Review – Justified

Justified – FX – 10:00pm Tuesday – USA

While Justified may sound like it’s going to be a TV series adaptation of Justin Timberlake’s debut album it’s actually a brand new FX drama starring Timothy Olyphant. I don’t know about you but the words ‘new FX drama’ and ‘Timothy Olyphant’ bring a smile to my face. FX have been on a stellar run lately with their drama output and Timothy Olyphant has been a favourite of mine since he donned a moustache and barely suppressed his rage during the brilliant Deadwood. Just like with The Pacific earlier this week, I probably didn’t need to see Justified to know that I was going to love it; it was always going to be a gimme.

Based on a character created by Elmore Leonard, Justified follows U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens back to his home state of Kentucky after he’s demoted from his position in Florida for killing a man. Joining Olyphant in the pilot are a trio of Hey! It’s Those Guys!: Kevin Rankin from Friday Night Lights and Trauma, Aussie Damon Herriman from Love My Way, and most notably Doug E. Doug. Yes, Doug E. Doug shows up playing a Jamaican preacher. Between Sanka from Cool Runnings appearing in this and Connie from The Mighty Ducks appearing in Parenthood a couple of weeks back I’m wondering what other flashbacks to my childhood I’ll be getting in the coming weeks. Will the cast of Heavyweights make an appearance in something? What about Little Giants? I’m already convinced that Jonah Hill is just Ham from The Sandlot all grown up.

In the pilot of Justified Raylan has to return to his home town in Kentucky to deal with some Nazis in the area, including an old friend of his he used to work with down the mines. Not sure what it is with FX this season but between this and Sons Of Anarchy Nazi skinheads have made a television resurgence. As you would expect from the man who once embodied Seth Bullock, Raylan has a way with folks and sets about sorting out the problem the only way he knows how – with cool detachment and bottled in anger.

A show like this lives or dies on Olyphant’s performance; luckily for Justified he’s just fantastic in the lead. There’s no big hook as with a couple of the other FX series; there’s no bikie gang like with Sons or a brilliantly twisty pilot like with Damages, the draw here really is Timothy Olyphant. As you would expect from material based on Elmore Leonard the dialogue is stellar and there are few shows out there that can make two characters in a room talking to each be so damn compelling. Lines like: “Will you shoot me if you get the chance?” “You make me pull, I’ll put you down.” turn the dialogue into the other star of the show alongside Olyphant.

There was no moment during the episode that made me sit up and say ‘wow’, but it was a damn fine ride all the way through as individual scenes stood out above the episode as a whole. I don’t think this is Deadwood reincarnate as many others seem to be claiming, the focus is too narrow on just Raylan for it to be that sprawling ensemble drama. Justified does however feel like Seth Bullock has been transported to the future and cheered up a tiny bit; and that’s more than a good thing. It’s good to have another solid FX drama series and it’s even better to have Olyphant back on the small screen and back in a Stetson.

Good, Alright, Bad Or Ugly?
Good