Justified: City Primeval Review ~ Raylan’s Back! (With a Twist)

Lower your standards Justified fans.  This one is not the same! U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) returns to our TV’s but not to Kentucky.  This time he is in Detroit when he encounters a psychopath while on a road trip with his 14 year old daughter. The psychopath, Clement Mansell, wreaks havoc on the city and evades Raylan throughout the eight episodes of the series. 

Pales in comparison

I can’t help but compare Justified: City Primeval to its predecessor, Justified.  If you haven’t watched Justified, do yourself a favor and binge it.  If you have, then you’ll understand what I mean when I say that this show is missing some things.  The writers still included Raylan’s dry humor and wit but he was missing his “edge”.  He has always been cool and controlled but had that anger and fire boiling right under the surface.  I realize he is older and maybe wiser now but I did not see that side of him at all in this new series.  Part of the fun from the original show was his hotheadedness getting him in trouble with his bosses and with the criminals.   Also, the villains in the original were so interesting and charismatic.  The villain in this show is, well, weird and cringey. 

Still a good show

However, it’s not all bad.  I will say that if you haven’t seen the original Justified you might like this show just fine. Without the expectations and comparisons it’s a decent show.  I still found it entertaining and looked forward to seeing how it all ended up.  Interesting to note is that Timothy Olyphant’s real daughter, Vivian Olyphant plays his daughter (Willa) in the show. And it was fun seeing Raylan in the city for a while instead of rural Kentucky.  I also really liked the way the show ended and I think that if there is a season 2 it will be even better.  

Good Stuff: Raylan is back! Potential in Season 2

Bad Stuff: Missing old Raylan, writing? Vilians

Where to Watch: Hulu