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Justified: Season 1
  • Network: FX
  • Series Premiere Date: Mar 16, 2010
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3
Justified Image
Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 27 Critics What's this?

User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 233 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: The new series based on Elmore Leonard's short story "Fire in the Hole" follows US Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) as he is transferred from Miami back to his hometown of Harlan, Kentucky, after causing trouble for his superiors with a high-profile shooting of a suspect.
  • Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Drama

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    100
    The best news of all is that Olyphant backs it up with an incredibly riveting performance. Better yet, Justified as a whole really delivers, from the explosive pilot to a couple of other, less adrenaline-filled but no less superb episodes that add humor and nuanced storytelling to the mix.
  2. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Aubry D\\\'Arminio
    100
    Finishing each episode is like closing up a really great, gritty, little crime novel.
  3. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Cynthia Fuchs
    60
    It does tend to love its sublimely self-confident hero, a quick draw and a smartass who nonetheless walks a sort of moral line that baffles his mostly rube-ish opponents. But the show offers other, pleasures that help to make up for what's predictable.

See all 27 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28
  1. hammun
    10
    The last episode of this second season has left me breathless and proves that the series has tremendous staying power and can get even better than it already is. What sets this series apart from everything else that's on TV right now (and frankly, has been for the past few years) is plot and character development. Not only is the central plot gripping and innovative, all the subplots thus far presented serve it amazingly well and are worthy in their own right. The same can be said about characters. As if characters as rich and multi-layered as Raylan and Boyd weren't enough, we still get marvelous supporting characters for them to play off of, such as the whole of the Bennett family. Elmore Leonard is a freaking genius!!!… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  2. nessington
    10
    I know Olyphant from Deadwood, one of the best shows ever made. While this isn't quite in that category of greatness, Justified is a well-written show with a handful (though small) of interesting characters. Especially interesting is the relationship between Olyphant and the character Boyd, who seemingly becomes a born-again Christian after being locked up by Olyphant's character. Of course, Olyphant isn't buying it one bit. Nice pacing with some genuinely funny moments, Justified is the only show I'm watching at the moment (other than Breaking Bad) where I don't have my expectations set in the toilet.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. poppacastro
    0
    I decided to give this show a chance because FX has done a pretty good job with Sons of Anarchy. Not anything to write home about but definitely entertaining. Justified? One man living by one code under one hat? This guy is such a sap. The creators made this guy so over-badass when you can tell deeply by the sap seeping from his pours that he's simply lame. Plus (I've only watched the pilot, and I won't watch more) conservatives are like usual blowing weed out of proportion just because they're uneducated hicks! Who blows up a Church with a rocket launcher over some weed? How much weed can there possibly be in this little hick-ass town in Kentucky? I'm pretty sure the rocket launcher is worth a bit more than the $1000 pound of schwag. Why would the sap leave Miami (home of coke dealers and notoriously badass tv and movie crime scenes) to go fight Smoky the Bear in the sticks? Why the hell would there be a federal marshall's office in this tiny dirt hole? How many criminals are there for the sap to shoot in this tiny town? How about little miss filthy pants? Is that the town hottie? Is that the show's hottie? C'mon! These questions and any possible answers are ultimately what have made me decide to never watch this show again, and furthermore to throw rotten tomatoes at anyone that does!… Expand
    • 2 of 6 users said yes

See all 28 User Reviews

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