and Star are looking to make a profitable living accommodating the needs of miners. Brom Garret's wife, Alma (Molly Parker), confronts her laudanum addiction and learns how to function as "a lady" within the conventions of this society. Cy Tolliver (Powers Booth), a rival saloon owner, competes with Swearengen for influence in the community. Seeing the constant depression of Tolliver's head wh*re, Joanie Stubbs (Kim Dickens), can make anyone sympathize, especially when one considers how few women had much control over their lives in the 19th century. When one installment of this serial finishes playing, a viewer immediately wants to start the next.

The acting is top notch. Olyphant (Live Free or Die Hard, High Life) has convincingly mastered Bullock's penetrating stare, in addition to being a total babe. "If I'd been that handsome," says Milch, "I never would have even tried to make an honest living." It's scary how easily McShane (Death Race, Lovejoy) plays Swearengen. One reading by him was enough to convince Milch to rewrite the character as a Brit, but it was within the realm of possibility. These mining camps saw people of many nationalities.

The only quibble with Carradine (Dexter, Winter of Frozen Dreams) is that he looks about 15 years too old to play the 39-year-old Hickok, but that's a relatively minor complaint compared to everything else that comes with him. Costuming and makeup did a splendid job recreating Hickok's appearance. Carradine was pleased about having enough advance notice to grow his own facial hair for the role because that rarely happens in the film industry. He not only gives Hickok the height and commanding presence needed to make him a convincing gunfighter, but also his weaknesses. Milch had hoped Carradine would be nominated for an Emmy, but the academy selected other nominees.

Weigert (Winged Creatures, Life) deserves special commendation for playing a role as challenging as Calamity Jane so effectively. Jane's alcoholism was not so chronic at this stage of her life, but Weigert's interpretation has to be one of the most accurate to date. William Sanderson (Newhart) is also worth noting as the oily E.B. Farnum.

In addition to the excellent acting of the ensemble were the superior production values. Although the sets were much more expansive than the real buildings found in mining towns, they do have the look. The costumes are much more authentic than those with the clean, simple cuts of those in movies and television during the 1960s. Each character has his own distinct style. Instead of putting all the men in denim jeans, many are wearing suits and hats. Alma actually has dresses with the bustles that were gradually growing in size during the 1870s. The opening theme utilizes instruments that were most prominent in the Old West, but the music is used sparingly as the story unfolds. It is creative and effective at how it draws in viewers.

There are six discs in this box set with approximately 720 minutes of running time and it offers three languages with subtitles, English, French, and Spanish. With one click from the episode menu, each one offers a summary, trailers of what was "previously on" or "coming soon" as applicable, and scene selection in addition to the series' installment. Four episodes have overlapping commentary. The pilot has David Milch; the fourth, "Here Was a Man," combines Carradine and Parker; the fifth, "The Trial of Jack McCall," teams Weigert and Dourif; and the twelfth and last, "Sold under Sin," has Olyphant and McShane. Listening to Olyphant and McShane compete to say something is amusing. As for the special features that accompany Deadwood's first season episodes, are four documentaries totaling over 90 minutes, including Making Deadwood: the Show Behind the Show, The Real Deadwood, The New Language of the Old West, and An Imaginative Reality. It's all packaged beautifully in a box for shelf storage.

Viewers should be warned that this show is definitely rated NC-17, for profanity, violence, nudity, and sex. It all serves a purpose in the storyline, but folks need to be aware that this show was definitely produced for mature audiences. At one point, one of the actors not only does the full monty, but he's also supposed to be in a state of arousal at the time. This is not a show to watch with children and those with delicate sensibilities.

Deadwood, the Complete First Season is riveting viewing for mature audiences and is unlikely ever to be found on commercial television, since it would require too much editing. For anyone who can withstand its gruesomeness and vulgarity, it's worth renting or buying and the time spent watching it. As the show proves, Deadwood is a hell of a place to make your fortune.