‘Justified’ Showrunner Discusses The End For U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens

Justified showrunner Graham Yost was at the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena, CA, and several media outlets spoke with him about the finale for the television series, along with what viewers can expect to happen with U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and other characters in the Kentucky-set show.

TVLine spoke at length with Yost about the sixth and final season of Justified. Yost discussed the various characters and unresolved plot lines (including the seemingly inevitable collision between Raylan Givens and friend-turned-nemesis Boyd Crowder), and when asked if the finale was “going to be big on emotion, big on action, big on everything,” he said it would be.

“Yes. That’s the goal. Action, emotion, everything. And we don’t want it to be too neat, and we don’t want to leave too many ends dangling when it comes down to the central relationships. We need to resolve things to a degree, but when people ask me what it’s going to be, I say very honestly that we haven’t broken that episode yet. So we don’t know exactly.”

Yost then explained that one of the issues for the ambiguity of how Justified will end is because he wants to “remain true to Elmore Leonard.” Leonard wrote a series of novels off which the show is based, and served as an executive producer until his death in 2013.

Prepare for tomorrow’s season premiere with this scene from the Season Five Finale. http://t.co/uzKTEKUU3n #Justified

— Justified (@JustifiedFX) January 19, 2015

The Hollywood Reporter also was at the TCA tour and wrote that Yost explained why Justified is ending this year.

“‘We started talking about [when to end the series] in season four, and just felt like this chapter of Raylan’s [Olyphant] life was about Raylan and Boyd [Walton Goggins],’ exec producer Graham Yost acknowledged. ‘And that was basically it. We didn’t want to outstay our welcome.'”

THR also reported that star Timothy Olyphant “was a part of the decision to end Justified with season six.”

Justified fans can also expect to see some notable guest stars this year. TVLine reported that “Sam Elliott and Garrett Dillahunt” will be the “big guest stars, at least during” the first few episodes.

Brian Lowry at Variety reviewed the initial episodes of Justified and gave them good marks.

“As season five made clear, the home stretch is shaping up to be an inevitable showdown between Olyphant’s U.S. marshal, Raylan Givens, and boyhood pal-turned-criminal Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), with Boyd’s significant other and Raylan’s one-time fling, Ava (Joelle Carter), uncomfortably caught in the middle. In that sense, it’s an artful and appropriate way of circling back to where this rodeo began, made all the saucier by the drama that has unfolded in the interim.”

The Inquisitr previously reported on the final season of Justified, nothing that all the characters might not leave Harlan County, Kentucky alive.

[Image via official Justified Twitter account]