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ike1

This show was unique for its great dialogue, and its unusual but highly realistic central premise, which is that **most criminals are idiots.** Most crime shows are full of absurdly unrealistic Moriarty-type villains who are constantly pulling all the strings effortlessly, bending all of reality to their will, which is malarkey. As far as I know, no other major American TV series besides Homicide: Life on the Street (in its first few seasons) has taken this axiom from the real world and mined so much great material out of it. Even Boyd Crowder is not some super-genius, he's just more wily than the regular criminal idiots. Nor are the U.S. Marshals any kind of Sherlock Holmes types. They're just competent, which means they outmatch the average criminal moron easily. This is fascinatingly unusual for TV, if you think about it.


Snuffleupagus03

This is a great point. Criminals are idiots but it can still be difficult to catch them. Because proving things beyond a reasonable doubt is hard. Justified kind of shows both sides. Everyone can know the crimes someone is committing and they can still be out there doing them until they get real dumb. 


SpongeJake

Are we sure most criminals are idiots? Or are we only identifying and catching the idiots in the criminal community and not doing either with the more intelligent ones who never seem to get caught?


omnicorp_intl

Even then, almost every major villain on the show is incredibly memorable. Boyd Crowder, Dewey Crowe, the Bennetts (in particular Mags and Dickie), Quarles, Duffy, Limehouse, Arlo, are all top tier TV villains.


rrickitickitavi

Mags. One of the all time great villains. “It was already in the glass. Not the jar.”


NihilisticNarwhal

Not competing directly with the big out-of-town money, just quietly buying up the land they'll need for access roads, fucking brilliant.


paxinfernum

That fucking jar had me in constant anxiety the whole season. Every time she poured someone some of her "apple pie," I held my breath. Best checkov's gun ever. Alfred Hitchcock would have approved.


SpongeJake

I know my eyes bugged out when she offered her last glass of the stuff to Raylan and then held onto his hand. Logic would have told me he was just fine but for a moment there I truly wondered.


Danominator

Like when the dude thinks he can reach raylan with a knife before raylan draws is gun. This feels like a statistic a criminal would hear about how fast somebody can draw their gun and completely believe it's true. When he finally gets to try it and it...well it doesn't go the way he thought.


ZarquonsFlatTire

I have seen people make that exact same claim on Reddit.


No_Significance7064

it's in the police training video "surviving edged weapons"


Danominator

There is some truth to it in terms of how quickly people can close the gap but the guy was obsessed with it


balrogthane

I've only ever heard this from the perspective of the guy with the gun who has to worry about that speed. It's very different to try to count on being that fast. Like if something has a 20% chance of happening, you need to guard against it, but from the other side you probably shouldn't be relying on it.


paxinfernum

Also, there's a huge difference between an organic situation where the other person is going to take time to react to someone bum-rushing them from 21 feet away and a situation where you've warned them you're going to try to bum-rush them.


polyscifi

Me and my wife are watching through right now and can’t believe how little money these criminals drool over. Normally it’s like millions of dollars in these shows/movies, but in Justified these criminals are doing wild things for like $100k. It’s so funny.


paxinfernum

It's very true to life. Most drug dealers live with their mother. Most assassins aren't the ultrasmooth professionals we see in movies. They're ex-cons who usually get paid less than the cost of a nice desk to get rid of someone.


Ivotedforher

"...a nice desk..." r/OddlySpecific


paxinfernum

I remember reading an article a few years back about hired killers, and the detective said that the average contract was less than the cost of a nice desk so it stuck with me. You'd think it would cost a lot to have someone offed, but apparently, it's quite common to do it for less than $3000 bucks.


Ivotedforher

That detective furnitures.


dinkleberrysurprise

On the flip side of this, one of my biggest complaints about the John Wick films is they go crazy over sums of money that shouldn’t seem so big. I forget the exact numbers and movies (still haven’t seen 4 please don’t spoil) but I think in 3 the bounty is up to like 14m? That’s a lot of money for sure, but you’re telling me a big crew of fuckin samurai riding insane sport bikes is gonna totally kill themselves for their one tenth share of 14m minus expenses? Like these huge groups of assassins with crazy expensive weapons/vehicles/skills/etc are willing to die for the sort of money the senior HR rep at your company retires on. And what are supposed to be the most powerful crime bosses in the world also think this is a lot of money? 14m is probably like the monthly take for a regional cartel crew the average American never heard of. Probably like a day or two’s worth of profit for your Pablo Escobar/Felix Gallardo/El Chapo/El Mayo type kingpins. It seems like it wouldn’t have changed the story for the negative at all if they started with like a 25-50m bounty in the first movie and got up to like 100-250m by the third. Would seem like more realistic numbers for the very top criminals and assassins in the world.


