HBO finds itself in a position it has never been in before, but that other network executives will recognize with queasy unease: It has inspired viewer wrath for cancelling a series beloved by fans. "Deadwood," probably HBO's most popular series after "The Sopranos," will be buried with its boots still on, a season earlier than expected -- season three, beginning June 11, will be its last, though creator David Milch had heretofore said that he envisioned its storyline running four seasons.

Fans, needless to say, aren't happy, and "Deadwood" is the kind of show that inspires tremendous viewer loyalty and protectiveness -- the show is a genuinely unique piece of work (not just for TV; few films can touch it, as well), making it a rare and precious thing in fans' minds. Responses have come in the form of savedeadwood.net, which helped bankroll an ad in Variety, and hbonomo.com, which threatens HBO where it matters the most: Nearly 450 people have signed with the site, vowing to cancel the service if "Deadwood" doesn't get its fourth season. Not likely enough to get the network to reconsider, but a statement nonetheless.

This does suggest something of a sea change over at HBO, which heretofore prided itself on the cost-be-damned devotion to quality programming. (Perhaps the change began back when the miniseries "Angels In America" cost $60 million but inspired only modest viewer turnout.) In the past, the network has always boasted that it is wildly profitable, and bragged about its autonomy within Time Warner's corporate structure. Either those scenarios are no longer the case, or HBO chairman Chris Albrecht has taken a bizarre misstep. This can only suggest to subscribers that the premium-cable channel is just like the every other network now, and one's favorite HBO shows are subject to the same capricious whims of fate that keep showrunners working elsewhere from sleeping securely. And given HBO's batting average of late -- "Rome," "Big Love" and "Entourage" don't lure the numbers of previous network hits -- chopping up "Deadwood" to feed to the pigs doesn't make much sense.

One reason given for the show's cancellation was its enormous costs, and Milch's perfectionism -- episodes took twice as long to shoot as regular TV dramas, and cost twice as much. But since HBO has already ordered another series from Milch -- the "surfer-noir" "John From Cincinnati" -- it's clearly not too worried about the way Milch operates when putting his shows together. So one wonders at the machinations behind the decision -- Milch was with Paramount when he created the series; did HBO simply not want to continue sharing the show's revenues with another studio?

As one reader and "Deadwood" fan pointed out, "You can see there's something else going on here. People of all strata are becoming disgusted with the rapacious greed that corrodes every area of our lives, including the accessible art that brings relief from everyday anxieties. Maybe we've lost our sense that we can make a difference as citizens in this country, but maybe we've still got some power as consumers."