sharkzfan

It's getting easier to find well written shows than it was a number of years ago. However, finding a show that keeps me coming back over and over again is a rare find. Justified does just that. I am a huge fan of the Western genre. While this is not a western, it contains the ingredients of a good western. Strong characters that stick to their convictions being one ingredient.

This is a well written and conceived show. The end of each episode seems to contradict my intuition which I love. I am thinking the storyline is headed left and the episode ends with a right. I love that it never goes where I think it's going. It's not contrived and dumbed down. It's smart, humorous at times, and dramatic in a realistic and human way. I really enjoy all aspects of this show and I think you will too.

There aren't too many TV shows that I could watch repeatedly or buy the DVD's for. This is one. The character creation is great. The casting director gets kudos for all of the choices.

The only previous incarnation of Michael Donovan I had observed was in the Angelina Jolie film, "Changeling". That being said, this part is perfect for him. Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe is another perfect fit. His wise cracking smarminess is awesome. You could make a drinking game out of each time he mentions a mojito or a beer. Fiona is an incredible character. She's tough as nails but putty in Michael's hands (sometimes). She desperately would like Michael to stop chasing his old spy job and settle down with her. At the same time she really loves when she works with him taking particular pleasure in blowing things up and causing mayhem. Sharon Gless as Madeline, Michael's mother, is another perfectly cast character. Every scene with a cigarette dangling from the corner of her mouth or squeezed between her fingers waving about wildly as she talks. One scene she was standing over the stove cooking something with that dangly ash stick precariously ready to eject it's ashes into the dish.

It's a smart, fast paced, humorous show that the writers must have a blast writing.

Being a huge fan of Tom Selleck and Sam Elliot in westerns, I have to say that I was underwhelmed with the show. I actually bought the DVD just because it had Tom Selleck, Sam Elliot AND was a Louis L'Amour story. I had not heard of it but figured I couldn't go wrong. While the combination of Selleck, Elliot and L'Amour should have been golden, they turned out to be brass. The production value was very "television" (it was made for TV). It is what it is in that regard. However the action sequences were (IMHO) amateur. The hero knocks out the bad guy with one punch. The bad guys never see the hero's sneaking through the bushes in broad daylight. It just had a typical 80's TV show feel to it. I still felt it was worth the purchase for Selleck and Elliot even if the story and production didn't support them very well.