Justified (TV series)


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Justified is an American television drama series developed by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole".[3] Its main character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky, and the hill country of eastern Kentucky, specifically in and around Harlan.[4] Timothy Olyphant portrays Givens, a tough federal lawman, enforcing his own brand of (at times extralegal) justice in his Kentucky hometown.[3]

Justified
Genre
Developed byGraham Yost
Starring
Opening theme"Long Hard Times to Come" by Gangstagrass
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes41 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locations
Running time
  • 38–45 minutes
  • 52 minutes (pilot)[2]
Production companiesSony Pictures Television
Rooney McP Productions
Timberman-Beverly Productions
Nemo Films
FX Productions
Original release
NetworkFX
ReleaseMarch 16, 2010 –
present

Justified premiered on March 16, 2010, on the FX network.[3][5] In Canada, Justified airs on Super Channel.[6] The show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on February 9, 2011.[7] A third season of 13 episodes was announced on March 29, 2011,[8] and premiered January 17, 2012. A fourth season of 13 episodes was announced on March 6, 2012 and premiered January 8, 2013.[9]

Justified has received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for its acting, directing, art direction, and writing, as well as for Olyphant's lead performance. Justified has been nominated for seven Emmy awards as of 2012, with two wins for Margo Martindale's performance as Mags Bennet, and Jeremy Davies' performance as Dickie Bennet.[10]

Plot

Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is something of a 19th century–style lawman in modern times, whose unconventional enforcement of justice makes him a target of criminals and his U.S. Marshals Service bosses alike. As a result of his controversial but "justified", quick-draw shooting of a mob hit-man in Miami, Givens is disciplined by being re-assigned from Miami, to Kentucky. The Lexington, Kentucky Marshals office's jurisdiction includes Harlan County (a hopelessly impoverished, backwoods, coal-mining community in southeastern Kentucky)—which Raylan hates, and thought he had escaped for good, in his youth.

Season 1

The story arc of season one concentrates on the crimes of the Crowder family. Family patriarch Bo (M.C. Gainey) was involved in schemes to control the local Oxycontin and marijuana trades, while his son Boyd (Walton Goggins) seeks to create a recovery group and deal with his family's criminal leanings.

Season 2

Season two deals primarily with the criminal dealings of the Bennett clan. Family matriarch Mags Bennett (Margo Martindale) and her three sons—Dickie (Jeremy Davies), Coover (Brad William Henke), and Doyle (Joseph Lee Taylor)—have taken over the marijuana business on Black Mountain following Bo Crowder's death. This places them in a rivalry with Boyd; Raylan gets involved due to the struggle between the two rival criminal organizations. Meanwhile, an effort by a mining conglomerate to secure access rights to the mountain gets Raylan and Boyd involved on opposite sides of the operation and provokes local backlash against the Bennetts.

Season 3

Season three introduces a new main villain—Robert Quarles (Neal McDonough) of Detroit. The parent criminal organization connected to the Frankfort mafia has exiled Quarles to Kentucky. Quarles begins to muscle in on the local criminals, successfully supplanting them until Raylan begins investigating. Quarles' efforts also bring him into conflict with Boyd's group resulting in the deaths of several local individuals. Simultaneously, Dickie Bennett—the lone survivor of the Bennett clan—seeks the aid of the black residents of Noble's Holler and their leader, Ellstin Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson), in recovering his inheritance. Limehouse attempts to keep his people out of the struggle between the criminal groups but becomes involved when Boyd gets the upper hand on Quarles, leading to a series of betrayals and deaths.

Season 4

Season four of the FX series is centered on an unsolved mystery from 30 years ago that may involve Arlo Givens, who is currently in prison for the murder of a State Trooper. The season opens on January 21, 1983, when a man wearing a defective parachute is found dead in the street. His body is surrounded by bags full of cocaine and an ID for a "Waldo Truth". Shifting back to present day, a worn Raylan Givens attempts to make extra money on the side to provide for his unborn child. Winona, Raylans ex wife, has left him and his relationship with the bartender Lindsey continues. Meanwhile, Boyd Crowder is seeking to expand his criminal empire with the help of his old army buddy Colton Rhodes (Ron Eldard). However, his efforts are complicated by the arrival of a snake-handling revival preacher named Billy St. Cyr (Joe Mazzello). Billy's success is cutting into Boyd's profits, as his users and dealers are getting hooked on faith.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Production

Title

The working title for the series was Lawman.[16] The first episode was referred to as the "Fire in the Hole pilot" during shooting and retains this as the name of the episode itself.[1][17]

Filming

While the pilot was shot in Pittsburgh and suburban Kittanning, Pennsylvania and Washington, Pennsylvania, the subsequent 38 episodes were shot in California. The small town of Green Valley, California often doubles for Harlan, KY. In the pilot, Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center appears on film as the small town "airport" and the construction of the new Consol Energy Center serves as the "new courthouse".[1]

Crew

Graham Yost developed the series for television based on the character U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, from Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole".[3] Both Yost and Leonard are credited as executive producers on the project. Yost is also the series head writer and showrunner. Other executive producers for the series include Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, and Michael Dinner. Dinner also directed the series pilot, the second episode of the first season, and the second season finale.[citation needed]

Theme song

The show's theme song, "Long Hard Times to Come", was performed by the New York City–based Gangstagrass and produced by Rench, and features rapper T.O.N.E-z, Matt Check on banjo, Gerald Menke on resonator guitar, and Jason Cade on fiddle.[18] The song was nominated for a 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Best Title Theme.[19][20]

Reception and awards

The series has been highly acclaimed by critics. The pilot episode that aired on March 16, 2010 was watched by 4.2 million viewers and was the highest debut show for FX since The Shield.[21] On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the first season scored 81/100, the second season scored 91/100, and the third season scored 89/100, all indicating "universal acclaim".

