Of course SFist is of the opinion that The Sopranos is the only good thing that's been on television in the last decade or two. Sure, there's stuff that's entertaining all over TV -- but in more of a "can't turn away from the impending trainwreck" way than a "oh my God, the artistry!" kind of way. But airing after the Sopranos last season was a show called Deadwood, which told the tale of Wild Bill Hickock's death in a territorial mining camp in South Dakota. The screenwriting is incredibly salacious, with sex, drugs and murder abounding in every episode. And we love it!

But why do we bring it up? Because last week's episode introduced a character named Francis Wolcott, and agent for none other than George Hearst -- yes, that George Hearst, father of William Randolph, who purportedly gained control over the San Francisco Examiner by accepting it as payment for a gambling debt. The plot revolved around Wolcott spreading rumors that the camp's claims would be nullified when the territory is annexed in order to buy the lots from panicked local miners on the cheap.

Next week promises another San Francisco subplot, with the local Chinese businessman Wu facing competition from Mr. Lee, a member of the Tong brought in by Wolcott to oversee Hearst's interests in gambling and opium distribution. We're just so happy to see that the writers have pulled the Hearst family "into the s**t," as it were (George Hearst did have shares in the Homestake Mine in South Dakota).

Deadwood airs on HBO Sunday Nights at 9:00pm. If you know where there's a bar that has HBO, let us know in the comments, because we'd love to get together for some bourbon and blue language.