Commenter Kevin asks if I would recommend the television series Justified and if so, why? The first part is easy: I highly recommend the show. As to the why, I really suck at writing reviews so I’ll just offer up my general impressions and the things I liked enough to keep me watching (26 episodes in 48 hours). Of course I don’t have a life, but still.
You can get a pretty good synopsis of the show’s premise at the link above. Basically, it’s the story of the exploits of a quick-on-the-draw U.S. Marshal based in rural Kentucky. Think of Matt Dillon in the 21st century. Timothy Olyphant (you probably remember him from Deadwood) is outstanding in the lead role as Raylan Givens. In the category of things I like, consistently excellent acting from almost all the featured characters is pretty high on my list.
I have a pretty low tolerance for stupid so I find it difficult to find shows on TV that hold my interest. The writing on Justified is witty and gritty. There’s plenty of action to keep you entertained, but the writers also develop complex and believable characters that you can care about. Even the bad guys. I was pleasantly surprised to find a television series set in the South that didn’t rely on the tired old stupid redneck stereotypes. Don’t get me wrong, the show is chock full of hillbillies, but lots of them are quite intelligent despite the way they talk. Just like in real life. I particularly like Boyd Crowder, Deputy Marshal Givens’ main antagonist. The “uneducated” son of a coal miner and Harlan County’s crime boss sounds stupid until you listen to what he says–who’d expect a dumb hick to be quoting Walt Whitman? I especially liked how the carpetbaggers from Detroit “misunderestimated” their adversary. Wish YouTube had some decent clips I could share of some of those interactions. Anyway, it’s just refreshing to see Southerners portrayed as other than caricatures.
Each season has it’s own story arc, which helps keep things fresh what with characters being killed off and new ones introduced. I’ve found it all consistently entertaining and I think you will to. Enjoy
“26 episodes in 48 hours”
Jesus fucking Christ!
I always knew you were an awesome dude, but now I goddamn worship you. 13 episodes per day! That, sir, is a positively inhuman level of dedication. At roughly 44 minutes per episode, that comes out to about 9.5 solid hours of TV per day—possibly more if, say, the pilot episode was 88 minutes long.
You’re no mere mortal, John.
Yeah, the first night I was up until 0430 watching, then my eyes finally gave out. Day 2 was spread out more and I finished relatively early, around 0100. That’s rare for me though as nothing seems hold my interest that much these days
One of my favorite shows on TV but 26 episodes in 48 hours? Dude!!!