In the past ten to fifteen years, American television has entered an arguably golden age of television. Our favorite hour-long, 22-episode season television dramas, which previously produced classics such as The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, took a back-seat to kinetic storytelling, 13-episode seasons such as the groundbreaking The Sopranos. We've seen some shows that have done more than made their mark on television history such as the aforementioned The Sopranos, Dexter, The Shield, and the defining crime drama of our generation, Breaking Bad. That being said, there is a show that, in my humble opinion, undeservingly flew under the radar and established itself as a uniquely underrated series, and that show is Justified. A self-described "Contemporary Western," in the sense that its setting is the modern day, but features Western tropes such as gunslinging, old-fashioned outlaws, and a rebellious anti-hero, U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens, who wears a cowboy hat, holds a Gary Cooper gait in his walk, and will put you down faster than you can blink.
So, in celebration of recently putting some left-over Christmas money towards a purchase of the complete series on blu-ray, how about an assessment of every season? This is a ranking of the six seasons of the modern television classic.
#6: Season 5
Unfortunately, the penultimate season misses its mark in the crisp storytelling that Justified had been known for. The intriguing fact is, this season is actually pretty good. Obviously, the season served as a setup for the house-shaking final season, and in the multiple storylines that were dispersed throughout the narrative, it does this exceptionally well, but, unfortunately, the primary storyline, accompanied by the disappointing villain, Daryl Crowe, was extremely standard and hamfisted. It's obviously worth the watch considering the explosive final season it sets up, but, unfortunately, it's somewhat muddy.
#5: Season 3
After enduring the emotional pain of ragging on Justified with the 6th ranking, at this point, Justified is nothing but solid, crispy, and juicy. Yes, the third season, which follows Raylan's showdown with the newly introduced Robert Quarles, a mysterious villain who hides a gun in his sleeve and harbors a back story that is tragic yet subtle, being conveyed in small spurts, is technically the second worst season, but it's truly an excellent season. With the third season, Justified began to show that it was changing. With each season, fans couldn't help but notice that the show was destined to evolve and change, showing that each season wasn't going to follow a "villain of the season" thread, ending, beginning, and simply continuing various long storylines, including the tumultuous presence of Boyd Crowder, the most confusing television villain of the decade.
#4: Season 4
The fourth season is mostly important because it reminded us of exactly what mission Raylan Givens and the rest of the federal officers of the U.S. Marshall Service were hired to complete, and that is the pursuit and capture of fugitives. With the fourth season, the story arc revolves around the identification and pursuit of Drew Thompson. In the aforementioned blu-ray complete series, this season is entitled, the "season of the chase," which is a strange title considering that Raylan is "chasing" bad guys during the entirety of the show, but it was the fourth season that seriously kicked this concept into gear. It also portrayed development and evolution, as Harlan, although quiet and dissassembled at first glance, is only getting louder as they days go by.
#3: Season 6
It does my heart well to be able to put the final season of Justified in the better half of the series. Unlike some other shows, such as Dexter, in which the final season would easily be at the bottom rung of the list, Justified, if anything, returned to form for its endgame. Thankfully, it chose not to introduce a surplus of new characters, and from the opening episode onward, it was evident that these were the final days of Justified's story arc, unlike other shows that simply continue a story without any sight of the ending. Featuring the final face-off between two characters that we knew would find themselves in the duel of the century, the ultimate cultivation of brilliant character development, and a chilling final scene, the final season was worthy of this amazing show.
#2: Season 1
Many fans might entirely disagree with placing the first season so close to the top of the list, but for me, the contemplative, introductory opening chapter incorporated enough crisp storytelling, high production values, and complex acting to establish the show as a new entry into the canon of masterpiece television shows. Interestingly, the first season incorporated more stand-alone episodes than any other season, and because of that, many fans prefer the concentrated narrative structure of later seasons, yet, these stand-alone episodes served a purpose. The writers were taking its time. With an explosive opening episode that immediately set every storyline into place, we needed to understand these characters and why they were motivated to make the choices that they make.
#1: Season 2
Although the placement of the first season might have been an unpopular decision, it seems as though most fans will agree that the second season universally deserves the top of the list. The second season proved that Justified wasn't a one hit wonder, and created such an ambiance and atmosphere of the outdated, old west nature of the deep south that it stands out as the exemplary season that is emblematic of the entire series. Although I've emphasized that Justified gave up a "villain of the season" format for a more intricate narrative structure, the second season did encapsulate Justified's best single-season villain, with that character being the intimidating, powerful Mags Bennett. Justified portrays the law enforcement efforts in a small town, so one can't help but sense a reminiscence of 50's sitcoms such as The Andy Griffith Show, and Mags can be likened to the Aunt B character, except imagine that Aunt B's warm and caring nature was just a disguise for a manipulative, ruthless, and cold interior.
Justified is one of the most underrated series of the generation, and I highly recommend it to any fan of a the classic crime drama series.
