“Justified” is back for a fifth season on Tuesday night at 10 p.m.
Raylan is a U.S. Marshal working in Harlan County, Kentucky. He’s a throwback to a 19th Century breed of lawman both in style and substance. The character was created by Elmore Leonard and showrunner Graham Yost and star Timothy Olyphant have done a great job shaping the tone of the series to be true to the spirit of Leonard’s lean, sardonically funny fiction. The writing is sharp.
The character of Raylan Givens bridges Leonard’s two specialty genres — the Western and the crime story.
”Justified” is probably my favorite TV show. It can be dark, but it’s not as sordid as “Sons of Anarchy” has become. Raylan may be a flawed hero, but he IS a hero, and he’s good company.
Jack Badelaire says
I binge-watched Season 4 on Amazon Instant Video over the weekend. I’d watched it all last year, but I wanted it fresh in my mind going into Tuesday night.
I agree 100% with everything you said. Definitely one of my favorite television shows (although having finally watched “Hell on Wheels”, Justified has competition for best Western-themed show), and I’m really glad that, after four seasons, Justified is still going strong.
John C. says
Haven’t seen the show. He sounds a bit like Earl Swagger. A flawed hero, for sure.
Chas S. Clifton says
Because every time he shoots someone, it was “justified.”
Good series.