Justified: City Primeval
Genre
Based onCity Primeval and
"Fire in the Hole"
by Elmore Leonard
Developed by
Starring
ComposerMark Isham
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Production locationChicago
EditorHunter M. Via
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time44–52 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkFX
Original releaseJuly 18, 2023 (2023-07-18) –
present (present)
Related
Justified
Out of Sight

Justified: City Primeval is an American neo-Western crime drama television miniseries developed by showrunners Dave Andron and Michael Dinner. The series continues the story from Justified taking inspiration from the Elmore Leonard novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit and short story "Fire in the Hole". Timothy Olyphant returns to star as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, with Paul Calderón also reprising his role as Detective Raymond Cruz from the 1998 crime comedy film Out of Sight, a film adaptation of Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. A world premiere was held on June 1, 2023 at the 12th ATX Television Festival, and the series premiered on FX on July 18, 2023, with back-to-back episodes. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Premise

Raylan Givens left Kentucky for Miami, where he continues working as a U.S. Marshal while helping to raise his daughter. He soon finds himself in Detroit, pursuing The Oklahoma Wildman, Clement Mansell, who has been eluding the Detroit police force.

Cast

Main article: List of Justified characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Special guest cast

Episodes

See also: List of Justified episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"City Primeval"Michael DinnerDave Andron & Michael DinnerJuly 18, 2023 (2023-07-18)0.848[1]
2"The Oklahoma Wildman"Michael DinnerDave Andron & Michael DinnerJuly 18, 2023 (2023-07-18)0.493[1]
3"Backstabbers"Jon AvnetEisa Davis & Chris ProvenzanoJuly 25, 2023 (2023-07-25)0.560[2]
4"Kokomo"Gwyneth Horder-PaytonTaylor ElmoreAugust 1, 2023 (2023-08-01)0.603[3]
5"You Good?"Kevin Rodney SullivanEisa Davis & Chris ProvenzanoAugust 8, 2023 (2023-08-08)0.573[4]
6"Adios"Sylvain WhiteTaylor Elmore & V.J. BoydAugust 15, 2023 (2023-08-15)0.665[5]
7"The Smoking Gun"Katrelle KindredDave Andron & Michael DinnerAugust 22, 2023 (2023-08-22)0.590[6]
8"The Question"Michael DinnerDave Andron & Michael DinnerAugust 29, 2023 (2023-08-29)0.670[7]

Production

The production team behind Justified announced that it was working together to develop a new series based on City Primeval by Elmore Leonard in March 2021. At the time, it was rumored to possibly be a Justified spin-off series.[8] FX confirmed the Justified revival speculation in January 2022 by announcing that a new Justified miniseries was in development, taking inspiration from City Primeval. Dave Andron and Michael Dinner were set as the showrunners, and Dinner would direct as well.[9] City Primeval follows a different character, so the story is being adjusted to use Raylan Givens as the protagonist instead. In February 2022, reports surfaced that Quentin Tarantino was in talks to possibly direct an episode or two as well since he is a fan of Leonard's work, having adapted Leonard's novel Rum Punch into the film Jackie Brown, along with taking inspiration from Leonard in Tarantino's other works.[10] In April 2022, Tarantino was confirmed to not be directing the series.[11]

Timothy Olyphant agreed to reprise the role of Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens.[9] In May 2022, just before the start of production in Chicago, casting announcements added several starring actors to the cast, including Aunjanue Ellis, Boyd Holbrook, Adelaide Clemens, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Marin Ireland, Victor Williams, Norbert Leo Butz, and Timothy Olyphant's daughter, Vivian Olyphant.[12][13] Ravi Patel was also added as a recurring cast member shortly afterward.[14]

The production was temporarily halted while filming in Chicago when four cars broke through set barricades while engaged in a gunfight.[15] Sony Pictures Television increased security to the production, but three weeks later, filming was interrupted again when an incendiary device was thrown towards the set. The device did not explode, and no one was injured.[16]

Release

Justified: City Primeval had its world premiere on the opening night of the 12th ATX Television Festival on June 1, 2023.[17] It debuted FX on July 18, 2023, with the first two episodes.[18] The series began streaming on Star on Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand beginning July 19.[19]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a score of 92% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critics consensus is, "Timothy Olyphant's quickdraw charm shows no signs of dulling in City Primeval, an introspective and very welcome return for Raylan Givens."[20] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[21]