For the first season, the series saw critical acclaim. TV Guide critic Matt Roush praised the show, particularly the acting of Olyphant, stating: "The show is grounded in Olyphant's low-key but high-impact star-making performance, the work of a confident and cunning leading man who's always good company." Chicago Tribune critic Maureen Ryan also praised the series, writing: "The shaggily delightful dialogue, the deft pacing, the authentic sense of place, the rock-solid supporting cast and the feeling that you are in the hands of writers, actors and directors who really know what they're doing—all of these are worthy reasons to watch Justified."

The second season saw universal critical acclaim, Robert Bianco of USA Today praised Margo Martindale's performance, stating: "Like the show itself, Margo Martindale's performance is smart, chilling, amusing, convincing and unfailingly entertaining. And like the show, you really don't want to miss it." Slant Magazine critic Scott Von Doviak praised Olyphant's performance and the writing for this season, observing: "Justified's rich vein of gallows humor, convincing sense of place, and twisty !hillbilly-noir narratives are all selling points, but it's Olyphant's devilish grin that seals the deal."

The third season saw universal critical acclaim, Robert Bianco of USA Today praised this season, writing: "As you'd hope from a show based on Elmore Leonard's work, the plots snap, the dialogue crackles and—to press on with the point—the characters pop."

Justified received a 2010 Peabody Award.[22][23] On July 14, 2011, it was announced that Justified was nominated for four Emmy Awards, all for acting at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards—Olyphant for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "Reckoning", Goggins for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "The I of the Storm", Martindale for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the episode "Brother's Keeper", and Davies for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "Reckoning". On September 18, 2011, Martindale won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and accepted in person at the telecast. On July 19, 2012, it was announced that Justified had been nominated for two Emmy Award at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, with Jeremy Davies receiving a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for the episode "Coalition", and a second nomination for Outstanding Art Direction for a single camera series.[24] Jeremy Davies went on to win Outstanding Guest Actor on September 15, 2012.

Author Elmore Leonard ranks Justified as one of the best adaptations of his work, which includes Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, 3:10 to Yuma and Out of Sight. Leonard also praised the casting of Olyphant as Raylan, describing the actor as “the kind of guy I saw when I wrote his lines."[25]

The DVD and Blu-ray sets were released on January 18, 2011 for season one, January 3, 2012 for season two, and December 31, 2012 for season three.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Owen, Rob (March 15, 2010). "'Justified' another worthy FX offering". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
  2. ^ "'Justified' - Full Episodes - Hulu". Hulu. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d Zogbi, Marina (December 1, 2009). "'Justified' on FX Premiering in March". AOL. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  4. ^ "Justified Official Website". FX. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  5. ^ Poniewozik, James (December 1, 2009). "FX's Former Lawman Gets Justified". Time. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  6. ^ "Justified on Super Channel". Super Channel. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  7. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (May 3, 2010). "Justified renewed". HitFix. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  8. ^ Gorman, Bill. "FX's Critically Acllaimed Hit Drama 'Justified' Gets Third Season Pick Up (Press Release)". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  9. ^ Greg, Braxton (6 March 2012). "'Justified' renewed by FX for fourth season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
  10. ^ http://www.emmys.com/shows/justified
  11. ^ http://screencrush.com/justified-season-4-limehouse-mykelti-williamson/
  12. ^ Justified at Internet Movie Database IMDb.
  13. ^ Mykelti Williamson on Justified
  14. ^ Justified Exclusive: ER Vet Ron Eldard Joins Season 4 Cast
  15. ^ Joe Mazzello Cast in Key Justified Season 4 Role
  16. ^ Seidman, Robert (March 14, 2010). "FX's Original Series Justified Already a Lock To Be Renewed". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  17. ^ Owen, Rob (April 6, 2009). "TV Notes: FX 'Fire in the Hole' pilot on hold". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  18. ^ "Justified Episode Guide". Justified series. FX Networks. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  19. ^ "Underground favorite first rapper in Emmy category". 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  20. ^ "Complete List of 2010 Emmy Nominees". July 8, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  21. ^ Seidman, Robert (March 27, 2010). ""Justified" Scores Second-Highest Series Premiere Ever for FX". Tvbythenumbers.com. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  22. ^ "The Peabody Awards | An International Competition for Electronic Media, honoring achievement in Television, Radio, Cable and the Web | Administered by University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication". Peabody.uga.edu. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  23. ^ http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/70th_short_cites.pdf
  24. ^ Tedeschi, David (September 14, 2012). "The Road to the Emmys 2012". Shoot Online. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  25. ^ Harrison, Stacey. "Elmore Leonard talks about the return of "Justified" and his new Raylan Givens novel". channelguidemag.com. Retrieved January 22, 2012.