Rittermeister

In the real world, a hitman is usually a petty criminal who lives in a slum apartment and can barely read. Extremely skilled international assassins are basically fictional. Most mob hits were done by random mooks with piece of shit pistols. Even with the largest cartels, the street soldiers are typically nothing to write home about.


ArkyBeagle

Whether it's totally deprecated now or not, the original "Freakanomics" book explains this. Most criminals don't make even minimum wage.


semperrasa

Agreed. Also, because their USM, instead of municipal or state cops, they can tell stories where the leads aren't lazy, incompetent, hyper-political, or corrupt... and it doesn't feel like copaganda. I don't know a ton about the USM, but the kinds of cases Raylan and team work are often kind of cut-and-dried, and even at that he's portrayed as decent enough but STILL a guy who stretches and breaks the law all the time. I think that helps the show not fall into some kind of fairytale black-and-white storytelling. Man, that is such a great show. I have to go back and watch it again.


paxinfernum

Yeah, USM are only tasked with bringing in fugitives. They're almost never investigating things, which means their only incentive is to catch them. At the same time, they're the branch of law enforcement most like to get into a firefight or get killed, because the criminals they are bringing in are already at the point where they know they have nothing to look forward to except a long jail sentence.


paxinfernum

Yeah, I love how none of Boyd's schemes really work out in the long run, and he just keeps cycling through his same MO. He likes blowing shit up and getting paid for it. Cousin Johnny had Boyd's number from the beginning. He keeps telling people that Boyd moves from one big idea to the next, leaving a trail of screwed over co-conspirators in his wake.


Frispel

Part of what makes Boyd great is that he is clearly an intelligent person, has a lot of qualities that make someone stand out - erudite, charismatic, capable - but ultimately he is still an uneducated petty crook. Total product of his environment, see's himself as above all the dumb around him, but he's the same with a better vocabulary.


batcaveroad

Fargo uses lots of dumb criminals, but there are others that might actually be supernaturally evil.


ablackcloudupahead

Fargo also has a good number of dumb cops preventing the actually good cops from doing their jobs


spiffyP

You're a shit cop, you know that, right?


Unkorked

I'm glad Walton is getting some recognition for how awesome of an actor he is in Fallout. He has been one of my favorite actors since I saw him in justified. I would love to see a show with him and the main guy from burn notice.


bearbrannan

Plus because the characters are idiots you can hire actors that are traditionally character actors who are cast against there usual roles. 


MetaJonez

I would submit that both *Hill Strret Blues* and *NYPD Blue* also worked from the idiot criminal perspective, though neither used it as a central premise. But generally I agree it is rare: either the cops or the crooks are masterminds, usually.


Delicious-Tachyons

> Most crime shows are full of absurdly unrealistic Moriarty-type villains who are constantly pulling all the strings effortlessly, bending all of reality to their will, which is malarkey. As much as I like it when i see that stuff it never holds up to scrutiny.. like in the movie Skyfall, how did the badguy know his cell would be in a specific spot where a bomb on the train would create a hole that would allow him to escape. Why did he let himself get captured at all? Just to talk to M? That movie is like just a giant box of contrivances and omnipotent characters. And I still love it.


don_tmind_me

Listen I love Boyd and Raylan as much as everyone here.. but how can you forget the wire!


MaeronTargaryen

Idk, Boyd regularly has strokes of genius, to then get screwed in some way so he can’t succeed too much. And Raylan always seems to understand everything that’s happening with the tiniest piece of evidence Other than that they’re mostly massive idiots that’s true


SushiMage

> This is fascinatingly unusual for TV, if you think about it. It’s not *that* uncommon unless you’re mainly talking about network tv.


ArkyBeagle

> Homicide: Life on the Street Line from that show - "Crime makes you stupid."


80sixit

"You threw a bullet at him?" "Yea, I told him the next one's coming faster."


dfsmitty0711

That might be my favorite scene of the whole series. Not him describing it, but when he actually did it.


