‘Justified’ Likely To End After Sixth Season

FX’s Emmy-nominated series Justified may be ending after its sixth season, according to network president Nick Grad.

“We like having shows that rate really well, and there’s an instinct that you want it to go on forever. But it doesn’t,” Grad said at a screening for the series’ fifth season earlier this week. While there are plans to end the drama after its sixth season, Grad said it was possible that it could go on longer.

“Another metric that’s important to us [beyond ratings] is, ‘What shows are going to be talked about in the next 20 years?’ If you’re making a great, 80-hour movie, it has to have a beginning, middle and end,” he added. “Going out at the right time is going to make your show last forever — we want to make shows that stand the test of time.”

The decision to end Justified after its sixth season was likely influenced by the passing of Elmore Leonard, who originated the characters and story on which the series is based. Leonard died on August 20, 2013 of complications from a stroke. He was 87. Leonard was an executive producer on Justified, and the main character of Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant) first appeared in his novels Pronto and Riding the Rap. Leonard later wrote the short story “Fire in the Hole,” which became the basis for Justified. In 2012, he wrote a new novel about the character, Raylan.

Justified has been nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards, with Margo Martindale winning for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2011 and Jeremy Davies winning for Outstanding Guest Actor in 2012. The series also won a Peabody Award in 2010.

Stuntwoman Lisa Hoyle sued the series last year for an incident that happened in 2011. A vehicle on set smashed into a parked car, running over Hoyle’s ankle. She claimed she lost consciousness and suffered an open head fracture, soft-tissue injuries, bruising, and lacerations. Her suit claimed that she had “severe and permanent physical and mental injuries,” and that her “marital relations” suffered as a result of the injury.

The fifth season of Justified premiered on January 7 to 2.84 million viewers.