Justified: City Primeval

[Yoda]

YES

FX Reviving ‘Justified’ Starring Timothy Olyphant for New Limited Series (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/justified-reboot-timothy-olyphant-1235075243/)

Confirming last year’s reports of a possible revival, FX announced Friday a new show titled Justified: City Primeval.

The story is inspired by Elmore Leonard’s novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit.

[John McClane]

This is just the kick in the pants I need to go back and finish watching Justified.

[Yoda]

Oh man, yes, do that. It ends pretty well. And gets better as it goes (generally).

I've been looking for an excuse to either rewatch it, or rewatch some of it, and this should do the trick.

[Siddon]

50/50 Justified was so perfect really from start to finish

[Yoda]

Encouraging thing, I think, is that this is actually based on another Leonard novel (apparently a pretty good one) and isn't just some showrunner extending things themselves.

[pahaK]

Why haven't I heard of Justified before? I like Olyphant and that seems like a perfect role for him. Do I really need to start a binge?

[Thief]

Probably on the edges of my Top 5 favorite shows (maybe #6 or #7). Very thrilling, well acted, and consistent. I wasn't that crazy about the finale, but it managed to mostly wrap things up in a satisfying way.

[Stirchley]

Why haven't I heard of Justified before? I like Olyphant and that seems like a perfect role for him. Do I really need to start a binge?

I have a huge crush on Olyphant & most likely wouldn’t have seen this if he wasn’t in it. Good series. Not one of my top 10 by any means.

[Yoda]

Why haven't I heard of Justified before? I like Olyphant and that seems like a perfect role for him. Do I really need to start a binge?
I dunno. It was on FX, it got some critical acclaim, but I don't think it was ever a smash hit exactly. Anyway, it's excellent. It's pretty episodic at first (but good even then), and gets more serialized as it goes. You're gonna love Walton Goggins, too.

[doubledenim]

Olyphant is just so cool in Justified and Boyd was the perfect foil. Characters, characters, characters. Great news!

[doubledenim]

Nothing to report, but Tarantino is… ( https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/quentin-tarantino-justified-revival-timothy-olyphant-1235189965/amp/)

[John McClane]

I bought Justified on DVD and been steadily binge watching it the last couple days. I wrapped up the first quarter of season 2 last night, which is where I stopped watching when it was on the air. One of my favorite scenes was right at the start of season 2.

https://youtu.be/wgQ09fIPoY0

“Woah, ok, I’m just going to ask you one question: do you know how a firearm works?”

That inflection puts me in stitches. Such a great actor.

“But I’m doing my level best to avoid the paperwork and the self-recrimination that comes with it.”

Got me excited for more Justified

[Stirchley]

I bought Justified on DVD and been steadily binge watching it the last couple days. I wrapped up the first quarter of season 2 last night, which is where I stopped watching when it was on the air. One of my favorite scenes was right at the start of season 2.

https://youtu.be/wgQ09fIPoY0

“Woah, ok, I’m just going to ask you one question: do you know how a firearm works?”

That inflection puts me in stitches. Such a great actor.

“But I’m doing my level best to avoid the paperwork and the self-recrimination that comes with it.”

Got me excited for more Justified

Brilliant scene. Huge fan of Tim.

[TONGO]

Justified was incredible, but the last season was awful. As bad as the last season of Seinfeld, just an anomaly.

[TONGO]

YES

FX Reviving ‘Justified’ Starring Timothy Olyphant for New Limited Series (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/justified-reboot-timothy-olyphant-1235075243/)

https://media1.giphy.com/media/3o7TKNthed4OG7T5Je/200.gif

[John-Connor]

JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL "New Beginnings" Trailer (2023)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V76R0XUmCSw

[doubledenim]

He was born to be Raylan.

[doubledenim]

He’s back!

[Yoda]

Woohoo.

[John McClane]

Woohoo!

fixed your typo

;)

[doubledenim]

This is a Tivo special to watch with the folks!

Wait’ll they hear the language they can use meow!

[doubledenim]

I know it would break all logic and continuity, but can we trade Boyd for Boyd?

