Boys and girls, junkies of TV land, meet DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL RAYLAN GIVENS.

Make no mistake, this show is nothing like 24. So why the Jack Bauer reference?

I've been through all 8 years of Jack Bauer, but I think it wasn't until after Season 3 that Jack Bauer imprinted himself in my mind as this invincible hero persona. And I always thought that there isn't really many characters on TV that has the Jack Bauer effect. As a matter of fact, there is NONE, really. That effect being when said character walks into a scene, you kinda wanna jump out of your couch and tell it to everyone around him (in that scene) that: THIS HERE IS THE HUMAN EQUIVALENT OF SUPERMAN, Y'ALL!!! BOW DOWN AND BE VERY VERY AFRAID OF HIM!

Well, that effect was Jack Bauer's alone, until Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens comes rolling by. Simply put, Raylan Givens is the cowboy version of Jack Bauer. In addition to that, Raylan Givens also: (1) has bigger daddy issues than the entire 6 seasons of LOST combined, (2) has no sense of boundaries whatsoever, (3) is a picture perfect example of a ladies man, and (4) is way more trigger-happy than Jack Bauer. I kid you not, he'll probably already be shooting 3 bullets while Jack Bauer was still thinking. Hell, Raylan Givens shoots his enemies, buddies, and he'll even shoot his father without any hesitation if he had to.

But that's what's really interesting about the character of Raylan Givens. Don't mistake his cool and calm facade for kindness because inside lies a very angry and violent man. But he's a good man, really, a perfect model of a righteous lawman. Better yet, he's unconventional. He's friendlies with everyone: the good guys, the bad dudes, the ex-wife, the ex-wife's new husband, the snitches, the witnesses... but when the time comes when he has to shoot, he doesn't bluff. You better take his word for it when he says he'll shoot, because HE WILL SHOOT YOU, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE. He leaves a trail of dead bodies (or gunshot victims) everywhere he goes, and despite that it gives his bosses a neverending incurable migraine, they all know that Raylan Givens gets the job done. And that is the beauty of the character, played so perfectly by equally placid Timothy Olyphant.

Justified is brilliantly written and produced by Graham Yost, who boasts credits like HBO's The Pacific and John Adams. The Southern twang might be a little hard to swallow for some who aren't very much used to it, but after Friday Night Lights and (especially!) True Blood, I've grown to find a setting full of characters that are trailer trash redneck idjits rather endearing. Believe me, you're in for a lot of fun and laughs just watching all the kinds of batshit crazy stuff going on in Justified. Everyone's got guns (and even BAZOOKAs---WTH!?), and they ain't worried about any bullet wastage. You know, I find them so endearing that I've even thought of trading my glitzy city life and move over to the deep Southern hicktowns like Bon Temps, LA (True Blood) or Harlan, KY (Justified) and just sit around on my porch holding my shotgun and drinking whisky all day long. And perhaps I might just score myself a hot Deputy US Marshal like Raylan Givens ;)

And now that Jack Bauer is off the air and officially a FUGITIVE... may I suggest that someone in FOX haul him over to FX and put him in Lexington, KY, so that he may be hunted down by Raylan Givens himself? I just want them to be friends, dammit! Come on, FOX... isn't FX an extension of your company? Give me my happy ending!