Timothy Olyphant Hinted At The Future Of Justified: City Primeval

Nearly a decade after Justified’s 2015 finale, Timothy Olyphant made his highly anticipated return as Raylan Givens in Justified: City Primeval. The latest chapter in the U.S. marshal’s story brought him to Detroit, where he had to face off against a new foe: The Oklahoma Wildman. Garnering positive critical reception after eight years proves that there’s still lots of love for Raylan’s story (and iconic hat). But after the Aug. 29 finale, will there be a Justified: City Primeval Season 2 to look forward to?

Technically, FX has described the latest eight episodes as a limited series. However, on YouTube, the network has also referred to the Aug. 29 finale as the season (read: not “series”) finale — so there might be more to come.

In a July interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Michael Dinner gave a promising hint about the prospect of continuing Justified. Dinner said he’s always envisioned the original series as the “first act” of Raylan’s life, which seemingly sets up City Primeval as Act II and a potential third outing as Act III. “I do think there’s a third chapter, in success, if the audience comes to this,” Dinner explained, adding that the rest of the team would like to return as well. “Tim is Raylan and Raylan is Tim, and there’s an opportunity if someone wants us to do it again. I think that we can do it again.”

Indeed, Olyphant is down for more. “I’d show up. I had a good time,” he said at the ATX TV Festival in June, per Variety. “Every time we’ve done this I’ve had a good time.” The Santa Clarita Diet alum also voiced his support for the ongoing WGA strike during the event. “I hope those f*ckers get everything they’re asking for,” he said. “They deserve it. None of this exists without writers.”

Olyphant also addressed the possibility of future episodes with Rotten Tomatoes, telling the website, “Maybe there’s a murmur,” regarding another season.

But if another round of Justified happens, it could be some time away — not just because of the ongoing strikes, but because of Olyphant’s approach to playing Raylan. “I believe I’m on record as saying, before we wrapped the original show, that while I felt we should wrap the show, I reserve the right to come back later,” the actor told Rolling Stone. “I thought there might be something creatively beneficial to taking a break. I’d seen Bond movies, and I feel like the breaks served them well.”

If the same pattern plays out, there could be a substantial break between City Primeval and a potential third installment — but hopefully not another eight years.