With his HBO shows Deadwood and John From Cincinnati, David Milch proved himself adept at cerebral Reconstruction-era yarns, as well as occasionally frustrating stream-of-consciousness dialogue. And as his reward, both of those shows were canceled. But now HBO is making it up to him by signing a new extension deal with Milch, one that not only secures his place as executive producer of the upcoming Luck, it also pairs him with a writer who shares many of his same interests and sensibilities: William Faulkner, who, as a bonus, is dead and therefore can’t get in the way of Milch’s process.