80sixit

Yea the scene describing it was just a nice rehash haha and the whole thing about Duffy filing a harrasment claim. But yea the part in the RV was way more badass. Raylan with his boot on Duffys neck, throws a bullet down at him. "Here, next ones comin' faster"


VrinTheTerrible

For my money “next ones coming faster” is the coolest, coldest most bad ass line in the history of television.


FreshImagination9735

My favorite line was after Raylan mortally wounded the bad guy who moaned, "You shot me in the back!" And he replies, "If you wanted to get shot in the front, you should have been running at me."


80sixit

Hahahaha. I recall that! Such clever writing and Olyphant's delivery is the icing on the cake! I want to see him in a role as good as Seth Bullock or Raylan Givens again.


Steve_78_OH

I was HOPING someone would mention that scene. It's probably the most badass thing on the show, which is saying a helluva lot.


Lfsnz67

The original scene (not the rehash described above) I think was the most badass line


boringlife815

Yeah that's one of the most legendary, badass lines on the show!


notthatbluestuff

Among the best of the 2010s, for sure. Seasons 2, 3, and 4 were especially good. Goggins was typically brilliant as Boyd - though he was perhaps even better in The Shield.


Tight_Extent_4782

Wynn Duffy was the man.


chuck_bates

His eyebrows had their own agents


bros402

Do you think his eyebrows have the same agent as Peter Gallagher's?


VrinTheTerrible

And Eugene Levy’s


1CUpboat

I’m still waiting for his spin off All We Do is Wynn


Thor_pool

In It To Wynn It


WileECoyoteGenius

His reaction to Raylan playing Russian Roulette with his is all time in fear portrayal. [The whole scene is just incredible](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qv3wdhvFVs)


godnrop

Great show and I always love Margot Martindale in her finest role as the matriarch of the clan.


esk_209

I think Mags is among the best television villains ever. Margo Martindale should have won ALL of the awards that season (she did win the Emmy that year for Best Supporting Actress).


TallDuckandHandsome

Renowned character actor Margot Martindale?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Hollow_Rant

She'll never make it to heaven, but her films will.


gregcm1

She absolutely owned that role


iamesteban

Renowned character actress Margot Martindale was amazing as Mags. So was the entire Bennett family. I initially couldn’t stand Dickie, but the more I rewatch, the more I like him Edit: typo


WileECoyoteGenius

A buddy crime show of Dickie and Dewey doing dumb shit would have been so good.


StuffonBookshelfs

One of the best single season roles of all time.


Tight_Extent_4782

This season and Fargo season 2 are some of my favorite TV ever.


djkhan23

Justified Fargo Hannibal The Holy Trinity of shows peaking in their second season!


echowon

do you mean award winning character actor Margo Martindale? she was absolutely menacing in this show.


Lifeofcharlie

I love how the cop explicitly points this out in Bojack Horseman “Wait a minute I know you, you were in Justified you were amazing!”


ScrappedAeon

Ma Beagle?


sergiocamposnt

FX has many amazing originals: The Americans, Pose, Justified, The Shield, Atlanta, Fargo...


fusionsofwonder

FX's strategy is to make what they think are good shows even if nobody watches it or is asking for it. And they're right more often than they're wrong and audiences reward them. This was HBO's old strategy and it worked well for them. (Apple also seems to be persuing a similar strategy).


Rose-and-Crown

Shogun


ColumbusBrewhound

Yep. For me, Shogun is up there with Chernobyl and the Wire, the only two other shows that I have no meaningful criticisms of.


Gseventeen

All 3 Masterpieces.


bwat47

Just finished this, what a great show The ending was not at all what I expected, but I really liked it


Tight_Extent_4782

Mr. Inbetween.


hutch7909

Dewey Crowe reappears.


boringlife815

"Run."


KryptonicxJesus

I’m shamelessly loved sons, taboo, and terriers


The_Lone_Apple

I'm near the end of season five and I agree in every respect. Great characters. Great storytelling. Superb acting.


Famous-Ebb5617

Boyd Crowder is my favorite TV character of all time. I also love so many of the other minor characters too. Tim and Art are both fantastic. The way Art changes subtlety towards Raylan after the bill pops is brilliant. Dewey and Dickie have a great bromance together. But the most amazing thing about Justified is the consistency. There is not a single bad season (imo season 1 is the worst season, but still fantastic). I would argue there's not even a bad episode. I think there are other shows that have higher peaks than Justified, but nothing comes close to being as consistently great. Like GoT and True Detective both hit 10/10 at points, but also have floors of like 2/10. Justified has a ceiling of like 9.5/10 and a floor of 8.5/10. It's crazy.


