Critical reception
Throughout its run, Justified received largely positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregation website Metacritic, all seasons hold an 80% score or higher. Author Elmore Leonard ranked Justified as one of the best adaptations of his work, which includes Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, 3:10 to Yuma and Out of Sight. Leonard also praised the casting of Olyphant as Raylan, describing the actor as "the kind of guy I saw when I wrote his lines".
The first season was positively received. The critical consensus for the season on Rotten Tomatoes reads, "A coolly violent drama, Justified benefits from a seductive look and a note-perfect Timothy Olyphant performance." TV Guide critic Matt Roush said, "The show is grounded in Olyphant's low-key but high-impact star-making performance, the work of a confident and cunning leading man who's always good company." Chicago Tribune critic Maureen Ryan stated, "The shaggily delightful dialogue, the deft pacing, the authentic sense of place, the rock-solid supporting cast and the feeling that you are in the hands of writers, actors and directors who really know what they're doing—all of these are worthy reasons to watch Justified." Jesse Damiani of HuffPost referred to the show's dialogue as "best-in-television", explaining, "What this quality of dialogue accomplishes...is crafting Harlan County as its own character, a place where wit and strategy are currency, weaponry, and protection in a bleak economic landscape." Mike Hale of The New York Times noted the show's "modest virtues", but was critical of the first season's pace and characterization, writing: "Justified can feel so low-key that even the crisis points drift past without making much of an impression... It feels as if the attention that should have gone to the storytelling all went to the atmosphere and the repartee."
Eric Dodds of Time suggested the first episodes were too procedural to "crack the upper echelon" of prestige television dramas. Critics did note that the characters played by Jacob Pitts and Erica Tazel, Tim Gutterson and Rachel Brooks respectively, remained underutilized throughout the show's run.
The second season received increased acclaim. The critical consensus for the second season on Rotten Tomatoes reads, "Justified finds its footing in its second season with an expanded cast of characters that enriches its seedy world." Robert Bianco of USA Today praised Margo Martindale's performance, stating: "Like the show itself, Margo Martindale's performance is smart, chilling, amusing, convincing and unfailingly entertaining. And like the show, you really don't want to miss it." Slant Magazine critic Scott Von Doviak observed, "Justified's rich vein of gallows humor, convincing sense of place, and twisty hillbilly-noir narratives are all selling points, but it's Olyphant's devilish grin that seals the deal."
The third season continued to receive acclaim, with Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus reading, "Justified continues to dispense its brand of spare dialogue and sudden violence, culminating in a very satisfying finale." Jeremy Enger of The New York Times said the series "captures his darkly funny, morally murky tone and spikes the traditional crime procedural with hooch and Oxycontin, tracking its hero's attempts to thwart colorful drug dealers and gunrunners and negotiate his own fractured relationships. The series unspools in an oddly captivating alternate South peopled by whimsically twisted archetypes and marked by sudden shifts between folksy black comedy and graphic violence." Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker was critical of the third season, writing: "Extended storytelling has its own conventions and clichés, all of which appeared in Season 3... it echoed every cable drama, in the worst way." Verne Gay of Newsday said of the third season, "Lean, laconic, precise and as carefully word-crafted as any series on TV, there's pretty much nothing here to suggest that the third season won't be as good as the second – or better."
For the fourth season, Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus is, "Bolstered by witty, efficient dialogue and confident storytelling, Justified makes a strong case for consideration among cable television's top dramas." Tom Gliatto of People Weekly wrote, "What gives the show its kick is the gleefully childish lack of repentance shown by most of these rascals—countered by Olyphant's coolly amused control." Verne Gay of Newsday found that "Character—as the old saying goes—is a long-standing habit, and their habits remain very much intact. The same could be said of Justified." Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine found that "Justified is the strongest, liveliest, and most tonally accurate adaptation of the writer's work to date, and the latest season bracingly suggests that isn't likely to change anytime soon."
The fifth season proved to be less popular, although it continued to receive positive reviews. Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter considered the season to be "a stretch on all fronts" and Eric Dodds of Time complained the season didn't spend enough time with its characters. Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus for this season reads, "Justified continues to bring the shock value with clever storylines and a potent blend of comedy and drama." When discussing what worked well and less well with the season, showrunner Yost noted how the unexpected departure of actor Edi Gathegi (playing Jean Baptiste) "upset the balance of the season", but also how it led to the prominence of the character of young Kendall Crowe (played by Jacob Lofland).
The sixth and final season once again received critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes' critical consensus reads "Justified returns to form for its endgame, rebounding with crisp storytelling and colorful characters who never take themselves too seriously." Critics generally considered the series finale to be a very satisfying conclusion according to Rotten Tomatoes' roundup.