[AKA23]

I love "Justified" and was happy about this when it was announced. Thinking back to the original series, Raylan's portrayal of his character reminds me so much of Clint Eastwood. His mannerisms, the way that he walks, the drawl in the way that he speaks, his sardonic sense of humor mixed with menace. How he's a little bit laconic, but what he does say is quite impactful, his strong sense of justice, the way he doesn't seem to quite fit into the contemporary mores of the times in which he lives. It all seems inspired to me by earlier Eastwood characters, such as Clint's character in Coogan's Bluff, where he played an Arizona lawman transplanted to New York City, or "Dirty Harry". I recall that the show even mentions Eastwood in passing at least once, if not moreso. It reminds me so much of Eastwood that I feel like this has to even be a conscious influence for Olyphant and be intentionally done. What does everyone else think? Does the way Timothy Olyphant plays the Raylan Givens character remind you of him?

[Yoda]

I love "Justified" and was happy about this when it was announced. Thinking back to the original series, Raylan's portrayal of his character reminds me so much of Clint Eastwood. His mannerisms, the way that he walks, the drawl in the way that he speaks, his sardonic sense of humor mixed with menace. How he's a little bit laconic, but what he does say is quite impactful, his strong sense of justice, the way he doesn't seem to quite fit into the contemporary mores of the times in which he lives. It all seems inspired to me by earlier Eastwood characters, such as Clint's character in Coogan's Bluff, where he played an Arizona lawman transplanted to New York City, or "Dirty Harry". I recall that the show even mentions Eastwood in passing at least once, if not moreso. It reminds me so much of Eastwood that I feel like this has to even be a conscious influence for Olyphant and be intentionally done. What does everyone else think? Does the way Timothy Olyphant plays the Raylan Givens character remind you of him?
Totally. You probably already know this, but Olyphant was who they used to "play" Eastwood in Rango:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=de_Dik7HT6E

[Stirchley]

I love "Justified" and was happy about this when it was announced. Thinking back to the original series, Raylan's portrayal of his character reminds me so much of Clint Eastwood. His mannerisms, the way that he walks, the drawl in the way that he speaks, his sardonic sense of humor mixed with menace. How he's a little bit laconic, but what he does say is quite impactful, his strong sense of justice, the way he doesn't seem to quite fit into the contemporary mores of the times in which he lives. It all seems inspired to me by earlier Eastwood characters, such as Clint's character in Coogan's Bluff, where he played an Arizona lawman transplanted to New York City, or "Dirty Harry". I recall that the show even mentions Eastwood in passing at least once, if not moreso. It reminds me so much of Eastwood that I feel like this has to even be a conscious influence for Olyphant and be intentionally done. What does everyone else think? Does the way Timothy Olyphant plays the Raylan Givens character remind you of him?

Not a huge fan of Eastwood & can’t say Raylan brought him to mind. I’ve always thought Tim completely original in his rôles such as Deadwood.

[doubledenim]

I’m not a big Eastwood guy, but that never crossed my mind. Ray G has always had almost a feminine and feline sensibility that I can’t explain.

He never seemed intimidating, always resourceful. A creativity that results from a life of being underestimated.

And let’s be real. The hat does all the heavy lifting. You would never get that glare without it.

[Austruck]

I'm avoiding all the previous posts in this thread for now, since I haven't yet started this new entry in the Justified universe. I have a question before I dive in: How far back should I go for a rewatch in order to make a smooth transition into City Primeval? (And don't just knee-jerk into "Watch the whole series again!" :D )

[AKA23]

If you've already seen "Justified" and are familiar with the Raylan Givens character, I think you can just start right into the new series. So far, there have been two episodes, and with the exception of him having an older daughter than he did when the first series ended, there aren't any continuing stories or characters.

[AKA23]

Totally. You probably already know this, but Olyphant was who they used to "play" Eastwood in Rango:


I don't watch animated movies, so I actually didn't know this. This is pretty amusing, and if they chose him to play him or one of his characters, others in the industry obviously also saw similarities between the Raylan Givens character that Timothy Olyphant is most known for, and Clint.

[Austruck]

If you've already seen "Justified" and are familiar with the Raylan Givens character, I think you can just start right into the new series. So far, there have been two episodes, and with the exception of him having an older daughter than he did when the first series ended, there aren't any continuing stories or characters.
Yup, I've seen the whole original series, so this is great news! I might rewatch the last few episodes of the original, though. Just because! :)

[Holden Pike]

93916

As for the new series, after two episodes while of course it is magnificent to see Olyphant back as Givens, right off the bat they have killed off one character who had potential to be very interesting...