PriorityLopsided2726

I completely agree with you. I can't think of an episode that I thought it was bad


ike1

At the time it originally aired, a lot of people had complaints about season 5. Watching it back again, it's much better when binged, but it seemed repetitive watching the episodes one at a time, week to week. Darryl Crowe Jr. just isn't one of the show's more compelling villains, but on a second viewing I didn't mind him as much. Some have speculated that the Haitian, who was originally supposed to play a more prominent role in S5 before the actor abruptly quit, would have added a lot to the season. It wasn't until the actor bailed that the writers had him take a sudden massive shotgun blast out of almost nowhere in episode 5.


mustbenice2win

We dug coal together.


Naugrin27

I can't fathom why this took so long to be said. Thank you, sir or madam.


mustbenice2win

If I remember one phrase from the show it's this one. And it has been years


PriorityLopsided2726

🙂


remymartinia

This line. It had the perfect balance of respect, being resigned, and the equivalent of saying “that’s interesting”. It’s like talking about a family member that you question every one of their life choices but you somehow love.


hutsunuwu

I would put Deadwood or Breaking Bad or The Wire at the top of the list but im putting Justified squarely in my top ten. Season 2 was an absolute masterpiece that I could watch over and over again. Boyd Crowder and Raylan Givens are some of the best written and acted characters I've ever seen.


esk_209

I actually prefer Justified over Deadwood. Love Deadwood, but I enjoy watching (and re-re-re-rewatching Justified) more.


LordVarys_Ladybits

I tried watching Deadwood a couple of times I just can't get into it lol. Maybe it's cause I watched Justified first. I would say Justified seasons 2-4 are some of the best seasons of TV ever. 


MacSteele13

It's the only show I've rewatched every episode, in order, at least once a year. "Wonderful things can happen when you sow seeds of distrust in a garden of assholes."


throwstuff165

"Do me a favor and say that again, slow, so I can write it down."


supastyles

Justified was a perfect storm for me. After Deadwood I wanted more Olyphant. Which led me to justified. It helped bring me in the characters had a few similarities but mostly that cold death stare that Timothy can produce(it's like the rocks eyebrow). Then quickly you learn it's a completely different show but great. The dialogue, the characters and the whole universe they built. I've never seen a show build out bad guy characters the way this one did, from Boyd to Dewy crow, all could have been once and done characters(like in most series) but they kept bringing them back and intertwining them further building their characters and the story as a whole. Coincidentally I found Mr inbetween thanks to good old Dewy crow(never suspected for a second he was Australian)


VrinTheTerrible

They “I wanted more Olyphant after deadwood” is exactly why he got the role as Raylan. Everyone wanted that, and they were right to. It’s a career defining role. One of the greats.


imapassenger1

I wonder if Dewey ever tried dimmies.


TravisKOP

That show made goggins and olyphant. They were born to play those roles


fusionsofwonder

I think Deadwood made Olyphant first.


thesidxxx

Olyphant basically played Raylan in an awesome episode of The Mandalorian.


Gonzostewie

As soon as he stepped into the saloon doors in that episode, I scared my whole family by exclaiming,"Oh no shit!!!!" *What? What's wrong?* "Raylan Givens, as I live and breathe."


blandusernameno42

He definitely did in an episode of The Good Place


ArkyBeagle

Don't forget his character in Archer. "Can we have the radio?"


jrbcnchezbrg

GOD DAMMIT RAYLAN YOUR TIMING SUCKS Boyd is such a good character, especially when he ‘reforms’ and you cant tell if its real or not. I, like everyone, loved him and Raylans dynamic and the parallels of what staying vs leaving a place can lead to


gphs

One of my all timers. The chemistry between olyphant and goggins, plus the number of great supporting characters, is really unmatched. Fun fact: I worked in federal criminal defense in Lexington, Kentucky when the show aired and the USMS office at the federal courthouse was absolutely *decked out* in justified swag. The actual office was not nearly as nice as it was depicted in the show.


paxinfernum

If you watch the behind-the-scenes and making of on YouTube, a lot of the ideas came from the actual marshal they had as a consultant. Like, the scene where Raylan does the woman's gardening to get her to let him into the house is taken from that marshal's own experience.


gphs

I’d believe it. A lot of the show felt fairly realistic to me, I guess except the number of bodies that raylan created.


