Review of HBO's True Detective

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey

in HBO's True Detective

Sunday's

9PM

Set in Lousiana, the action switches back and forth from present day to 17 years in the past. 

17 yrs ago a ritualistic serial killer was at large. The victims, all women, primarily prostitutes and/or runaways. Detectives Martin Hart and Rust Cohle solved the case. Or so they thought. In present day new victims are surfacing. In present day Cohle and Hart are working with detectives Maynard Gilbough [Michael Potts] and Thomas Papania [Tory Kittles].

Detective Rust [Matthew McConaughey] aka the taxman, because of his ever present notebook, is a divorced, taciturn, insomniac, alcoholic, nihilist, grieving the loss of his daughter---killed at age 2 after being hit by a car. His methods are unorthodox but he is a gifted crime solver who infuriates and frustrates his partner Detective Hart [Woody Harrleson] and his boss, Major Quesada [Kevin Dunn].

Detective Hart is a married father with 2 young daughters. Ostensibly a model family man. He is a good dad, but he's cheating on his wife Maggie [Michelle Monaghan], stalks and is jealous of his mistress, and is a binge drinking violent drunk. But like his partner is a good detective.

This show is fantastic. Creator Nic Pizzolatto's scripts and Cary Fukunaga's directing are flawless. The cinematography is beautiful even when showing gruesome crime scenes. Harrelson and McConaughey mesh perfectly despite their characters' fundamental differences. The give and take between the detectives and others in the squad room has a very natural feel. Particularly the harmless flirtation between Hart and the receptionist Cathleen [Dana Gourrier].

True Detective is True Blood without the vampires and with more bite. If you are not watching True Detective you should be. Do not watch other detective series after watching True Detective---you will only be disappointed.

Sundays at 9PM on HBO also available on HBOGO and HBO on Demand. Don't miss it.

Review of The Spoils Of Babylon on IFC

Combine Atlas Shrugged, The Thorn Birds, Rich Man, Poor Man, Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, and every can't put down page turning pulp best seller from the 70's & '80s and you have IFC's sensational spoof of those genres---The Spoils of Babylon. The six episode mini-series, tells the rags to riches saga of Texan Jonas Moorehouse [Tim Robbins], his biological daughter Cynthia [Kristen Wiig], and adopted son Devon [Tobey Magnifier]. Isabella Acres as the young Cynthia resembles a young Hayden Panettiere more than she does Kristen Wiig, but no matter. She is hilarious.

Eric Jonrosh [Will Ferrell] author of the book from which the series is adapted intros & outros each ep. Orson Welles in his later more corpulent years as a pitchman for Ernest & Julio Gallo is the template for Jonrosh. Ferrell executes the character perfectly. Bravo also to the special effects make-up that assists in the transformation. i know of one fan who did not recognize Mr Ferrell until i told them that he was Jonrosh.

Another effect that delivers are the exterior shots of moving cars. Models are used for the majority of those scenes and they make no pretense of being anything other than what they are, which of course only adds to the hilarity. It's like watching an episode of Mr.Rogers on peyote. For fans of Showtime's Masters of Sex who were longing to see Doctor William Masters' portrayer Michael Sheen in more light-hearted fare, your wish has been granted. Sheen's comedic chops & his Clark Gable pencil mustache are sharp & snappy.

Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Haley Joel Osment, David Spade, Toby Huss, Molly Shannon, Carey Mulligan, Jelly Howie, Phillip Wampler, and Steve Tom complete the cast. The Spoils of Babylon, a silly guilty pleasure from prologue to epilogue. Thursdays 10PM on IFC Check for marathon paintings too. Some episodes also available on Hulu's free service.

The Spoils Of Babylon on IFC Thursdays at 10PM

[IFC Press Release]

THE CENTURY'S MOST ANTICIPATED TELEVISION MINI-SERIES EVENT IS HERE...The Spoils of Babylon

LOVE, LUST, GREED AND WAR IGNITE ON TV SCREENS EVERYWHERE THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 AT 10:00PM ET/PT

Featuring Jessica Alba, Will Ferrell, Jellybean Howie, Val Kilmer, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Haley Joel Osment, Tim Robbins, Michael Sheen, David Spade, Steve Tom & Kristen Wiig

Produced By Funny Or Die

Grab a bottomless glass of scotch and hold onto your leather library chair for The Spoils of Babylon, a momentous and sweeping tale of forbidden love, betrayal, corruption and bloodshed. The gripping six-part saga features Jessica Alba, Will Ferrell, Jellybean Howie, Val Kilmer, Tobey Maguire, Haley Joel Osment, Tim Robbins, Michael Sheen, Steve Tom and Kristen Wiig with a cameo by David Spade and the voice of Carey Mulligan. The Spoils of Babylon premieres with two back-to-back half-hour episodes on Thursday, January 9 at 10:00pm ET/PT on IFC.