Keith David's judge
...and I found the main villain to be too bold and over-the-top. Plus Raylan's daughter is a touch annoying.

93917

Clement Mansell is so quick to kill folks that he would already be either long dead, rotting in prison, or king of a small island somewhere. That somebody that psychotic could just walk around causing havoc isn't especially believable or compelling, even in genre terms. Boyd Crowder's malevolence was rooted in his charm and that he was a byproduct of that relatively isolated community. Mansell walking the streets anywhere for more than a couple days and he'd have hordes of criminals and law enforcement after him non-stop. Boyd Holbrook's performance is fine, it's just the writing I am worried about.

93918

As for Raylan's daughter Willa, while I get the function of a scene like the one where she walks around downtown Detroit by herself is supposed to show how independent and unafraid she is which may pay off later in the series, it was more annoying to me and so irresponsible that I kinda didn't care if she got killed. I know when she sees how Raylan reacts to Mansell at the hotel it clicks for her that this is a dangerous person, but she was too detached and blasé for me to invest in her as a character.

I do like that Willa is played by Olyphant's real-life daughter, that was a fun and potentially interesting casting choice, but as for how the character is written thus far, I don't inherently care what happens to her.

Of course these are just the initial impressions after two episodes.

I do like the bulk of the supporting characters thus far including Victor Williams' detective, the always fantastic Vondie Curtis-Hall's bar owner, and clearly the other main character will be Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor's attorney and she was very strong in her scenes. Adelaide Clemens' character is pretty standard but serving her plot function well enough.

93919
93920

I am definitely going to keep watching, but I hope they ground Mansell's menace a little better going forward and that they make Willa Givens as smart as she is defiant.

[Yoda]

I don't watch animated movies, so I actually didn't know this. This is pretty amusing, and if they chose him to play him or one of his characters, others in the industry obviously also saw similarities between the Raylan Givens character that Timothy Olyphant is most known for, and Clint.
When we saw it in theaters (it's quite good! Very grown-up for what's ostensibly a kids movie), we briefly thought it was Eastwood. Maybe our ears weren't as attuned to him at the time, but even so, I think he does a great job.

[AKA23]

I agree with Holden. So far, it's nice to see the Raylan Givens character back in action, but I'm not finding this revival series to be as compelling as "Justified". I miss the rural, small town setting. I also agree that they killed off the most compelling new character, and that the villain is so far a bit of a caricature and lacking the humanity, realism and relatability that the Boyd Crowder character had.

[doubledenim]

Came here to say, “We don’t think it’s the same out of the countryside”. Not sold on Holdbrook, especially after the run Uncle Baby Billy has been on in my mind the past couple weeks.

[AKA23]

We are 5 episodes into the 8 episode season, and so far, my evaluation of this series has not changed from my initial impressions. How about you Holden, and others?

[TONGO]

Hm! I'm debating buying this season on Amazon for $15, but that last season if the original series was just uninspired, predictable, and so disappointing that I'm wary.


I'll ask this plainly - should I spend $15 to watch Justified Primeval Season 1?

[TONGO]

I guess the best way to answer this is would You spend $15 for this season? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Yoda]

In a heartbeat.

Not because it's amazing, but just because it's pretty good, and it's more Justified, and it mostly still feels like Justified.

[Holden Pike]

We are 5 episodes into the 8 episode season, and so far, my evaluation of this series has not changed from my initial impressions. How about you Holden, and others?
Yeah, it is still very flawed. I still enjoy watching Givens be Givens, but I wish he had a more compelling story to move through with more interesting characters. It took Raylan all the way until the end of last week's episode to realize, geeze, there must be cops and others who are working against me here. I know Detroit ain't his town in any way shape or form, but surely he knows better.

Once again they introduce a decent character, Kevin Anderson's shaggy would-be assassin Lonnie...and he's gone already.

If Olyphant comes back for another round, be it another season of "Primeval" or another series altogether, I hope they put more into it next time.

But I'm still gonna finish this one. Only two more episodes (tonight's and next week's).

