This rules:


HBO nabs Milch's 'Ninth'

David Milch and HBO are at it again.

Milch has landed his third drama pilot at the pay cable network in five years with "Last of the Ninth."

After his exploration of the worlds of Westerns with "Deadwood" and surfing with "John From Cincinnati," Milch is returning to his "NYPD Blue" roots with "Ninth," a gritty drama set in the New York Police Department in 1972.

"It is about an older detective's mentoring of a young detective returned from Vietnam in a department fiscally crippled, under attack by revolutionaries, and which has been brought by allegations of systemic corruption into public disrepute," Milch said.

Milch and fellow "NYPD Blue" executive producer Bill Clark, a former New York homicide detective, co-wrote "Ninth" before the writers strike. The two, who also worked together on "Cincinnati," will executive produce the pilot, which will be produced after the end of the writers strike.

Milch is a cop drama veteran, having received his start on NBC's "Hill Street Blues" before moving on to co-create ABC's Emmy-winning "NYPD Blue." His short-lived CBS series "Big Apple" also revolved around NYPD officers and their efforts to bring down crime and corruption.

"Ninth" stems from Milch's development deal with HBO, which was extended in August, following the network's cancellation of "John" after its first season.

Just start writing Deadwood again you incredible bastard.

I dropped HBO when they canceled John From Cincinnati, and I won't be adding it back, probably ever. Maybe I'll rent Milch's new series when it comes out on DVD, but maybe I won't bother.

The 1972 angle is an interesting hook here, otherwise I'm not sure if I'd have any interest in yet another cop show.

If it has a great cast like Deadwood count me in.
OT but anybody know what the hell ever happened to that Preacher series? Wasn't that supposed to be on by now?

Sounds like the kind of show I'd like. I'm in. I agree, though. Fuckers at HBO and Milch both screwed us Deadwood fans.

Anything would be better than JfC.

I agree. I thought maybe Milch had burned his bridge at HBO with that lemon, but I'm glad he didn't. Milch + cop show + HBO could be awesome, maybe something like Hill Street Blues meets The Wire.

This is going to sound nuts... but wasn't Frank Serpico a cop in NYC during this time?


ETA: It was 1971 I wonder if he'll deal with the aftermath?

another cop show !!

I'll watch it...IF Ian McShane plays the lead.

Definitely will be tuning in to this -- even though JfC was a gross misfire.

Maybe he'll get Bruce Greenwood for the show. He was totally wasted on 'Cincy'. That was a BAD SHOW.

Even if this gets ordered to series, it probably won't hit air until 2009 at the earliest.

I will murder you people who are knocking John from Cincinnati. Murder!

John from Cincinnati was awesome.

And I'm looking forward to this show as well.

Deadwood gives me hope that this will be great. JFC makes me think this will be pointless and suck. Could go either way.

This probably will be great, and when we all get really into it, it'll be yanked like Deadwood and Carnivale. As frustrating as it is, I guess you just have to enjoy it while you can, and accept that you'll get screwed in the end.

Or conversely....

For myself, I'm starting to treat episodic TV alot like those long fantasy novel series. "Sampling" has become a waste of time. If it's a long, continuous storyline, I'm not even going to *start* it until I know the whole story will get told.

I wish I had the resolve to do that, but I know curiosity will get the better of me...

I would have loved to see the ending of Carnivale or Deadwood, but I definitely do not regret the time I spent watching those serieses.