Movies - TV
Every Season Of Justified Ranked Worst To Best
By SCOTT THOMAS
6. Season 5
Season 5 of “Justified” works well as the calm before the storm, leading to the final showdown between Raylan and Boyd, but it does little else. While the performances are still excellent, and the show continues its against-type villain casting with Michael Rapaport as a sugar smuggler, it doesn’t prove to be the best version of the show.
S5’s shortcomings
At its core, “Justified” is a story about the power of people’s predispositions, with some characters struggling with them while others give in. The collision between these inclinations and the setting lead to the show’s most powerful moments, but this changes when the show must dedicate time for audiences to learn about the new family.
5. Season 1
The first season of “Justified” saw two major decisions made; the first was to move away from the “case of the week” story structure, as it lacked the cumulative power of the serialized storytelling of later seasons. The second was to keep Boyd Crowder alive instead of killing the character off at the end of “Fire in the Hole,” changing the show’s direction.
4. Season 3
Season 3 introduced colorful new characters to the series, like the barbecue-favoring Limehouse and Robert Quarles, the Tonin Crime Family lieutenant from Detroit who aims to make Harlan his own. But Season 3 stumbles when the show leaves Harlan to focus on the Tonin family in a way that doesn’t feel as lively and important.
3. Season 4
The people of Harlan learn who they really are in the show’s fourth season, and Raylan learns how far he’ll go to save someone he loves and begins questioning his role in the law. The season is the show at its most haunting, delivering a series of gut checks.