94523
GIVENS
There was something fishy about that particular kerfuffle
and I'm strugglin' some figuring out what it was.
Ever since I landed in this town, ever since I come
across this dude, I never seen anybody get so lucky,
so much, in my life. Get him dead to rights, everything
just so...and every time he skates. Cleaner than clothes
on a washline.
94524
GIVENS
Okay, then.

[TONGO]

Ok then, I'm all-in!

[TONGO]

Halfway thru the first episode and it feels like my foot going into an old comfortable shoe. Hoping it maintains this pacing, its like the early seasons of Justified. So far impressed with Olyphants daughters performance, she actually is working rather than being gifted a role.

[TONGO]

I finished all 7 episodes, and loved it. I dearly hope this isn't going to be a one shot season. I'll read the thread tomorrow to get yalls viewpoints, but its damn refreshing to watch a show that has a touch of class.

[AKA23]

Happy to hear that you've loved it. There is one more episode. I think for me, I kind of wish this hadn't been made. It feels very different than the original "Justified" series and much of what made the earlier show something I loved really is glaringly absent in this revival.

[doubledenim]

Happy to hear that you've loved it. There is one more episode. I think for me, I kind of wish this hadn't been made. It feels very different than the original "Justified" series and much of what made the earlier show something I loved really is glaringly absent in this revival.

It just doesn’t work for me. The lawyer relationship, the villain, sweety…

This thing plays like a script that was already in the can that got adapted for the Raylenverse.

[Holden Pike]

94749

Well, that was just weird, anticlimactic, and ultimately pointless.

To have the "City Primeval" Detroit storyline end so abruptly and minus any emotion or satisfaction was about par for course, but to then tack on several quick CODAs with the supporting characters we wanted to see in the first place...just weird.

Oh, well.

94750

[AKA23]

Yes, agree. That was an underwhelming finale. I think with the very last coda they were clearly setting up another "Justified" season, with a far more compelling character that we actually care about, so that was kind of nice in a way, but I didn't find it surprising. I think ultimately the plan to use an existing Elmore Leonard story that did not have Raylan Givens in it and converting that to a Givens storyline just didn't work, and removing him from the rural setting of "Justified" to a new setting with none of the original characters was a less than ideal way to revisit this story. Also, there was little to no character development throughout the series, and the richness of the characters and the connection that Raylan had to them and to where he grew up, and how we got to know each character and learn about them was one of the aspects of the original series that made it stand out and be appreciated. There was a duality to that, and a kind of sense that if he had made a few different choices, Raylan might also be trapped on the other side of the law, that made it a very engaging series to watch and quite unique. If they choose to do another season, I hope they have stronger writing, a more compelling story, characters we can care about rather than caricatures, and a return to the rural setting of the original series.

[TONGO]

Sigh! Well I guess Im alone on thinking it couldn't have ended better. The showdown had a twist at the end, better than if they did the normal formula with an expected outcome.


I never compared it to the original series, other than the classy dispositions, smooth line deliveries, and Olyphants performance which was always spot-on with no inconsistencies. The daughter was a nice touch but they didn't force her down our throat, and I liked the supporting characters in this series.


All along I was picturing this as a country boy lawman in the big city, not a continuation of the original series. I liked it.

[Holden Pike]

Sigh! Well I guess Im alone on thinking it couldn't have ended better. The showdown had a twist at the end, better than if they did the normal formula with an expected outcome.

Yes, but wouldn't it have been more interesting if say...

...Mansell had kind of planned it, say in that public park type scenario, goad Raylen into gunning him down but then turn out to be unarmed in a situation where it may actually cause the lawman legal ramifications, maybe even have it deemed a bad shoot or something? Instead we are to believe, what...Mansell actually felt some sort of affinity or kinship with Givens and truly wanted his buddy to hear his music? I mean....OK. Doesn't make any sense, that this is the one time this murderous psychopath didn't have the impulse to kill someone?

Like the rest of the series, there isn't really enough invested in that character to make that turn at the end anything other than a "twist" for the sake of a twist.
I have been rewatching the original series the past couple weeks. Hadn't really seen anything other than clips since the finale in April of 2015. I am on the sixth and final season now. Had I not been rewatching it I wouldn't have remembered that David Koechner's character begins his reappearance in "City Primeval" with the exact same speech about his daughter that he began Season Five of "Justified" with.