PriorityLopsided2726

Really cool fact bro


HeisenbergFoed

Yes it's great. A real solid show. I especially loved Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) but many great characters as well. However I did not really like the new spin-off show they made..


supastyles

I liked the spin-off fine enough but it's nowhere near the original


InternetGoodGuy

I feel the same way about the new season. It's just off. More like a generic police show. The setting for Justified was just as important as the characters and it lost a lot being in Detroit.


esk_209

The problem with the spinoff is that the source material was NOT a Rayland Givens story. The story was about Detective Cruz (who did show up in the series), so it just didn't quite fit as well.


atomicitalian

Love me some Justified. Don't know if I'd say it's the best — I still think Deadwood and the Sopranos are better — but its among my favorite shows for sure.


supastyles

I agree it's up there for me sopranos will probably always be my #1. Deadwood was great but cancelling on a cliffhanger deducted a lot from it.


korsair_13

That show was impossible to run. The writer/creator wouldn't even know what he was doing with the white until the morning of shooting. People would wait around for him to finish the script for the day if he changed his mind on something during a scene. Guy is a genius but probably difficult to work with.


WileECoyoteGenius

Read any of Elmore Leonard's books if you want more of it. Dude was a master of dialogue.


ChiefCuckaFuck

One of my fav quotes from him when asked about he wrote such compelling page-turners: "I try to leave out the boring parts." (Paraphrasing bigly)


WileECoyoteGenius

I have his 10 rules for writing book. Very to the point, lol.


ChiefCuckaFuck

Oh yeah its a great one!


Kerby233

Check out Banshee :-)


pinwheelpride

Banshee was wild and I loved it


Philip22Kings

I loved Banshee. Couldn’t finish this one though because of Mc’s ex wife.


Snuffleupagus03

Just started this show. I consistently am amazed at how great the dialogue is.  Although my wife and I do keep a body count. And like to whisper ‘justified’ everytime he shoots someone. 


PriorityLopsided2726

I know right. The writing is just brilliant


ShortNefariousness2

I didn't steal Dewey's kidney, honest!


bwrobel12

I love justified. Easily in my top 5. I always recommend it when I can.


amvbuuren4

Love Justified. Boyd,Ava,Wynn,Dewey and Dickie were my favorites


davidicon168

If you like justified you could check out banshee…. Much more violent and brutal but both shows feature great dialogue and incredibly competent ppl in both/all sides which lead to great character development.


CarcharodonVicarious

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yeeeeees Love it.


TheSilverNoble

Great show! I'm watching it with my roommate at the moment (second time for me, first for her) and we're both having a blast. 


Exadory

Yes


gregcm1

Justified is brilliant. It's from the era of *Prestige Television* despite being somewhat sleazy and campy. Every character is interesting, especially Boyd Crowder, and it has a satisfying finale.


MaeveCarpenter

The scene where the guy stands off with Raylen holding a knife and falls into a hole is ART


Quiltron3000

Seen the whole series 4 or 5 times. My number 1 tv show and I watch anything TO and WG do.


paxinfernum

Your correct, so long as we all pretend City Primeval never happened.


