Justified (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Justified is an American
television drama series
created by Graham Yost
. It is based on Elmore Leonard
's novels Pronto
and Riding the Rap
and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central 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
. Timothy Olyphant
portrays Givens, a tough, southern-bred federal lawman, enforcing his own brand of—at times—extralegal justice.
Justified premiered on March 16, 2010, on the FX network. In Canada, Justified airs on Super Channel. The show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on February 9, 2011. A third season of 13 episodes was announced on March 29, 2011.
and Washington, Pennsylvania
, the subsequent 12 episodes were shot in California
. 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".
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". Both Yost and Leonard are credited as executive producers on the project. Yost is the series head writer and show runner. Other executive producers for the series include Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Michael Dinner
. Dinner directed the series pilot, the second episode of the first season, and the second season finale.
, produced by Rench and featuring rapper T.O.N.E-z, Matt Check on banjo, Gerald Menke on resonator guitar, and Jason Cade on fiddle. The song was nominated for a 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Best Title Theme.
. The series received a score of 81 on Metacritic.
Justified received a 2010 Peabody Award
. On July 14, 2011, it was announced that Justified was nominated for four Emmy Awards, all for acting - Timothy Olyphant for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Walton Goggins for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Margo Martindale for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and Jeremy Davies for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. On September 18, 2011, Margo Martindale won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television drama series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
created by Graham Yost
Graham Yost
Graham John Yost is a Canadian film and television screenwriter. His most famous works are the hit 1994 film Speed, Broken Arrow, and Hard Rain....
. It is based on Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
's novels Pronto
Pronto (novel)
Pronto is a crime novel written by Elmore Leonard. Leonard introduces three main characters and gets them moving against each other. Harry is constantly reminiscing about World War II. Tommy carries a picture of the old crime boss Frank Costello in his wallet. Raylan is a detective cowboy...
and Riding the Rap
Riding the Rap
Riding the Rap is a 1995 crime fiction novel by Elmore Leonard. It is the sequel to Leonard's Pronto, released in 1993. Like Pronto, Riding the Rap centers around 67 year-old Harry Arno, World War II veteran and book maker, who has been skimming from the mob for decades...
and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens
Raylan Givens
Raylan Givens is a fictional character created by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard.Givens is a Deputy U.S. Marshal and initially appeared in the novels Pronto and Riding the Rap. Leonard later penned the short story "Fire in the Hole". which became the basis for the television...
, a deputy U.S. Marshal
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
and the hill country of Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Mountain Coal Fields
The Eastern Mountain Coal Fields is part of the Central Appalachian bituminous coal field, covering all or parts of 30 Kentucky counties and adjoining areas in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. It covers an area from the Allegheny Mountains in the east across the Cumberland Plateau and...
, specifically in and around Harlan
Harlan, Kentucky
Harlan is a city in Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,081 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 1,880 in 2007. It is the county seat of Harlan County.-History:...
. Timothy Olyphant
Timothy Olyphant
Timothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
portrays Givens, a tough, southern-bred federal lawman, enforcing his own brand of—at times—extralegal justice.
Justified premiered on March 16, 2010, on the FX network. In Canada, Justified airs on Super Channel. The show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on February 9, 2011. A third season of 13 episodes was announced on March 29, 2011.
Plot
Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is something of a 19th century-style officer in modern times, whose unconventional enforcement of justice makes him a target with criminals and a problem for his superiors in the U.S. Marshals Service. As a result of an eager but "justified" shooting of a Miami fugitive while on assignment in Florida, Givens is reassigned to Lexington, Kentucky, in a district that includes his hometown of Harlan, a rural mining town in the east of the state.Main cast
- Timothy OlyphantTimothy OlyphantTimothy David Olyphant is an American actor whose notable roles in television drama series include Deadwood as Seth Bullock, Justified as Raylan Givens, The Office as Danny Cordray, and Damages as Wes Krulik...
as Raylan GivensRaylan GivensRaylan Givens is a fictional character created by American novelist and screenwriter Elmore Leonard.Givens is a Deputy U.S. Marshal and initially appeared in the novels Pronto and Riding the Rap. Leonard later penned the short story "Fire in the Hole". which became the basis for the television... - Nick SearcyNick SearcyNick Searcy is an American actor who currently portrays Chief DeputyUnited States Marshal Art Mullen on FX's Justified. He also had a major role in the Tom Hanks produced miniseries From the Earth to the Moon as Deke Slayton....
as Art Mullen - Joelle CarterJoelle Carter-Early life:Carter was an army brat. Her father was in the Army and the family moved often throughout the United States. She attended high school in Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia, and enrolled at Augusta State University on a full athletic scholarship for swimming and cross-country.-Model...
as Ava Crowder - Jacob PittsJacob PittsJacob Pitts is an actor. His most notable performance was in the film EuroTrip as Cooper Harris. He appeared in the play Where Do We Live at the Vineyard Theatre in May 2004...
as Tim Gutterson - Erica Tazel as Rachel Brooks
- Natalie ZeaNatalie ZeaNatalie Zea is an American actress known for her roles as Gwen Hotchkiss on the NBC daytime soap Passions, socialite Karen Darling on Dirty Sexy Money on ABC and Winona Hawkins on Justified on FX.-Career:...
