Justified returns Tuesday January 7 at 10 pm on FX

A while back I wrote part of a post titled Why Justified is the Best.  The show is coming back next week for it's fifth season.  It is far and away my favorite show on television. 

I believe there's a top tier of television, rather than a single best show currently airing.  The top tier is composed of shows impossible to separate including Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Justified, Breaking Bad and Sherlock.*  Distinguishing a show of shows among these is merely a result of personal preference rather than a clear winner existing.**  When people ask for recommendations about what shows to watch, I usually ask what their tastes are, or to name other shows they enjoy before giving suggestions.  The only show I recommend in every single case is Justified.  You could reasonable consider it the best in any one of the categories that make up a show, acting, writing, plotting, dialogue, humor or characters. 

* Still considering Breaking Bad a current show even though it technically concluded.

The series probably has one, maybe two, years after this one about to air.  Maybe there will be a rush to catch up for its conclusion at that point like there was for Breaking Bad this past fall.  My suggestion is to take five minutes and give it a try

If you are an Amazon Prime customer, you can stream, for free, the existing four seasons of the show.  Watch either (or both) the first five minutes of the pilot* and the first five minutes of the Season Four premiere to get a good feel for the show (basically the open to the first break/credits).  Neither can wholly encompass all the positive aspects of the show, but both will give a decent taste for the timbre of the series without needing a ton of context.

*The pilot's opening is heavily lifted from the pages of Pronto. 

Random Thoughts on Justified

• One fun thing that sets Justified apart from other shows is the high level of involvement in its production its lead, Timothy Olyphant, has.  His producer credit is for real and any interview about the show or episode post mortem will identify plenty of contributions he's made outside of his role on the show.
• Even the most random one-off characters are better written than 90 percent of all characters on television
• Raylan is the only person since this guy (coat flip!) who can wear denim with denim
• Elmore Leonard passed away in 2013.  If you don't want to read his entire catalog, watch this show

 So yeah.  If you add a show this year, add Justified.