Season 1's pilot episode and the Seasons 2 and 3 finales will serve as primers if you don't have 36 hours to watch the entire 2004-06 series before Deadwood: The Movie is released on May 31, says Alan Sepinwall. Do you need to rewatch the entire series before watching the movie? "It would be nice, but time is short and 36 hours of one show is a tough ask in Peak TV," says Sepinwall. "The movie — which takes place about a decade after the show ended — features periodic clips of important moments from the series, which may be enough by themselves to catch you up. Meanwhile, James Poniewozik adds: "If you haven’t already watched the series just watch it, however long it takes, and watch the movie later. It’s not like there are massive spoilers in the movie that will ruin it for you if you don’t watch it live. This isn’t that sort of deal. Also, no insult to the Deadwood movie, but it’s honestly not a film that someone is likely to love and appreciate independently of ever having seen the series. Just wait, it’ll still be there once you’re caught up!"