The Spoils of Babylon world premiere marks the most celebrated achievement in television history. Legendary author Eric Jonrosh (Ferrell), the undisputed master of fiction, personally opens and closes each episode, introducing audiences to the storytelling genius behind the brilliant adaptation of his best-selling novel, a sweeping chronicle of the provocative and captivating exploits of the Morehouse family.

Patriarch Jonas Morehouse (Robbins) shepherds his daughter Cynthia (Wiig) and adopted son Devon (Maguire) from meager beginnings in the oil fields of Texas to powerful boardrooms in New York City. Cynthia and Devon, entwined in undeniable love, stumble through war-torn battlefields, blazing mansions, filthy drug dens and velvet-sheeted bedrooms on their quest for power and influence.

Despite Jonas's best efforts to intervene, Cynthia and Devon's merciless love sets into motion a wave of destruction that crashes down on Devon's graceful wife Lady Anne (Mulligan), his daughter Marianne (Howie), his colleague and lover Dixie (Alba), Cynthia's hen-pecked husband Chet (Sheen), her evil son Winston (Osment), the scheming Generals (Kilmer and Tom) and far beyond.

The Spoils of Babylon is produced by Funny or Die for IFC and executive produced by Ferrell, Adam McKay, Matt Piedmont, Andrew Steele and Nate Young. Steele and Piedmont created and wrote the series, and Piedmont directed.

For updates on The Spoils of Babylon go to: Online: www.ifc.com/shows/the-spoils-of-babylon Twitter: @SpoilsofBabylon Facebook: facebook.com/thespoilsofbabylon

PRINCIPAL CAST: · Haley Joel Osment as Winston · Jessica Alba as Dixie Mellonworth · Kristen Wiig as Cynthia · Michael Sheen as Chet Halner · Steve Tom as General · Tim Robbins as Jonas Morehouse · Tobey Maguire as Devon · Val Kilmer as General · Will Ferrell as Eric Jonrosh/Shah of Iran

CREW: · Adam McKay as EP · Andrew Steele as    CRTR/EP · Matt Piedmont as  CRTR/EP/DIR  (Pilot) · Will Ferrell as EP

GENRE(S): · comedy (all) · comedy (single-camera) STUDIO INFORMATION: · Gary Sanchez Productions

And Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, Courtesy of Hulu, Episode 1 of The Spoils Of Babylon: The Foundling

About IFC

IFC creates and champions authentic, original comedies that are "Always On. Slightly Off," which air alongside an extraordinary collection of films and comedic cult TV shows. IFC.com features exclusive video, web series, podcasts, blogs and additional content that engages fans with IFC originals. The network's On Demand offering, IFC Free, gives viewers the opportunity to watch select content from IFC whenever they want. Established in 1994, IFC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and is available in over 70 million homes on every major cable, satellite and telco provider.

About Funny or Die

Funny Or Die launched in April 2007 and has become an award-winning top destination for comedy on the web. The site has over 19 million unique users per month, over 60 million video views per month, and has grown into a vertically integrated 21st century digital studio that produces high quality content over numerous platforms, operating a social media and marketing division with over 6.5 million Twitter followers (#1 Comedy Brand), 2.2 million Facebook fans, and devoted followers on numerous social networking and sharing sites. Funny Or Die has become the "place to be seen" for comedic celebrities, and the obvious destination for a daily comedy fix. Funny Or Die's founders are Gary Sanchez Productions (Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and Michael Kvamme. Judd Apatow is also a principal partner in Funny Or Die.

Emmy Award Winner Greg Kinnear Stars in Rake on FOX' Two Night Series' Premiere Event Sunday 1~19~2014 and Thursday 1~23~2014

[Fox Press Release]

Tune in to the Special Two-Night Series Premiere Event: Sunday, Jan. 19, Immediately Following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME And Thursday, Jan. 23 @ 9/8c

FOX ORDERS PILOT FOR NEW DRAMA “RAKE” ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE AND EMMY AWARD WINNER GREG KINNEAR TO STAR IN LEAD ROLE

Character-Driven Drama Executive-Produced By Peter Duncan, Peter Tolan and Michael Wimer

Kicking off its drama pilot orders, Fox Broadcasting Company (FOX) has given a pilot order to RAKE, a character-driven comedic drama by Peter Duncan (creator of the original Australian series) and executive-produced by Peter Tolan (“Rescue Me,” “Analyze This”) and Michael Wimer (“2012”). Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Greg Kinnear (“Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Kennedys”) has been cast in the lead role of KEEGAN JOYE, a brilliant, but self-destructive criminal defense lawyer. Kinnear also will co-executive-produce.