But again, it just seemed a waste to bring Olyphant back for this Detroit story that didn't really go anywhere and then cram Boyd and Wynona into the CODA, which is who we really wanted to see the entire time.

94770
94771

But as usual, they didn't ask me. Oh, well.

[AKA23]

I agree with Holden. His twist ending would have been more compelling, and I agree that Mansell's actions at the very end were inconsistent with his character.

I've read some interviews recently and it was very intentional that they didn't have original "Justified" characters in this series and had it set elsewhere. They felt they had ended the original series well and that that story had concluded, and they didn't want to revisit that world again. They considered this story "Act 2" of a potential three act story. I agree with them that the original series ended in a satisfying way, but since they made the decision to bring the character back, I think I just disagree with their vision. "Justified" without Boyd or Ava or Winona or many of the other quirky characters of the original series that everyone loved, just isn't "Justified" to me.

[Holden Pike]

I agree with them that the original series ended in a satisfying way, but since they made the decision to bring the character back, I think I just disagree with their vision. "Justified" without Boyd or Ava or Winona or many of the other quirky characters of the original series that everyone loved, just isn't "Justified" to me.
And that's fine...but then they used them, anyway. If you're going to bring them back for one or two throwaway scenes at the very end, then bring them back properly. Use them well or don't use them at all.

I would have been fine with a much more compelling, self-contained Detroit story. But that story as is was full of ho-hum characters and then they tease us by showing us characters we do care about, but only for a little bit at the very end as an afterthought. It didn't tease a possible third series for me, it just made me even more disappointed in what a waste of time "City Primeval" was.

And for the record, we found out Ava died (off camera) in the original series. Which wasn't a very satisfying send off for her, after everything she went through. Raylan goes to tell Boyd in prison, their final scene in the original series...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVoD6E3Ip5g

In a similar vein, in "Primeval" once Adelaide Clemens' character Sandy doesn't get on the plane but stays to help Rayland make that phone call set up the meeting with Mansell (where the Albanians take both of them) we do not even find out what happens to her. Was she jailed? Did the Albanians catch up with her? Was she put in Witness Protection? Did she get on that plane? One of the characters we gave the most screen time to....and, eh, she just disappears.

The entire series was that way, to me. Just...meh.

[AKA23]

And for the record, we found out Ava died (off camera) in the original series. Which wasn't a very satisfying send off for her, after everything she went through. Raylan goes to tell Boyd in prison, their final scene in the original series..


Holden, I haven't seen "Justified" since it originally aired, but I think I remember that scene and you're right, Raylan did tell Boyd that Ava died, but I don't think she actually did. I think it was made clear that he was lying to Boyd so that he'd leave her alone to live her life and be safe. Raylan knew he'd never be able to let her go, since he loved her, so to make it easier for him to do that, he told her she'd died.

[Holden Pike]

Holden, I haven't seen "Justified" since it originally aired, but I think I remember that scene and you're right, Raylan did tell Boyd that Ava died, but I don't think she actually did. I think it was made clear that he was lying to Boyd so that he'd leave her alone to live her life and be safe. Raylan knew he'd never be able to let her go, since he loved her, so to make it easier for him to do that, he told her she'd died.
Nope, incorrect. I just rewatched the last episode. It is a CODA, years after Boyd went to prison and Ava escaped, Raylan is down in Florida with Wynona and their young daughter. He finds out Ava has died and he goes to tell Boyd in person.

[AKA23]

According to the creator of "Justified", Ava lives.



At what point did you decide that Raylan, Boyd and Ava would all survive?

It really came down to Boyd. It’s not the kind of show where we’d kill off Raylan, though hopefully that moment [in the finale] works well enough that people will think, “Wait a second, did they just kill off Raylan?” But then they’ll look at their watches and go, “But there’s another 15 minutes in the episode, so probably not.” There was no way we were going to kill off Ava. We loved her too much and felt she was a victim. In Elmore [Leonard]’s world, often the women get away with the money — or at least they get away. So that felt like it was Elmore.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/justified-finale-graham-yost-raylan-788476/

[doubledenim]

Going on nothing but my gut reaction, the ending was kind of a slap in the face.

“Hey there, feeling underwhelmed by what you just finished watching? Well guess what, here’s what you really wanted the whole time” :suspicious: