Justified might not have been the biggest show when it was on the air but it was always one of the most acclaimed. In the years since it ended its six-season run, the show's popularity has only increased with fans finally discovering it. Based on characters created by author Elmore Leonard, the neo-Western explored the shady characters on both sides of the law in Harlan County, Kentucky.
The show was extremely well-written and balanced the violence and comedy perfectly. But the reason the show was so memorable was because of the unique and entertaining characters. after all these years, there are still some things fans might not know about those characters. Here are some of the hidden details about the main characters on Justified.
The Other Raylan
Timothy Olyphant seemed destined to play the role of US Marshal Raylan Givens. He had the perfect amount of confident swagger and simmering rage. But as memorable as he is in the role, he is not the first person to play Raylan on screen.
In 1997, there was a television-movie made based on Leonard's novel Pronto which introduced the character of Raylan Givens. The part was played by James LeGros who would eventually have a recurring role on Justified as hapless criminal Wade Messer.
Boyd's Original Fate
As much as Raylan is front-and-center for most of the series, it could reasonably be argued that the series is as much about his arch-enemy, Boyd Crowder. Rayland and Boyd have a long history that goes back before the series begins and it helps to inform their entire story together.
Things would have turned out much differently if Boyd's original fate had been left in. The first episode of the series ends with Raylan shooting Boyd and the original plan was for him to die there. Luckily, they decided to reshoot it with Boyd surviving due to Walton Goggin's great performance.
Elmore Leonard's Novel
From beginning to end, the influence of Elmore Leonard can be felt in this series. Leonard sadly died just after the fourth season had wrapped. But the show maintains his style and his characters in a great tribute to an amazing writer.
It seems that Leonard himself was more than impressed with the show as well. He went on record as saying Olyphant's performance was just as he envisioned the character and it inspired him to revisit the character in his own novel called Raylan which was released in 2012.
Karen Sisco
In a testament to Leonard's great work, there have been several successful movies based on his novels such as Jackie Brown, Get Shorty and Out of Sight. In Out of Sight, Jennifer Lopez played US Marshal Karen Sisco. The popularity of that film spawned the short-lived spinoff series, Karen Sisco with Carla Gugino in the title role.
In Season 3 of Justified, Gugino reprised her role as Karen who turns out to be Raylan's former partner. Though she only made the one appearance, it was a fun inclusion from Leonard's "shared universe".
Winona's Departure
While Raylan certain doesn't have trouble attracting women, he does have a problem keeping them. His commitment to his job and general immature attitude means he doesn't stay in one relationship for too long. It's no surprise that his relationship with his ex-wife Winona is off-and-on.
Despite seeming to rekindle things and even having a child together, Winona abruptly leaves Raylan in Season 3. Winona's departure seemed to fit their rocky relationship, but it is actually because actor Natalie Zea took a job on The Following. She would appear as a guest star throughout the rest of the series.
The Friends Of Eddie Coyle
The show's finale finds Raylan finally packing up and leaving Harlan behind. As he cleans out his desk, he gives his colleague Tim a copy of his favorite book as a parting gift. The book is The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins.
The inclusion of the book is interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is a crime tale that takes a somewhat sympathetic view of its blue-collar criminal protagonist, which is perhaps a sympathy Raylan shares deep down. Secondly, Elmore Leonard has said that book is his all-time favorite.
Inspirations For Mags
Raylan deals with plenty of memorable bad guys throughout the series, but perhaps the most memorable is Mags Bennett. Played brilliantly by beloved character actor Margo Martindale, Mags is the matriarch of the Bennett family, a criminal enterprise operating in Harlan.
The character is taken from a couple of inspirations, one being Pervis Crowe, a marijuana kingpin from Leonard's novel, Raylan. Another inspiration is a real-life crime figure named Mags Bailey who had some of her stories incorporated into the character of Mags.
Raylan's Father
Another of Raylan's most important and most complicated relationships on the show was with his father Arlo. From a young age, Arlo was abusive to his wife as well as Raylan. His life of crime continued long after Raylan left Kentucky and their relationship remained antagonistic until Arlo's death in Season 4.
In Leonard's novels, Raylan's father had died long ago due to lung disease contracted in the Harlan coal mines. The show wisely included him in the series as a way to further explore Raylan's think line between lawman and criminal.
Boyd's Teeth
Boyd Crowd is certainly a memorable character but one of the most distinct things about him are his teeth. For a supposed "redneck neo-Nazi" Boyd has some very big and very white teeth which look too perfect to be real.
Sure enough, in Season 4, Boyd explains that he had his teeth replaced when they were all knocked out during his time in the army. Those teeth are in fact fake in real-life as well as Goggins lost them playing baseball as a child.
Raylan's Hat
It's hard to even picture Raylan Givens without his famous hat. While most people would look ridiculous constantly wearing a cowboy hat, he makes it work. It also helps solidify him as a Western lawman living in modern times.
We aren't given any explanation for where the hat came from aside from Raylan explaining, "I tried it on and it fit". In the finale, Raylan kills the thug Boone and is later seen wearing Boone's hate as a replacement. He gives the same vague explanation which might suggest his previous hat was also a trophy taken off a man he killed.