as Winona Hawkins (episode 2–present, Pilot guest star) - Walton GogginsWalton GogginsWalton Sanders Goggins, Jr. is an American actor best known for his roles on the FX Networks series The Shield and Justified, portraying Detective Shane Vendrell and Boyd Crowder, respectively. He is also known for his character roles in the films Miracle at St. Anna and Predators...
as Boyd Crowder (season 2–present, season 1 recurring)
Recurring cast
- Joseph Lyle Taylor as Doyle Bennet (season 2)
- Jeremy DaviesJeremy DaviesFather Jeremy Davies , an English Roman Catholic priest whose parish is based around Old Hall Green, is a former doctor and also a leading exorcist....
as Dickie Bennet (season 2–present) - Margo MartindaleMargo MartindaleMargo Martindale is an American stage, television and film actress. In 2011, Martindale won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Mags Bennett on Justified.-Early life:...
as Mags Bennet (season 2) - Brad William HenkeBrad William HenkeBrad William Henke is an American actor.-Biography:Henke was born in Columbus, Nebraska. He starred in October Road and in the movies Around June with Samaire Armstrong and Jon Gries, The Amateurs with Jeff Bridges and Tim Blake Nelson, In the Valley of Elah with Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize...
as Coover Bennet (season 2) - Raymond J. BarryRaymond J. BarryRaymond John Barry is an American film, television and stage actor.-Personal life:Raymond John Barry was born in Hempstead, New York . His father, Raymond Barry, worked in sales. His mother, Barbara Barry , was also an actor, known professionally as B. Constance Barry...
as Arlo Givens (season 1-present) - David Meunier as Johnny Crowder (season 1-present)
- Kaitlyn DeverKaitlyn DeverKaitlyn Dever is an American actress. She is best known for her role as a Gwen Thompson in the American Girl film entitled An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong, Loretta McCready in Justified and as Eve Baxter in Last Man Standing....
as Loretta McCready (season 2) - Damon HerrimanDamon HerrimanDamon Herriman is an Australian actor who is best known for his role in drama series Love My Way.Damon Herriman was born in Adelaide, South Australia. He began acting in local television commercials at the age of eight, but it was not until he was cast as Frank Errol in The Sullivans two years...
as Dewey Crowe (season 1-present) - Carla GuginoCarla GuginoCarla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
as Karen Goodall (season 3) - Neal McDonoughNeal McDonoughNeal P. McDonough is an American film, television and voice actor.-Career:In 1991, McDonough won the Best Actor Dramalogue for "Away Alone". McDonough has made many television and film appearances since then, including Band of Brothers, Boomtown, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report and The...
as Quarles (season 3) - Mykelti WilliamsonMykelti WilliamsonMichael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
as Limehouse (season 3)
Title
The working title for the series was Lawman. 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.Filming
While the pilot was shot in Pittsburgh and suburban Kittanning, PennsylvaniaKittanning, Pennsylvania
Kittanning is a borough and the county seat of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The name means "at the great stream" in the Delaware language...
and Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
, the subsequent 12 episodes were shot in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center is a convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The initial David L...
appears on film as the small town "airport" and the construction of the new Consol Energy Center serves as the "new courthouse".
Crew
The series was developed for television by Graham YostGraham Yost
Graham John Yost is a Canadian film and television screenwriter. His most famous works are the hit 1994 film Speed, Broken Arrow, and Hard Rain....
based on the character U.S. Marshal
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
Raylan Givens from Elmore Leonard
Elmore Leonard
Elmore John Leonard Jr. , better known as Elmore Leonard, is an American novelist and screenwriter. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.Among his...
's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap, and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Both Yost and Leonard are credited as executive producers on the project. Yost is the series head writer and show runner. Other executive producers for the series include Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly and Michael Dinner
Michael Dinner
Michael Dinner is an American director, producer, and screenwriter for television. Prior to his TV career, he was a recording artist for Fantasy Records.-Directed:*The Wonder Years *Chicago Hope...
. Dinner directed the series pilot, the second episode of the first season, and the second season finale.
Theme song
The theme song to the show is "Long Hard Times to Come" performed by the New York City based GangstagrassGangstagrass
Gangstagrass is a group of musicians in New York City, founded and led by Brooklyn producer "Rench," that combine authentic bluegrass and rap into a new genre. Gangstagrass' music started reaching a wide audience when their song "Long Hard Times to Come" was selected to be the opening theme song...
, produced by Rench and featuring rapper T.O.N.E-z, Matt Check on banjo, Gerald Menke on resonator guitar, and Jason Cade on fiddle. The song was nominated for a 2010 Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Best Title Theme.
Reception and awards
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 ShieldThe Shield
The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
. The series received a score of 81 on Metacritic.
Justified received a 2010 Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
. On July 14, 2011, it was announced that Justified was nominated for four Emmy Awards, all for acting - Timothy Olyphant for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Walton Goggins for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Margo Martindale for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and Jeremy Davies for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. On September 18, 2011, Margo Martindale won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.