"Justified" Season 1 (2010): A "TV on DVD" Review

Over the past few years, I have been expanding my DVD collection with various seasons of my favorite television shows. Included in my ever-growing library of TV shows on DVD are NCIS (all 8 seasons thus far); The West Wing (all seasons); The Sopranos (all seasons); Deadwood (all seasons); Dexter (the first two seasons); and Mad Men (the first three seasons).

The most recent addition to my "TV on DVD" archive came last week: Season 1 of Justified, an altogether outstanding and somewhat offbeat crime drama about a Deputy United States Marshal who returns to the area of eastern Kentucky where he was born and reared, and finds out the truth of the Thomas Wolfe's admonition: "you can't go home again…"

Season 1 of Justified first aired on the FX Network in March 2010. The series is based on two novels (Pronto and Riding the Rap) and a short story entitled "Fire in the Hole" by novelist Elmore Leonard. Justified was developed for television by writer/director/producer Graham Yost (Band of Brothers, Boomtown, The Pacific).

Justified stars Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Damages) as Raylan Givens, a modern-day Deputy United States Marshal whose behavior is more like that of a 19^th century sheriff of the Old West than that of the 21^st century law enforcement officer that he is. Raylan takes his job very seriously. His soft-spoken and courteous demeanor masks a fierce, unrelenting intensity; like those legendary lawmen of olden times, Raylan believes that if circumstances require him to draw his weapon from his holster, he will shoot to kill. He dispenses his own style of hardnosed justice that gets him into frequent hot water with his superiors in the U.S. Marshals Service, and puts him into the crosshairs of many of the criminals he is pursuing.

As Justified begins, Raylan Givens, working in Miami, gets himself into big trouble with his bosses after he publicly shoots and kills a notorious drug cartel money launderer and "gun thug." The shooting is justified (hence the series title), but it's an embarrassment to the local Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal. He immediately reassigns Raylan to the Marshals Service office in eastern Kentucky, where Raylan was born and raised. Raylan absolutely does not want to go there, but reluctantly takes the assignment anyway…

In an office where "everyone does everything," meets up with his new boss, Chief Deputy Art Mullen (Nick Searcy). It doesn't take very long for Raylan to get himself into more trouble in his hometown of Harlan, Kentucky. An old friend is the prime suspect in a church bombing, a murder, and a series of bank robberies; an old high school flame has just shot and killed her abusive husband; and Raylan's estranged father may be once again involved in criminal activities of his own…

All this (and much more) makes for a captivating, suspense-filled 13 episodes of one of the best and most original series I've seen in a long time. Everything about Justified is simply superb. Graham Yost did a masterful job of adapting Elmore Leonard's novels and short story into a thoroughly captivating and addictive TV series. Each of the show's characters is complex, multi-dimensional, and fully realized. There are no simple "good guys" and "bad guys" here; Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder are each on opposite sides of the law, but each has good and bad personal qualities. The same holds true for all other characters that inhabit this series.

The acting in Justified is brilliant throughout. Timothy Olyphant, who played Marshal Seth Bulloch in the HBO series Deadwood, adds layers of complexity to the character of Raylan Givens. In Olyphant's talented hands, Raylan comes to life as soft-spoken, courteous, tough, and a man with a wry, sardonic sense of humor. Walton Goggins is equally brilliant as Raylan's arch-nemesis Boyd Crowder. Goggins, who played the obtuse Detective Shane Vendrell in the FX Network crime drama The Shield, begins the series as a supremely intelligent, violently psychopathic white supremacist that bombs churches and robs banks. Halfway through the season, we see Goggins' character as a completely changed man, a born-again Christian fighting against the forces of evil… or is he? Goggins' performance is so good that it's impossible to tell whether or not Boyd Crowder's religious conversion is sincere.

Outstanding performances are also provided by series regulars Nick Searcy as Chief Deputy Art Mullen; Joelle Carter as Raylan's old flame Ava Crowder; Natalie Zea as Raylan's ex-wife Winona; Raymond J. Barry as Arlo Givens; Linda Gehringer as Helen Givens; and M.C. Gainey as Bo Crowder. Also noteworthy are guest appearances by Alan Ruck as Rollie Pike, Chris Ellis as Douglas Cooper, Brent Sexton as Sherriff Hunter Moseley, and Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy.

One of the most appealing features of Justified is its setting. Despite being shot at various locations in Pennsylvania and California, the story is actually set southeastern Kentucky. When we think of modern-day television crime dramas, we usually think of large urban areas like Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Las Vegas as settings. Places like these are most frequently portrayed as scenes of murder, illegal drug dealing, and organized crime. We tend to forget that many rural areas also experience the same types of criminal activity, and law enforcement officers perform just as heroically in these rural settings as they do in the larger cities. Justified's writers, producers, and directors all deserve great credit for the manner in which they skillfully and accurately portrayed the areas around Harlan and Lexington, Kentucky, with great sensitivity and without resorting to stereotype.

MY VERDICT: Simply put, Justified Season 1 is television entertainment at its very best! A slightly offbeat, captivating, and thoroughly addicting show that features outstanding writing, superb acting, and high production values. Don't miss it!

SERIES INFORMATION:

Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, and Natalie Zea.

Broadcast on FX Network

Season 1: 13 episodes, March 16-June 8, 2010; DVD set released November 29, 2010 (Region 2)

Season 2: 13 episodes, February 9-May 4, 2011; DVD set released July 18, 2011 (Region 2)

Season 3: 13 episodes, scheduled for broadcast beginning in January 2012.