An Early RIP for "Deadwood"

Lame, HBO, tres lame.

Tonight, via Variety, the pay channel announced that "Deadwood" would end its run as a regular series with the one beginning next week and that it would conclude with two 2-hour specials to wrap up the series as a whole. The article gets down to the nitty-gritty of why this happened (short answer: money), but I fear for the channel's future because Swearengen must be pissed.

How odd is it that HBO will allow "The Wire" to have a longer run than "Deadwood". I don't mean to disparage "The Wire", which is probably my favorite current series, but "Deadwood" is still one I watch religiously. It's a wonderful series, with a wonderful cast and a wonderful view into a time we see very little of these days. And now it's in its final leg, tragic.

"Six Feet Under", "Sex and the City" and "Oz"-- all are gone. "Sopranos" has only 8 episodes left. "The Wire" has never been a success with audiences, "Big Love" is untested as its own entity, and a second season of "Rome" is TBA, last I hear. All they really have is "Entourage", really.

HBO better come up with another hit series, quick.