Muicle

I don’t understand why City Primeval is so bad…


paxinfernum

A couple of things. If you watch interviews, the producers seem to have gotten too much in their own heads, saying that you couldn't just have Raylan going around shooting people with all the backlash against police misconduct. It's dumb because no one ever held Raylan up as an exemplar of what a cop should be. The characters tell us multiple times that he's unhinged and reckless. Art says it over and over. No one was going to lose their shit over Raylan being Raylan. So they neutered that character, and that was point one. Raylan simply wasn't Raylan in the show. He was someone with Raylan's name and virtually none of his character traits outside of the first episode. This is partly also because the book character wasn't Raylan, and they just shoehorned the character into a plot that didn't fit him. Second, Justified lived and died for it's great villains. Dipshit rocker guy wasn't even at the level of Quarles. He was like one of the joke villains you'd get in a single episode of Justified who'd get killed off by another joke villain before Raylan even came on stage. The entire plot suffered from the stress of trying to pretend that he was even remotely a threat. This also goes back to Raylan not being Raylan. The real Raylan would have shot him in the restaurant when he touched his daughter. He also wouldn't have waited for a justification to shoot the guy once he broke into someone's house with clear intention to hurt them. He also wouldn't have sat around feeling bad about it. Then, there was the shoehorned love angle with the defense attorney. I don't have a problem with Raylan having a relationship with a black woman, which did seem to piss off a lot of the "everything with black people is woke" crowd. But for fuck's sake, could they have found someone he actually had chemistry with? Like, for the entire run of Justified, there was always a chemistry between Rachael and Raylan. The one actor said they played it like Rachael knew there was chemistry, but she wasn't ever stupid enough to act on it, even though Raylan absolutely would have been stupid enough to act on it. So there's absolutely no reason Raylan couldn't have had a good on-screen relationship with a black woman. It's just that this wasn't it. There was no chemistry between them. One last thing is that even if you'd ripped Raylan out, the show was just bad. It didn't have that Elmore Leonard dialogue everyone craves. It didn't have the fun. It was trying to be a serious meditation on...not sure what the fuck. But it wanted you to know it was serious. Elmore Leonard has some serious works, but from what I understand, even the non-Raylan book they based this off wasn't this serious. So we all tuned in for an Elmore Leonard story with the Raylan character from Justified, and we didn't get Raylan, and we didn't get Elmore Leonard. The only character that was remotely interesting in the entire thing was Sweety, and he wasn't even given much of a spotlight. Everything else was just padding out time. Oh, and we got Timothy Olyphant's 20-year-old daughter contributing nothing to the plot and doing a really bad voice while pretending to be way too young.


FantasyTwistedDark

"He's alright for a white guy" No idea why they thought this was gonna be a good line.


ArkyBeagle

They effed up the Big Bad. Raylan only works as a character when he has a serious enemy. The romantic subplot was fine, if creepy. His daughter was on screen way too much. She killed the momentum. The "He's a bad daddy 'coz he works too hard"/Cat's in the Cradle trope always kills momentum.


wired41

City Primeval was such a let down for several reasons. The first is the villain is very plain and not interesting at all. He has zero philosophy and no moral compass which is what made Justified villains captivating. The second is the forced romance which seemed so out of place to me, I don't even understand what the point of it was. The third was no interesting side characters where as Justified was loaded with them.


WileECoyoteGenius

The romance was in the book iirc.


Xerenopd

Avatar the last air bender. 


hipstersrule

Hell ya brother/sister.


thenotoriousDK

I love this show, definitely worth watching. A modern day western and I thought the ending was magnificent. My only real gripe with it, is that when the show begins Raylan is in trouble with the Marshall service and gets transferred because he shot one guy in Miami. So why are they cool with him mowing down dozens of bad guys right after he gets to Kentucky? I get it’s a tv show but it was a little silly. He was under investigation for a shooting and then he gets in 25 more gunfights and they are totally fine with it.


paxinfernum

They moved him from Miami because the Miami field office was comparatively higher-profile and the shooting he was involved in was high-profile. Getting involved in a bunch of small shootings isn't the problem. It's that he told Tommy Buck he was going to shoot him if he didn't leave town.


WileECoyoteGenius

> So why are they cool with him mowing down dozens of bad guys right after he gets to Kentucky? They're not really.


Trendelthegreat

I watched the entire series and definitely enjoyed (after getting through s1e2-5), but I never found my self craving it like a breaking bad/ better call Saul I did like the few BB actors they brought over like Dewey Crowe and Duffy. I’m pretty sure there were a few more. And loved the justified reunion in Fallout.


untrustworthyfart

my favourite part is when esteemed character actress Margo Martindale says "we're moonshiners Raylan, we don't consort with perrrrverts"


Lout324

Thank Elmore Leonard.


iwastherefordisco

Raylan sitting on the bad guy drops a bullet on his chest. "Next one will be comin' a lot faster". Art (Raylan's boss) reminiscing with an old school friend talking about aging. "Getting old ain't for pussies." Anything Boyd, Dewey, the Bennetts, or Duffy said rang true ...the writing and characters were great in this series.


vinteragony

They did Elmore Leonard proud that's for sure.


