  cover art   The Complete Second Season  (HBO; US DVD: 23 May
2006)  Review [21.Mar.2005] Review [12.Apr.2004]  HBO’s reign as
the king of serialized drama may be drawing to a close, what
with the end of The Sopranos looming near, the finale of Six
Feet Under almost a year behind us, and only reflected glory
yawners like Big Love arising in their place. Then there’s the
plethora of captivating stories being told on networks
elsewhere—many owing a debt to both of those shows—which
reinforce the idea that HBO, once an innovator, has been
upstaged by its own legacy. With the abrupt cancellation of
Carnivale and the expensive period piece Rome taking two years
to produce between each season, only the Western drama Deadwood
is left to carry the torch.  Now, as it turns out, Deadwood too
might be headed for Boot Hill, as HBO began the summer by
announcing that the show’s third season, beginning June 4, may
be its last. For detractors who never got into the show’s black-
hearted take on the American West, its comple