I get about a dozen or so emails a day on myspace and they seem to invariably ask, "Is DEADWOOD coming back?"

On Thursday of last week, my optimism of DWs return was quelled after I had a chance meeting with the show's creator and leader, David Milch. As answer to those Email questions, I wrote a blog about it. As I sit here on the following Monday, my hastily written blog has found its way onto the Web and into a few high profile, legitimate newspapers. Wow.

I thought I might take the opportunity to further expound on what I wrote last week:

My reaction, since day one of DEADWOOD's cancellation, has been to not accept it. I can not accept that something I poured my heart and soul into could be so off-handedly quashed. I can not accept that one of the few shows that, as a fan, I obsessively awaited Sunday nights for could just so suddenly Stop - notice I say "stop" not "end."

It is not just my wounded ego crying out here - I've done crap that I wouldn't recommend anyone sit through. But DEADWOOD was a rare thing. It transcended craft into that rarified air of art - Art on television as hard as that may be to believe. It did not require a Masters degree in compartive literature to appreciate - there was enough sex, violence, and "fucks" to keep even the most cretinous viewer glued to the tube. However, if one did possess an understanding and appreciation of literature, there were numerous layers of meaning and allusions in that show. It was to the tv western what Larry McMurtry's western novels were to the hand-me-down dime-store books of my youth.

Beyond that, it was the most rewarding and pleasurable experience I've ever had working in television and/or film. It was a multi-faceted group of folks that made that show. We were far from being all alike. We covered opposite ends of just about every spectrum of human behavior. However, we all knew we were a part of something special. We set aside personal egos. We set aside lucrative paydays. We gave our all just to be a part of something special. It is very, very rare on a production for there not to be at least one asshole in the cast and/or crew. There always seems to be at least one person whose name you see on the call sheet that makes you dread going to work that day. That was NOT the case on DEADWOOD.

It is ironic that a show which was about the human need for community could actually grow into such a tight-knit community.

Which is another reason its abrupt cancellation was such a slap in the face. Not only did we not get the chance to properly end the story we were creating, but we did not get the chance to say goodbye to one another. I miss those folks.

Some of you have written to me saying that the show was not just David's, that it belonged to us all. In a way, that is true. However, I will say this - without Milch there never would have been a DW to begin with. The writing is the foundation of any great piece of film or theatre. David was DW's alpha and omega. I got the chance to work as a writer on the show and my name is even on one script. However, it was David - not me - that put the final spin on episode 34 that made it fly above being simply a nifty shoot-em-up. The entire staff and every intern contributed to every episode, but in the end, we all got Milched and our stories were the better for it.

For anyone who wants to confront David with the mantra of "the show belongs to us all - not just to you" There is no gauging the response you might get. Catch David in the right mood and he might be contrite. Catch him in the Bad Place and he might kick you in the nuts.

It's like Pete Townsend defending usage of Who songs in commercials, "Fans say, 'those songs are not yours alone they impacted my life profoundly and are therefore a part of it.' Well I say, Fuck You. Guess what? They are my songs. I sat in my bedroom as a kid and wrote them. They are mine to do with as I damn well see fit. And if that means making some money on them, I will if I want to. And I want to."

I'm paraphrasing Pete, but you get the gist.

Milch was quoted in VARIETY as saying "Swearingen was written for Ed O'Neill. If Ed had played the role, DEADWOOD would probably still be on the air."

Several of yall have asked me about that. Well here is what I know - Ian said some things to another person that he regreted saying. In fact, he phoned the person up a few weeks later and apologized.

Here is what I'm guessing - in the interim, Ian's opinions got back to David. David had a phone interview with VARIETY immediately following his hearing of Ian's choice words. He reacted by mouthing off.

Just because one is a great writer or a great actor, doesn't mean one is infinitely in the right. We can all be petty. We can all be mean. We can all say shit that we later come to regret.

Ian is a great actor - Ed O'Neil is too. However, no one could come close to embodying and elevating Al Swearingen like Ian McShane did. Like me, Ian was blindsided by the cancellation of our show. And like me, he isn't entirely over it 16 months later.

David is a genius and I'm not exactly spilling secrets when I say he is also bi-polar and a manic depressive. It is from those dark shadows his genius feeds. I liken him to a shark - they must forever keep swimming against the current, if either takes a moment to stop they will die. David's mind has to obsess on something, else it spin out of control. Luckily for us, it is his writing. His writing keeps him sane. His writing keeps him sober.

Now, a bi-product of that type of mind can be megalomania, narcissism, and cruelty. Sometimes, that's what you get with David. Other times, you get the kind-hearted, caring guy who really does want to foster what is best for his community. He is in constant battle with himself. While I admire him, I wouldn't want to be him. I once said to him, "I've never met anyone with as big a heart as you have that is so full of self loathing." He just sort of nodded... and changed the subject.

There might yet be life left in DEADWOOD. In my naive way, I was hoping that with JOHN... cancelled, DW would instantly spring back to life. When I saw the furrowed brow of Milch, I instantly knew it wasn't going to be that easy. I came home and I started typing.

Ian wants to play Al Swearingen again. Tim wants to be Seth Bullock. As for the rest of the cast -- I know of seven cast members who have new shows premiering this fall. Every single one of them wants to return to DEADWOOD. Almost all of them got their shows because thier producers were big DW fans. I'm sure they would be allowed to spend a few days working on new DEADWOODs.

And that's all I have to say on the subject... until maybe tomorrow. I'm having lunch with Ian and Sean Bridgers (Johnny Burns) next week. If we concoct a new take on things, I'll be sure to let you know. We best open a can of peaches...



Earl