This ‘Deadwood’ Character Death Was a Spontaneous Decision

When fans first tuned into HBO’s Deadwood, plenty of them wondered if it was worth sticking with it past the pilot episode, as the voice of creator David Milch, spoken through his larger-than-life characters, felt somewhat of a chore to take in. For the many who stuck with it, however, it was a choice that was proven to be the correct one episode after episode. The series, which was undoubtedly expensive to produce at the time due to it taking place in the late 1800s, spanned over just three seasons and concluded in 2006. This series’ sudden cancelation and open-ended storylines led to an eventual wrap-up movie, which aired on the cable network in 2019, delighting fans who were anxious to get any new Deadwood material their eyes could feast on. Up until then, all viewers had were rewatches and the occasional behind-the-scenes stories from the show’s actors and crew. However, one of those set stories popped up recently when the show’s star, Timothy Olyphant, visited The Rich Eisen Show.

Like many of the stories that come from Milch’s productions, the main points often stem from a tale about the creator himself. Milch is known to have not only his own filming and writing style for being highly unorthodox with the way he runs a show. When Eisen asked Olyphant if he had any good David Milch stories to reveal from his time on Deadwood, the Justified actor hesitated at first before tiptoeing his way into a surprising revelation. What seemed to be a simple behind-the-scenes tidbit ended up becoming a story important enough to reshape the plot line of the Western series.

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What Happens to William Bullock on ‘Deadwood’?

Those who have seen this groundbreaking Western series know that, just like the real era, this budding South Dakota town was far from safe to live in. As history tells us (and as Milch’s series demonstrated), Deadwood always posed risks for its people. A wrong look or cheating accusation could lead to a bullet with your name on it — that is in addition to the many incurable diseases and unsafe conditions that also plagued frontiersmen back then. However, there was one character in the series who met his unfortunate fate — not because of how the story was originally penned but, according to Olyphant’s story, occurred due to an actor’s on-set family member.

The character of William Bullock plays a significant role in the happenings of Deadwood‘s second season. Deadwood features Olyphant’s Seth Bullock, a new arrival in town, looking to make a living with partner Sol Star (John Hawkes) when he ends up taking more of a police authority role in the budding town. Another unexpected event for Seth is his meeting and subsequent love affair with Alma Garrett (Molly Parker), who suddenly finds herself a widow after her husband is murdered. The beginning of Season 2 throws a wrench into Seth’s storyline as his brother’s widow, Martha Bullock (Anna Gunn), shows up in town with her son William (Josh Eriksson). Seth takes on the responsibility of filling his deceased brother’s shoes, which is surely a surprising turn of events.

As Season 2 moves forward, Seth develops a strong affection towards his nephew William, as the boy is kind, hard-working, and respectful. In fact, the whole town of Deadwood seems to admire the boy, as he and his mother gain more and more popularity and recognition. But in a shocking and sudden turn of events for both the characters and viewers at home, William gets severely injured by being run over by an escaped horse for all the townspeople to witness. It doesn’t take long for William to succumb to his injuries, and he eventually passes away in front of Seth and Martha.

This Shocking ‘Deadwood’ Death Changed the Course of the Series

This moment of a liked child character being killed off was devastating for fans, but perhaps especially for the young actor who suddenly found himself off the series. As for the plot, Seth and Martha go through incredible grief and difficulties before finally finding comfort in each other’s company. This develops into an unexpected love connection between the two, which lasts the rest of the series. These events lead to plenty of interesting and juicy interactions involving Seth’s previous love, Alma, in addition to the effects the accident has on the whole town. As entertaining as this played out, it is now shocking to learn that this entire storyline all stemmed from Milch’s irritation towards an actor’s parent.

When Olyphant joined The Rich Eisen Show, the topic of Deadwood came up. Eisen asked Olyphant if he had any favorite behind-the-scenes stories that involve the unique creator, Milch. Olyphant was hesitant at first to get into the story, at one point realizing he probably shouldn’t have even started it. But after deciding there had been enough time since the production, which started a couple of decades ago, he went right into it — and it was clear that he was talking about the storyline involving William Bullock. “There was a character on the show – perhaps it was a younger character – and there was some brouhaha going on that someone connected to that actor was being a pain in the ass,” he said. As this statement got the ball rolling on the story, Eisen pressed on for more info.

Olyphant went on to explain that there was some “drama behind the scenes” which was clearly affecting Milch — and this led to the creator’s seemingly reactionary decision. According to Olyphant, Milch visited him at his trailer and flat-out said, “We’re going to kill the kid.” Although Olyphant was surely blindsided by this news, his boss explained that the boy’s death was going to be “wonderful” for him, as his character would have a whole new emotional direction. Now that the series is over, that prediction felt like an understatement — it would be safe to call the rest of the season even more of an emotional rollercoaster, with what happens to Seth and Martha’s relationship in the wake of William’s death.

With a series that had it all (including one of the most enjoyable protagonists in TV history, with Ian McShane’s Al Swearengen) it’s funny to learn of all these different types of behind-the-scenes moments after a series is concluded. It’s especially fascinating to hear a story from a show like Deadwood, which concluded so long ago. Although it may have been tough for the young actor to find out his character was being killed off, it’s intriguing that off-camera attitudes resulted in David Milch choosing to explore a different creative direction. At this point, along with the wrap-up movie that brought closure for fans, it’s hard to imagine it going any other way.