When it was originally on: 2010-2015

Original network: FX

Where you can stream it now: Hulu and Disney+

Had I seen it before: Nope, never seen it before

What IMDb says: Enforcing his own brand of justice, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a strong-willed, quiet law-man haunted by his past, returns to his native town to see that justice is served to those in need.

Why I picked it: I like to make sure my list includes network, basic cable, premium cable, and streaming television shows. That’s hard these days since it seems like basic cable has all but given up on scripted content, but FX is still going strong. Justified comes from the era when FX was very much still a basic cable tv network vs. now when it seems like an extension of Hulu. Not just that, FX was a prestige content powerhouse. Justified is one of those shows that I don’t remember hearing that many people talk about while it was on, at least not to the extent they were talking about things like Sons of Anarchy or The Americans. However, it’s stood the test of time decently well. I’ve heard of people discovering it on streaming, and seemingly everyone who does watch it ends up enjoying it. There also just aren’t that man Westerns on tv. It’s what, this and Deadwood?

What I liked: I think this one does a really good job of giving us the same, but different. It’s different enough from other cop shows I’ve seen before, but still scratching the same itches. The first scene does a great job of establishing Raylan as a character. He’s good at shooting people. He maybe even enjoys shooting people and looks for opportunities to do it.

I also love the concept of our lead trying to be cop in his hometown full of people from his past he’d rather avoid (okay, technically he’s a U.S. marshal but that’s going to get annoying to say every time). There’s a woman who’s into him, but she’s on trial for killing her husband which makes it complicated. There’s an old coworker from the coal mines who now recruits skinheads. There’s an ex-wife who’s moved on but there’s still unresolved tension. I can see all sorts of opportunities for serialized arcs in Raylan’s personal life in addition to catching bad guys.

It’s also interesting how Raylan being the hometown boy gives him a superpower in solving crimes. He can get people to talk to him, he has all this extra insight into the people he’s investigating, he can get other town folk to talk to him… it’s an interesting dynamic I can’t recall seeing in other law enforcement shows.

What I didn’t like: There’s nothing about this pilot that’s really BAD… but I can’t help but wonder what else this show is bringing to the table after the thrill of watching Raylan shoot bad people wears off. Yeah, there’s something cathartic about watching violence against literal Nazis but surely that has to get old after a while. And yes, on paper at least there’s all this other interpersonal drama between Raylan and some of the other characters in the show, but I’m not sure I’m really invested in any of it.

Do I want to watch Ep. 2?: No? Not because this pilot did anything wrong, I just feel like I’ve seen all the white male antihero shows I need to see at this point.