FX’s ‘Justified’ Confirmed to End After Season 6?
FX gunslinger drama 'Justified' premiered its fifth season with last night's "A Murder of Crowes," but far from the cable network's most buzzworthy property, questions have often arisen of the series' longevity. Showrunner Graham Yost has previously cited 6 seasons as a likely cap for Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder, but has FX officially confirmed 'Justified''s end date for 2015?
Like the 'Sons of Anarchy' it replaced on Tuesdays, 'Justified' can't yet be officially confirmed to end after its next season, though FX President Nick Grad relayed after a screening of the most recent premiere that a season 6 end remains "the plan right now."
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. 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. 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.
Of course, even with a series end date in mind for 'Justified,' the question inevitably arrives of a big-screen adaptation to follow. Posed with the question of 'Community''s "six seasons and a movie" mantra, 'Justified' creator and showrunner Graham Yost talked with Vulture about the potential to see Raylan Givens on the silver screen:
I love a good movie. But when you say "six seasons and a movie," we do a sixth season, and then another two-hour-long episode? It's like, "Okay, we could have a bigger budget and bigger explosions and stuff," but you know, I don't know to what end the movie would be. If we can make it through six seasons, that's fantastic.
It's funny, though, because it's the first time I've thought about it, and only because you asked, but people talk about that all the time: "24 is doing a movie!" Why? To make money? To see it on the big screen? The first Sex and the City movie did great business, so it makes sense, but it all comes down to what story are you going to tell? I have a feeling at the end of six seasons, if that's all we do, there will be a sense of completion to that. And doing a movie would be a very separate thing.
We'd be comfortable with a six-season cap to 'Justified''s run, but what about you? Did the most recent premiere have you wishing the FX gunslinger drama would run for longer? Take a look at the latest preview for season 5 below, and give us your thoughts on 'Justified''s future in the comments!