Based on the Australian AACTA nominee for Best Television Drama Series, RAKE follows the chaotic and comedic life of criminal defense lawyer KEEGAN JOYE (Kinnear). Brilliant, frustratingly charming, and with zero filter, Keegan is one of life's great addicts. His staggering lack of discretion and inability to self-censor land him the cases that nobody else wants, but behind that lies a resolute optimism and belief in justice that fuel his dogged determination to defend those who seem beyond redemption.

In addition to Keegan’s cases within the justice system, the show follows his personal trials and tribulations, including his ongoing battle against the IRS, his mounting debt to his bookie, overlapping affairs and liaisons with women, a hormonal son, an exhausted ex-wife and the evolving relationship between his two married best friends, Ben and Scarlett.

Greg Kinnear received an Academy Award nomination for his work in the 1997 film “As Good as It Gets.” His recent role on “Modern Family” earned him a 2012 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. For his performance as John F. Kennedy in the cable miniseries “The Kennedys,” he was nominated for 2011 Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. In 1995, Kinnear and the producers of cable’s “Talk Soup” won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Program.

In 2006, Kinnear starred in the Academy Award-nominated film “Little Miss Sunshine.” Other film credits include “Thin Ice,” “Green Zone,” “Flash of Genius,” “Ghost Town,” “Baby Mama,” “Feast of Love,” Invincible,” “Fast Food Nation,” “Bad News Bears,” “Stuck On You,” “Auto Focus,” “The Gift,” “Nurse Betty” and “You’ve Got Mail.” He will next be seen in Josh Boone’s “Writers,” co-starring Jennifer Connelly, Kristen Bell and Lily Collins. The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival. He also has completed production on Craig Zisk’s “The English Teacher,” co-starring Julianne Moore, Lily Collins and Nathan Lane. RAKE is Kinnear’s first network drama pilot.

RAKE is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Fedora Entertainment and Essential Media & Entertainment Pty Ltd. The pilot is created and written by Peter Duncan. The pilot is executive-produced by Duncan, Peter Tolan, Michael Wimer, Richard Roxburgh (“Rake,” “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole”) and Ian Collie (“Rake”).

DESCRIPTION:
[From FOX press release] "...Sometimes, finding justice in this world is like looking for a needle in an infinite field of haystacks. So we must have the law as a good fallback position." - Keegan Deane RAKE, a character-driven drama based on the Australian nominee for Best Television Drama series of the same name, follows the comedic and chaotic life of criminal defense lawyer KEEGAN DEANE (Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Greg Kinnear, "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Kennedys").

On a single day, Keegan Deane is described as many things. His ex-wife-calls him "unreliable"; his son calls him a "pal"; most judges think he's "an outrage"; the IRS calls him a "defendant"; and to his former dealer, he's simply a "tragic loss." Brilliant, frustratingly charming and with zero filter, Keegan is one of life's great addicts. His staggering lack of discretion and inability to self-censor land him the cases that nobody else will touch, but behind that lies a resolute optimism and belief in justice that fuel his dogged determination to defend those who seem beyond redemption.

He always tries to do the right thing, but at the same time struggles to save himself from the many self-destructive elements that plague his own life, such as his overindulgence of various excesses, including women and gambling. Keegan gets a majority of his cases from BEN (John Ortiz, "Silver Linings Playbook," "Luck"), his best friend since law school. Ben is married to SCARLET (Necar Zadegan, "Emily Owens, M.D.," "The Event"), another of Keegan's old friends and, as Assistant District Attorney for the city of Los Angeles, quite often his opponent in court. In addition to Keegan's cases within the justice system, the series follows his personal trials and tribulations, including his mounting debt to his bookie and his overlapping liaisons with various women, including MELISSA "MIKKI" PARTRIDGE (Bojana Novakovic, "Edge of Darkness," "Drag Me To Hell"), Keegan's favorite prostitute and de-facto love interest.

Also among his predicaments is his ongoing battle with the IRS. But always there to help Keegan clean up his mess is LEANNE ZANDER (Tara Summers, "Ringer," "Damages"), his extremely put-upon, no-nonsense assistant. Meanwhile, Keegan's ex-wife, MADDY (Miranda Otto, "The Starter Wife," "War of the Worlds"), a psychologist by profession, begrudgingly acts as his therapist. She also is the mother of their hormonal son, FINN (Ian Colletti, "Phoebe In Wonderland"), who displays many of the same proclivities as his father. Each morning, Keegan tends to wake up bruised - physically, emotionally, spiritually. Usually it's a combination of them all. Then it's out into the world - onto the battleground of Keegan's day.

