If I were forced to pick my top five active shows on television right now, Justified would need to be a part of that conversation. It doesn’t have the subtle brilliance of Mad Men, nor does it match the fervent intensity of Breaking Bad. It’s just good, consistent entertainment week in and out – anchored by Timothy Olyphant and an incredible cast that includes Walton Goggins, Natalie Zea, Joelle Carter and Nick Searcy. And I can’t think of any show that uses its guests more effectively, as the delightful Margo Martindale even snagged an Emmy for her excellent turn as drug kingpin / convenience store owner Mags Bennett.
So it’s with some excitement that I approach TV Line‘s news that stand-up comic Patton Oswalt will be joining the series for a limited run in Justified’s fourth season:
Lest anyone suspect Oswalt is dialing it down completely for this visit to Harlan County, know that Bob has a single football tale he tells over and over from his high school glory days, Al Bundy-style, while a bid to help Raylan capture a bail jumper are humorous — and maybe even successful!
Odd grammatical structure aside, this is great news. The piece makes it sound like Oswalt’s turn will be comedic in nature, but anyone who’s seen the comic in work like Big Fan and Young Adult knows that he’s capable of a whole lot more than just shaking a bag of magazines at perps.