Chris Vognar of TheWrap wrote, "Its eight episodes don’t drag or sag, and the skin graft procedure of attaching Raylan to a story that was just fine without him goes off without a hitch."[22] Marcus Shorter of Consequence said, "[The creative team] did the impossible — they continued their hit show without betraying its legacy and, more importantly, told a compelling story that felt necessary for the characters and the audience."[23]

Streaming viewership

According to the streaming aggregator Reelgood, Justified: City Primeval was the most watched program across all platforms during the week of July 17–23, 2023,[24][25] and the sixth during the week of July 27, 2023.[26]

References

  1. ^ a b "TV Ratings for Tuesday 18th July 2023 - Network Prelims, Finals and Select Cable Numbers Posted". SpoilerTV. July 19, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "TV Ratings for Tuesday 25th July 2023 - Network Prelims, Finals and Select Cable Numbers Posted". SpoilerTV. July 27, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Pucci, Douglas (August 2, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: NBC Again Tops the Night Thanks to 'America's Got Talent'". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Pucci, Douglas (August 9, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: 'Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets' Premieres on HBO". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Pucci, Douglas (August 16, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: America's Got Talent-Fueled NBC Tops All Key Figures in Prime Time". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  6. ^ Pucci, Douglas (August 23, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' Once Again Helps NBC to Victory". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  7. ^ Pucci, Douglas (August 30, 2023). "Tuesday Ratings: NBC on Top with 'America's Got Talent'". Programming Insider. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 17, 2021). "Justified Team Reunites to Develop Elmore Leonard Novel at FX, Timothy Olyphant Rumored to Return as Raylan Givens (Exclusive)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Hibberd, James (January 14, 2022). "FX Reviving Justified Starring Timothy Olyphant for New Limited Series". The Hollywood Reporter. PMRC. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  10. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (February 24, 2022). "Quentin Tarantino In Early Talks To Direct Timothy Olyphant In Eps Of FX's Elmore Leonard Limited Series Justified: City Primeval". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  11. ^ "Quentin Tarantino Will NOT Be Directing 'Justified: City Primeval,' Sources Tell SCREEN". Screen Magazine. April 28, 2022. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  12. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 5, 2022). "Justified Revival at FX Adds Eight to Cast, Including Aunjanue Ellis, Boyd Holbrook, and Marin Ireland". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 5, 2022). "Justified Follow-Up Rounds Out Cast With Aunjanue Ellis, Boyd Holbrook, Marin Ireland and More". The Hollywood Reporter. PMRC. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  14. ^ Cordero, Rosy (June 29, 2022). "Justified: City Primeval: Ravi Patel Set To Recur In FX Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  15. ^ Rice, Lynette (July 22, 2022). "Justified: City Primeval Production Halted After Outsiders Engaged In Gun Battle Drive Through Barricades In Chicago; PD Releases Statement". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  16. ^ Porter, Rick (August 9, 2022). "Justified Sequel Faces Second Violent Incident Near Set". The Hollywood Reporter. PMRC. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  17. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (April 3, 2023). "ATX TV Festival Sets Justified: City Primeval World Premiere for Opening Night". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023.
  18. ^ Rice, Lynette (May 15, 2023). "'Justified: City Primeval' Trailer Drops; FX Reveals Debut Dates For 'The Full Monty' & 'Rez Dogs,' End Of 'Archer'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  19. ^ Disney+ Australia (June 20, 2023). "FX's Justified: City Primeval - Official Trailer". Facebook. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "Justified: City Primeval". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  21. ^ "Justified: City Primeval". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  22. ^ Vognar, Chris (July 4, 2023). "'Justified: City Primeval' Review: Timothy Olyphant Reclaims the Stetson Hat for Triumphant Elmore Leonard Adaptation". TheWrap. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  23. ^ Shorter, Marcus (July 4, 2023). "Justified: City Primeval Exceeds Even the Highest Expectations: Review". Consequence. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  24. ^ Gruenwedel, Erik (July 28, 2023). "Reelgood: Hulu's 'Justified: City Primeval' Tops Weekly Streaming". Media Play News. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  25. ^ Gruenwedel, Erik (July 25, 2023). "JustWatch: Rebooted 'Justified: City Primeval' Knocks 'The Bear' From Atop Weekly Most-Streamed Series Chart". Media Play News. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  26. ^ Gruenwedel, Erik (August 4, 2023). "Reelgood: Paramount+ Original Series 'Special Ops: Lioness' Topped Weekly Streaming Through Aug. 3". Media Play News. Retrieved August 9, 2023.