Last week, “Justified” came to a glorious conclusion — a fact I was sadly reminded of when my 9:57 p.m. “Justified” alarm rang unexpectedly on my phone. With many of my favorite shows coming to a close this year, I am left not only with the fear of how to fill my Mondays through Thursdays, but also with the feeling that “Justified” may be a contender for my favorite show of all time.
Just to be clear,“The Wire” is the best show of all time. Even the low point of season two had numerous gems, leaving it miles ahead of the low point of season five in “Justified.” That said, I have come to realize there is often a difference in what I think is the best and what is my favorite. “The Wire” is immensely quotable, introduces one fantastic character after another and has great, tragic storylines. That said, if I were going to draw up my ideal show, “The Wire” isn’t what I’d come up with.
The strengths of “The Wire” hooked me on the show, but it differs from my ideals in its general tone. “The Wire,” at the core, is about how ‘The Man’ ruins everything while three or four idealist cops futilely try to change the system. It is the embodiment of the HBO-gritty-rule, which means any semi-functional, white heterosexual, male protagonist is cheating on his wife — see “Deadwood,” “True Detective,” “The Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire.” I could easily fill a top five list with only HBO shows, but there would be something missing. Maybe I’m just tired of all great television portraying the antihero’s descent into the void and an eventual, lonely death.
When I first heard of “The Wire,” my reaction was to wonder what could be interesting about wiretaps. The show didn’t catch my interest until I actually saw a few scenes. “Justified,” a modern Western, interested me as soon as I saw the commercial. We may be in television’s Golden Age, but we are also in the age of the anti-hero. Maybe I’m quixotic, but a lawman in a white hat who’s quick on the draw is exactly what television needs.
What I love about the show’s protagonist, Raylan Givens, is his role as a hero. While he has flaws, and the show is acutely aware of his frequent gun duels and ensuing body count, at his core, he is the good guy. Knowing the hero will win in the end might take the tension out of the show for some, but “Justified” still managed to keep me concerned for Raylan’s fate — primarily out of fear that the show-runners would follow the trend and decide he couldn’t be saved.
At the heart of “Justified” is the question of whether Raylan is truly good or a killer with a badge. Throughout the final season, I wondered if the writers would stay true to Western form and have the hero ride off into the sunset. The happy ending is currently out of style, but it is the reason “Justified” had one of my favorite finales of all time.
I have always been fond of mental rankings, but lately I’ve come to embrace sentimental favorites, like “Justified,” insead. For me, it’s less about how close something comes to perfection, but more about what it’s striving for. It’s why I like Radiohead’s “OK Computer” better than the widely renowned “Kid A” and can even understand someone who likes “The Bends” best. For all the unity and seamlessness of “Kid A,” the former simply has more of the sound I’m looking for. I think there is a natural tendency to want taste that is beyond reproach, but this is intrinsically dull. There will always be dozens of brooding anti-heroes to choose from, but “Justified,” at least for 2015, feels fresh.
When it comes down to it, “The Wire” may have a slight edge in dialogue, great characters and standout scenes — though Justified is far from lacking in these areas — but I just like “Justified” more. “The Wire” is a story told flawlessly, while “Justified” is the story I want told. While some will spend the coming months watching Don Draper stare out windows until he ends his story with some vaguely redemptive suicidal act, I’m content to immerse myself in rewatching the adventures of Raylan Givens for the third time in the past year-and-a-half.
Christian’s column runs biweekly Fridays. He can be reached at c.hecht@cavalierdaily.com.
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