(S01E05) Ah, family. Probably the one thing Raylan didn't want to have to deal with upon his return to Kentucky. Unfortunately, a stakeout brought him to Harlan, where his father and stepmother live and operate. For the first time since 'Justified' premiered, we got a huge dose of the Givens family drama Raylan was running away from in the first place.

Can't say as I blame him. Family is always family, but if I had someone like Raylan's father Arlo to deal with in my family, I don't know how I'd handle it. Both Timothy Olyphant and Raymond J. Barry, as Arlo, did a masterful job of showing the layers of complexity in their relationship throughout the episode.

The hurt and frustration Raylan went through as a child never quite left him, and while there are traces of guilt and regret in Arlo, there's so much more of him that's never bothered to change and never quite will.

Timothy Olyphant, 'Deadwood's fearless Sheriff Seth Bullock, takes up his badge -- and his gun -- once again to defend a lawless small town tonight on the debut of FX's new series 'Justified.'

Olyphant plays US Marshal Raylan Givens, who is forced to return to the rural Eastern Kentucky county where he was raised. There, he finds a town as corrupt and violent as any the Old West had to offer. He squares off against his former best friend, now a hardened bank robber, played by Walton Goggins from 'The Shield.' It's smart casting: Goggins indelibly played Vic Mackey's closest friend turned deadliest enemy and we're dying to see these two actors face off.

It's high noon for the bad guys on the upcoming FX series 'Justified.'

The exclusive new trailer for the series opens with star Timothy Olyphant as lawman Raylan Givens shooting a bad guy at a beachside resort.

"You know we're not able to shoot people on site anymore,' says Givens' commander.

'He pulled first,' quips Olyphant's Givens.

Damages fans, prepare to be unhappy. As many have speculated, it looks like Timothy Olyphant will not be reprising his role as Wes Krulik on the FX legal thriller (at least not in any full time capacity like last season) since FX announced today that Olyphant is getting somewhat of a legal drama of his own.

Apparently John Landgraf and Co. watched a little Deadwood and liked how the guy looked in a cowboy hat because Olyphant's new series Lawman was given a 13 episode order today with a premiere date targeted for Spring 2010. Details and possible spoilers after the jump.

If you were speculating about whether Timothy Olyphant's character of Wes Krulik was coming back for season three of Damages, it's looking like he's not.

The edgy star's been tapped to play the lead in an FX drama pilot based on Elmore Leonard's short story "Fire in the Hole" (looking forward to the pairing of Leonard and Olyphant). The show revolves around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Olyphant), who returns to his hometown of Kentucky.

Creator and executive producer Graham Yost describes the character this way: "He has a certain jaggedness, but he also loves his job. He is like an anachronism: He wears a hat, cowboy boots and a holster on his hip. It's a little bit like he was born 100 years too late."

I like to think that I read more than the average bear, and I certainly have my favorites. I've been counting down the days to the new Neal Stephenson novel, Anathem, since a release date was announced. That being said, I've never really been lured in by any of the television tie-in books. However, a guest article at the LA Times site by Tod Goldberg has left me curious about Burn Notice: The Fix.

In the linked article, Goldberg details the thought process behind him making the jump to television tie-ins. He has an interesting perspective and it makes for a good read. Among other things, Goldberg was worried that writing a tie-in might sully his career. One of the things that turned the tide was the fact that he is a huge fan of Burn Notice. He actually makes a great comparison, saying, "It's smart, funny, visually arresting and has the tone and style of my favorite Elmore Leonard novels." Why yes, it is. Goldberg's first foray into tie-ins is available now.