Deadwood premieres tonight on HBO – critics clamor for more episodes

Mark Dawidziak joins the chorus of critics arguing that “Deadwood” should be extended by HBO beyond this third a final season:

Let me be the 127th television critic in the country to say, “What in the name of Al Swearengen is HBO thinking?” Memo to HBO executives: “Deadwood” isn’t one of your best programs. It is your best program. Has their thinking become as clear as the mud that covers the streets of Deadwood?

I would have expressed this sentiment earlier, but, until now, I couldn’t find a way of saying it without sounding suspiciously like Ian McShane’s magnificently profane and aptly named Swearengen.

He’s right of course. “Deadwood” is fantastic, and Ian McShane’s Al Swearengen might be the best character on television (along with Ari from “Entourage”). If HBO doesn’t come to its senses and add more seasons, I hope the producers keep Swearengen alive at the end of the series. He could carry some feature films after the series finishes its run.