David Milch's Faulknerian Return

After the cancellation of his sorely under-appreciated "surf-noir" drama, John From Cincinnati, David Milch looked like he was in trouble. JFC was a big project for Milch—his return to HBO post-Deadwood, which according to various internet rumors I've read was either canceled by HBO or dropped by Milch so he could focus on JFC. After one season, however, HBO decided the ratings weren't there, and never would be, and Milch moved on to a new show, Last of the Ninth, based on the Knapp Commission investigations into NYPD corruption in the early 70s. That show never even aired a pilot, and Milch took a couple of years off to refocus.