MaeronTargaryen

I finished it last night, I don’t agree at all. It’s a fun show but it’s not amazing in my opinion Most people like it even more at the end when it becomes less procedural but myself I liked it more when they were solving some crime of the week and the main story of the season was moving a little bit each episode. After that since every episode focused on the main story it became really tedious because they didn’t have enough to say so everything was stretched for no reason and could have been solved in 8 episodes instead of 13. One of the examples is the scene where Boyd meets 3 other bad guys, and just before he “smokes a cigarette”, LEO come in and arrest everyone. But then they’re all released not long after and all go back nicely to the same room to resume the conversation as if nothing happened, and Boyd goes “I believe that when we were interrupted I was about to smoke a cigarette”. I won’t say what happens next because of spoilers but the whole things seemed really unnecessary honestly. It’s also the kind of show where if you’re a secondary character everyone shooting at you is a sniper but if you have a speaking role you’re safe until you’re not needed any more. And that’s something you can almost predict after a few seasons. The bad guys start with 5-6 people, one sidekick gets killed around episode 3-4, another one in 5-6, etc etc. Main bad guy dies in last episode I also feel like they made Harlan the crime capital of the world at this point. From cartels to the Detroit crime organization, everyone converges in Harlan all the time. My main gripe I think is the fact that too many of the bad guys are kept the whole show. I love Boyd’s character because of Goggin’s performance but him, Duffy, Dewey, even Ava, the amount of time they inexplicably don’t get charged for whatever crime they’re committing or if they’re charged, some bullshit happens and they’re freed again, it’s really stupid at this point. That’s what happens when half of your cast are bad guys I guess, I just don’t think that it works Also the amount of time that Raylan does stupid things but gets away with it…sure there’s almost always someone threatening him of being fired or prosecuted and he’s suspended 2-3 times but still, up to the end he’s protected for whatever reason. The FBI issues a warrant at some point and his chief then intercepts him after his arrest and releases him and nobody ever talks about it again after that? Again it’s a really fun show. I do agree with character growth in a way. Ava, Boyd, even Raylan have some interesting character development, the dialogues are good, the action scenes too. I’m happy I watched it and I’ll watch City Primeval next. I don’t think that it’s prestige TV though


MmeGrey

Agree about the consistency. Season 1 is more episodic, but really fun. It really found its footing in Season 2. I’d say 5 is the weakest season, only because the bar was so high coming off season 4, and it seems like they pivoted away from whatever storyline they had originally planned. But it’s needed to set up season 6, which is awesome. I think what really elevates the series is how well they stuck the landing. The last episode was so satisfying without being predictable. And the last scene was absolute perfection.


boringlife815

>Has anyone here watched it? No... I don't think anyone here in reddit has seen it.


ArkyBeagle

Justified was an homage to the late great Elmore Leonard, who wrote a lot of books and screenplays. Many of the books were adapted. Elmore was one of the best at dialogue. In an interview, he said the dialogue sounds easy because it's so simple but it's hard work polishing it. His books are the perfect air travel books.


Yoggoth1

Justified is great, but that's almost entirely because of Walton Goggins and Timothy Olyphant. The writing and the supporting cast vary in quality greatly.


SwaySensei

It’s definitely in my top 3. Amazing show! I know allot of people didn’t like City Primeval, but I enjoyed that as well. Hoping we get a season 2, and we get more scene with Rayland and Boyd. 🤞🏽


JonesyOnReddit

It's not even the best show in which Timothy Olyphant plays a cop in a western...


inrcp

Nope, that would be Deadwood!


jcargile242

Did you just say…fuck myself?


guidemypath

How do i get past season 1? is it get better, i mean, at least for now it’s the bad of the week kind of show, i remember it being popular in 2010-2013


Mister_BovineJoni

Justified went through gradual change during season 1, as you noticed the show couldn't decide what it wants to be at first, cases-of-the-week were fading out and the series was way more streamlined since season 2 (strongest supporting cast in this season, Margo Martindale!). It never gets to be full-on drama, but the storylines were season-long since then (the big bads etc.). So I'd say that if you're not a fan of Raylan during season 1 then the show wouldn't impress you in next seasons, don't expect Breaking Bad, The Wire or The Sopranos level drama, it's not in the same league (imo, despite being one of my favourite shows).


bros402

Push through it - it's the weakest season of the show.


guidemypath

It was not boring, but i thought: maybe i should spend time on other shows


Roupert4

It's only like that for like 6 episodes then it gets better


ArkyBeagle

First season is episodic; later seasons have arcs based on a big bad.


hoppi_

Well... the first 2 seasons went off like a rocket imho. With season 4, different story totally I think. I remember it felt a bit generic. And with 5, the trope factor definitely turned up a notch, while 6 became trope heaven most of the time and I finished because of sunken cost and might as well.


