Fans of the 2010's hit neo-Western series Justified were ecstatic when they discovered that the show's gritty drama will return to FX for a limited-series sequel, set to debut on July 18.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The award-winning series captivated viewers for six seasons with its witty dialogue, authentic world-building, and brilliant performances from its entire cast. After tough, no-nonsense U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is removed from his post in Miami for employing his "own brand of justice," he's relocated to Harlan County in Eastern Kentucky, where he grew up. Raylan must face his past while finding his place in the rural Appalachian mountains.
Like the original series, Justified: City Primeval will be based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. The first six seasons were based on three books and a short story that all featured Givens' character. The sequel takes inspiration from Leonard's novel City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit.
Olyphant will reprise his role as the troubled and rigid Raylan through eight episodes. The new series will follow Raylan as he raises his daughter while trying to bring an elusive criminal known as the Oklahoma Wildman to justice. However, Olyphant is the only member of the Justified cast to return, which makes sense, given that the spinoff is set in a different city from the original series.
But the overarching success of the original Justified cemented or set off flourishing careers for many of its cast members.
Check out what has the rest of the cast been up to since the show concluded in 2015:
Timothy Olyphant - Raylan Givens
(Photo by Kayla Oaddams/WireImage)
Olyphant proved that less is more with his entrancing performance as the chilling-yet-controlled Raylan. Though he never secured the win, the actor was nominated for a Primetime Emmy as well as a Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series on multiple occasions for playing the U.S. marshal.
While he had other, smaller roles before Justified, the Western drama showcased Olyphant's abilities as a leading man and launched him into Hollywood stardom and even into comedy. Since the show ended, Olyphant starred in and executive produced the horror-comedy Santa Clarita Diet alongside Drew Barrymore for three seasons.
He also grabbed a number of feature film roles, including as Elliott Schmidt in the sports drama National Champions (2021) and as Taron Milfax in David O. Russell's Amsterdam (2022) with Margot Robbie, Christian Bale and John David Washington.
Nick Searcy - Art Mullen
Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for National Geographic
Nick Searcy captured Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Art Mullen, the stringent rule-follower and Raylan father figure, through the show's run. But he's not just an actor. Searcy started his entertainment career in off-Broadway plays. He also directed, produced and snagged a few small parts and recurring roles in a number of films and television series.
Since Justified, Searcy grabbed the role of General Hoyt in the award-winning drama The Shape of Water (2017) and Garland Keith in the historical drama The Best of Enemies (2019). Searcy also got to flex his directing chops on a true-crime drama in 2018, Gosnell: America's Biggest Serial Killer.
Jacob Pitts - Tim Gutterson
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
The cynical and unimpressed former Army Ranger Tim Gutterson was played by Jacob Pitts in all 78 episodes of Justified. Pitts was able to balance his character's ongoing battle with PTSD alongside his sarcasm with ease and dry humor.
Since the show ended, the actor earned a number of recurring or one-time roles in shows such as Limitless, BrainDead, Sneaky Pete, The Sinner, Homecoming and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But he's currently enjoying married life in Slovakia; Pitts married Slovakian actress and director Tereza Nvotová in 2020.
Erica Tazel - Rachel Brooks
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Lionsgate
The straight-and-narrow U.S. Marshal Rachel Brooks was captured by theater and television actress Erica Tazel. Among her many passionate performances in that role, we always loved when she reminded Raylan he couldn't act that way if he weren't a handsome white man.
Outside of Justified, Tazel grabbed recurring roles in one season of The Night Shift and two seasons of The Good Fight. She also starred as Atticus' mother, Dora Freeman, throughout the HBO horror drama series Lovecraft Country and as Charise Spivey in Apple TV's drama Truth Be Told.
Joelle Carter - Ava Crowder
Photo by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images
As an unexpected central piece to Harlan County's crime ring, Joelle Carter played the elusive and resourceful Ava Crowder. Ava grew up in Harlan and knew Raylan when he was growing up. As the stealthy heroine of the series, she fights back when cornered and grabs the attention of several men in the series.
Before Justified, Carter starred in a few feature cult favorites including High Fidelity (2000) and American Pie 2 (2001). After the series ended, she grabbed a recurring role as Vanessa Moss on the hit political thriller series Scandal and starred as investigator Laura Nagel in the legal drama series Chicago Justice.
As for feature films, Carter earned a role as Rebecca in the ensemble comedy She's in Portland (2020) and will star in the upcoming biographical sports drama The Hill (2023) as MLB star Rickey Hill's mother.
Natalie Zea - Winona Hawkins
Steven Simione/FilmMagic
Winona Hawkins, Raylan's ex-wife and brilliantly performed femme fatale of the early seasons, was played by Natalie Zea. Winona was married to someone else at the start of the series but quickly realized she still loved Raylan despite his reckless choices and tendency for trouble.
Over the years, Zea has held a number of guest-starring roles on popular shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Two and a Half Men, Without a Trace and Person of Interest. Zea also earned some film credits including as Sean Patrick Flanery's co-star in the thriller InSight (2011) and in the cop comedy The Other Guys (2010).
After Justified, Zea returned to her soap opera roots by starring as the put-together, educated lead character Mickey Holmes-Harris in ABC's Members Only. Most recently, she also starred as Eve Harris in NBC's apocalyptic drama La Brea.
Walton Goggins - Boyd Crowder
Aurora Rose/Variety via Getty Images
The brooding and off-kilter Boyd Crowder, the son of Harlan County's most notorious criminals, was captured by Walton Goggins. Though he was one of Raylan's childhood friends, Boyd was known for robbing banks using flashy pyrotechnics and trying to control the region's seedy criminal underground.
Goggins' character was supposed to be killed in the pilot episode. But his performance not only earned him a permanent role, he was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Goggins went on to grab a number of roles in feature films, including as a sadistic slave-fighting trainer in Django Unchained (2012).
More recently, Goggins has taken the action film world by storm. He played Lawrence in Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018), Mathias Vogel in Tomb Raider (2018) and became part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). He also stars as Uncle Baby Billy in HBO's hilarious The Righteous Gemstones.
Catch up on the original Justified series by streaming all six seasons on Hulu, and prepare for the release of Justified: City Primeval on July 23.
