10 Deadwood Characters, Ranked By Intelligence

Westerns went out of favor in the 1970s. Wildly popular in the 50s, and 60s, audiences began to turn away from the genre and their output began to recede. Over the past 30 years, there has been the occasional “Oater” that caught the moviegoer’s attention including Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-winning Unforgiven, Tombstone, and Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.

One constant for the genre has been its success on the small screen. Western TV shows have almost always been in fashion, with Gunsmoke being the longest-running television show until Law & Order: Special Victims Unit dethroned it. HBO saddled up with three seasons of Deadwood, a show filled with fantastic characters who used their skills and smarts to survive the lawless town.

10 Calamity Jane

Calamity Jane was historically in love with the wise Wild Bill Hickock. Legend has it that they met back up in Deadwood and rekindled their “romance”. As played by Robin Weigert, Jane is a vulgar, lovestruck, “pistolera” who can hold her own amongst the wild cowboys of the time.

After Wild Bill (Keith Carradine) is killed, she blankets herself in whiskey and loses her strength until she is brought back to reality by Charlie Utter (Dayton Callie). One of the strongest female characters on the show, Jane is present for many historic happenings in the town and plays an important part in its history but sometimes her violent temper causes her to make rash decisions.

9 Dan Dority

Right-hand man to Al Swearengen, Dan Dority (W. Earl Brown) does the dirty work and tries to keep everything and everyone in line in the saloon. Dority is pretty savvy, through his sharp dialogues, for most of the time in dealing with the various characters moving through the town. He carries some clout and gets people to fear him, asserting his place as an important player amongst the citizens of Deadwood.

Dority is to Swearengen as Al  Neri was to Michael Corleone in The Godfather saga.

8 Joanie Stubbs

Joanie Stubbs rolled into town with Powers Boothe’s Cy Tolliver and “ran the roost” over Tolliver’s stable of prostitutes.

Using her world-traveled wits, Joanie assures her place in the town’s growth and handles many situations between Toliver and Swearengen’s warring saloons, preventing too much violence until she finally makes her play for her own life. To get clean of the life she had been living, Joanie was forced to do some bad things, owning the irony of her situation.

7 Cy Tolliver

Powers Boothe’s Cy Tolliver entered the show in season 2 and gave Al Swearengen a run for his money. Tolliver was an educated, suave, and cunning opponent and put his new and nicer saloon right across from Swearengen’s. He seemed to care for Joanie but certain things he did cause trouble in their already creaky relationship.

Tolliver considered himself above most people and certainly above the citizens of Deadwood. His education and class allowed him to outsmart Swearengen on many occasions and nearly ruin him. However, Cy’s ego caused him to underestimate a few people and his stature wasn’t as strong as the show went on.

6 Seth Bullock

While supposedly the (anti) hero of the show, Timothy Olyphant’s Seth Bullock was smart as a whip and became the reluctant sheriff of Deadwood, yet too often let his allegiances vary, causing muddy waters when it came to Bullock doing the right thing.

In trying to do things his way, he causes more trouble for himself with Swearengen and with his estranged wife and with Alma Garrett, the widow of the town. Still, Bullock keeps a powerful presence and ultimately stays as strong as he can, keeping Swearengen and Tolliver from starting an all-out war.

5 Sol Star

Played by John Hawkes, Sol Star came to Deadwood with Seth Bullock to make their fortunes, Becoming a deputy and trying to help his friend walk a sharp path became his full-time duties.

Sol stayed calm during heated situations and usually thought with a level head. Once he fell in love with Trixie, Al Swearengen’s best prostitute (and one that he holds dear), Sol’s smooth vision was beset by violent outbursts and the desire to shoot it out with Swearengen.

4 Trixie

Trixie (Paula Malcolmson) was a young but already world-weary prostitute working for Al Swearengen. Of Irish descent, she had a fiery demeanor that was calmed by her love for Sol Star.

As the show progressed, so did Trixie’s desire for independence and need to be close to Sol. While going through a couple of traumas, Trixie used her pain to teach her to be wiser and began to play Swearengen and his fellow town-runners like pieces on a chessboard, etching out a clearer path to her life with Sol.

3 Al Swearengen

Until Seth and Sol and Wild Bill came to town, Al Swearengen ruled over everyone and everything without much pushback. Anyone who questioned his methods or rules would receive a visit from Dority, who would handle the business. Ian McShane created an instantly classic character who uses his vulgar way of speaking as Shakespeare by way of David Mamet.

Al was extremely smarter than the men who surrounded him and usually, while a mean bastard, would give thought to reasonable requests of the townsfolk. It is when he allows himself to become to flustered by Bullock, to angry and jealous of Tolliver, and too enamored of Trixie that his iron grip on the town begins to slip. The brilliant writing and McShane’s expert performance cleverly play with how the audience sees him.

2 Doc Cochran

Brad Dourif’s Doc Cochran is one of the actor’s finest performances and one of the show’s smartest characters.  Cochran takes no bullshit from anyone and lets them know it. His concern is for the sick, hurt, and dying.

Doc will suffer no fools and show no prejudice as he tends to those in need. His honesty and rightfulness allow the good to recognize him as an ally and warns the bad that he will not be manipulated.

1 Charlie Utter

Dayton Callie’s Charlie Utter is a decent man who, once he becomes your friend, is true and loyal and that is for life. He is in Deadwood with Wild Bill until his death and immediately befriends both Seth and Sol, seeing that their intentions are honest and they are good men.

Utter is the smartest character on Deadwood, as he doesn’t let himself be swayed by his allegiances. If a friend does something wrong he will let them know and try his best to help them see the folly in their thinking. After Wild Bill’s death, Utter helps Calamity Jane find the strength to keep going, as he is heartbroken as well at the death of his best friend but knows they must move forward or they will become casualties of the violent town.