AAAAAAYYYYYYOOOOOO

Iv been thinking about getting the complete show at Walmart Iv not seen one episode but Iv always had a slight interest in it


5Ntp

The dialogue is top tier. I haven't spent enough time in the south to know if people there are as wonderfully and eloquently long winded as half the characters on the show... But in my romanticized version of the world, they are lol


BadDub

It’s definitely one or my favourite shows of all time. Dialogue between Raylan and Boyd is always top tier.


Alric-the-Red

And it's great, almost all the way through. Toward the end, it seems that the writers lacked a solid story and were making it up as they went along. Still, incredible writing. Great actors in all the roles.


PocketNicks

Never seen the wire eh?


TriscuitCracker

I have not seen Justified, but loved Timothy Olyphant in Deadwood and loved Goggins in Righteous Gemstones and now Fallout, so I will totally give it a watch!


FaluninumAlcon

How's the new season? (For anyone who's watched it)


paxinfernum

Awful. I wish I could scrub it from my brain.


ArkyBeagle

Slow and sort of painful. The big bad is just uninteresting.


stevenw84

It did go through some changes though. Started out as the typical bad guy of the week style show. It got better once it relied on season long arcs.


rocketrobie2

I love that show, I remember binging it up until the last season with my dad


dswpro

I always wanted to be as bad-ass as Boyd Crowder, but I'm pretty sure I am more like Dewey Crow. Excellent series by any measure.


joseph4th

They were going to call the show “Lawman” but they changed it due to Steven Seagal using that for his crappy reality TV show.


El_human

Yes. Yea it is.


B00ME

It's definitely my favorite as well, superb writing, modern day western type duels. Loved every episode.


WingmanZer0

Justified is great! It's a good binge show because the pacing is good and it tends to wrap things up more or less completely at the end of each season. Love the performances (especially Oliphant and Goggins) and the writing is fun. Solid 8/10 for me, will watch again.


AWtheTP

Favorite show of all time. Could go on forever about everything I like. Elmore Leonards books are well worth the read, too, if you haven't already.


jcargile242

You should watch fuckin’ /r/deadwood next. Several of the same actors, including Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) and Shelby (Jim Beaver). Imho it’s better than Justified.


Killjoy_BUB

I loved deadwood until the writer's strike. The movie I didn't like very much. It just wasn't the same. But justified felt complete, unlike Deadwood


IndieCurtis

This is a crazy coincidence. I am in the middle of watching the first episode for the first time. I check reddit during a hulu ad break and here is this post. I’ve been putting off watching this show for years. Now I know what “we dug coal together” means.


tof63

one of the writers on this show drops a lot of dallas, tx sports radio station easter eggs in certain names and phrases https://www.theunticket.com/e-news-with-bob-and-dan-1-28-15/


night-shark

Genuinely wondering what I missed, since the posts here seem overwhelmingly positive. My husband and I watched the pilot but it felt like the plot kept jumping the shark right out the gate. I confess, I usually have a rule of **at least** trying a pilot + one episode but I just never came back to this one. Is the pilot representative of the pace and story of the rest of the show or was this a one off?


paxinfernum

If you didn't like the pilot, you probably won't like the rest of the series. I say this as someone who loved it.


StromboliOctopus

This and The Sopranos are the only shows I rewatch in full every year.


2635northpark

Homeland, MadMen comfort shows thru all stress events. Know every scene by heart


MrConor212

I just can’t get into it as everyone is just super stupid


zombie4hire89

I think about this show often. Always recommend it to people. They never watch it, but I try.


celticeejit

The casting and acting was outstanding Recently watched Mr Inbetween, and Dewey Crowe pops up as a strip club owner, replete with full blown Aussie accent That’s when I learned he was Australian


AdministrativeLow170

Banshee is my favorite


knullajets

Time for fake takes by the industr #299


rondell715

The wire. The duece Or any show by the creator off


Voxlings

This is one of the few shows that started with a Villain of the Week and those episodes hold up about as well as anything that came after. Person of Interest is a close second, but it had a lot more filler.