I got my eye on you!

It's the Fourth of July - time for a slight diversion from the usual fare. While everyone is trying to figure out what to do when the Fourth falls on a Wednesday, allow me to bring to your attention a great new show on HBO - John from Cincinnati.

No one really knew what to make of this series when it first began a month ago, but now, four episodes in, it's pretty clear that there's something special about it.

Set in Imperial Beach, California, just north of the Mexican border, the lives of three generations of the legendary, yet dysfunctional, Yost surfing family are affected by a mysterious, seemingly mentally-challenged stranger named John who claims to be from Cincinnati.

Strange and miraculous things begin happening to nearly everyone - that's John to the right in the photo below.


The series was created by David Milch of "Deadwood" fame and "surf-noir" novelist Kem Nunn who both have a hand in the writing, the influence of "Deadwood" clearly being seen in soliloquies by former "Married with Children" star Ed O'neill.

For some time now, "In Praise of Deadwood" has been the working title for a post to pay homage to the HBO series that concluded its third season late last year.

Though not officially canceled, its future is now uncertain as options for the cast and crew reportedly expired last year. Fans may see more of the show on HBO in a different format sometime in the future.

Despite its over-the-top profanity, this program received great critical notice, particularly for the realism that was obvious to anyone who watched a single episode - muddy streets and general lack of sanitary conditions in the 19th century West rarely appear in Hollywood westerns.

Gunsmoke, for example, was very much an idealized version of the Old West where teeth were almost always white and straight and both Matt Dillon and Kitty, the marshal and the saloon keeper, were both prim and proper.

Set in the Black Hills Gold Rush days of the late 19th century the added element of historical relevance to today's world of money and finance made Deadwood all the more fascinating to watch. Unfortunately, the foul language becomes distracting very quickly (making the Sopranos look tame by comparison) and many viewers will not likely get past the first 15 minutes of the first episode.

If you have a chance to catch either Deadwood (either on DVD or in reruns) or John from Cincinatti, it is well worth the time.

Here are a couple of clips from the new show.

John from Cincinnati Promo #6

The Making of John from Cincinnati