RAKE is produced by Fedora Entertainment and Essential Media & Entertainment Pty Ltd., in association with Sony Pictures Television. The series is created and written by Peter Duncan (creator of the original Australian series). The series is executive-produced by Duncan, Peter Tolan ("Rescue Me," "Analyze This"), Michael Wimer ("2012"), Richard Roxburgh ("Rake," "Mission: Impossible II," "Moulin Rouge") and Ian Collie ("Rake"). Kinnear and Leslie Tolan ("Rescue Me," "The Job") are co-executive producers. Sam Raimi ("Oz the Great and Powerful," "Spider-Man" franchise) directed and served as an executive producer on the pilot.

PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION: · Bojana Novakovic as Melissa "Mikki"  Partridge · Greg Kinnear as Keegan Deane · Ian Colletti as Finn Deane · John Ortiz as Ben · Miranda Otto as Maddy Deane · Necar Zadegan as Scarlet · Tara Summers as Leanne Zander

CREW INFORMATION: · Greg Kinnear as   CO-EP · Ian Collie as     EP · Leslie Tolan as   CO-EP · Michael Wimer     as EP · Peter Duncan as    CRTR/EP · Peter Tolan as   EP · Richard        Roxburgh as EP · Sam Raimi as EP/DIR [Pilot]

GENRE: Drama STUDIO INFORMATION: · Essential Media · Fedora Entertainment · Sony Pictures  Television

FX' Archer Season 5: New Assignment New Night New Time Monday January 13, 2014 10PM

[FX Press Release]

Season 5 of FX's hit animated comedy series Archer moves to a new night, airing Mondays at 10 PM ET/PT beginning on January 13. The award-winning series has become the highest-rated comedy series on FX, and routinely won its time-period last season in delivery of Adults 18-34.

Archer is an animated, half-hour comedy that revolves around the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillance is daunting and dangerous, every covert operation and global crisis is actually just another excuse for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gain.

The series features the voices of H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, Adam Reed, and Lucky Yates. Archer was created by Adam Reed who also serves as Executive Producer alongside Executive Producer Matt Thompson and their Floyd County Productions who animates the series. Archer is produced by FX Productions. FX has ordered 13 episodes for the upcoming season.

[end FX press release]

At the Summer 2013 New York Comic Con, Archer creator Adam Reed announced the ISIS crew will be focusing on new tasks. The government shuts down the ISIS spy agency. ISIS' agents re-invent themselves as a drug cartel. When asked why make the change of premise Reed's response was: “We’re doing something different with Season 5. … It’s a pretty dramatic departure from what we’ve been doing that, now that we’re ready to show it, I think it’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever had — but hopefully people will like it!” “Exactly, why change that? I don’t know! Now I’m starting to have a panic attack. I just thought, maybe this will be fun.” “We’re doing something super-different. Hopefully it’ll be good and people will still watch.”

Looking toward the new season, Reed joked "that after having the "Archer" crew mangle international incidents on land, air, water and outer space, there’s only one place left to go. “The human mind,” he laughed." “We’re going to plumb the depths of insanity!”

Woody Harrelson & Matthew McConaughey Star in HBO's New Drama: True Detective Beginning Sunday 1~12~2014 9PM

[HBO Press Release]

"TRUE DETECTIVE," DRAMA SERIES STARRING WOODY HARRELSON AND MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, DEBUTS JAN. 12, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

1995: Detectives Martin Hart and Rust Cohle, partners in Louisiana's Criminal Investigation Division, are assigned to a macabre murder by a killer with disturbing occult leanings. As they attempt to uncover the secrets of this bizarre crime, their own lives collide and intertwine in unexpected, sometimes catastrophic ways.

2012: When a similar case leads to an investigation of the original '95 murder by two new detectives, Martin and Rust separately tell the story of both the investigation and their lives, including why Cohle left CID in 2002.

Shot on location in Louisiana, the drama series TRUE DETECTIVE begins its eight-episode season SUNDAY, JAN. 12 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Matthew McConaughey ("The Wolf of Wall Street," Golden Globe nominee for "Dallas Buyers Club") stars as Rust Cohle and Woody Harrelson ("Out of the Furnace," "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire") stars as Martin Hart in the show, which also stars Michelle Monaghan ("Gone Baby Gone") as Hart's wife, Maggie, who struggles to keep her family together as the men in her life spiral into cycles of obsession and violence.

Alternating between 1995, 2002 and 2012, all eight episodes were written by series creator and novelist Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga ("Jane Eyre"), who executive produced along with Scott Stephens, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Steve Golin.

At first glance, Martin Hart and Rust Cohle couldn't be more different. Hart, a native Louisianan, is an outgoing family man with two kids, whose marriage is buckling under the stress of the job. Cohle, a former undercover narcotics detective from Texas, embraces isolation, articulating a pessimistic, even bleak, world view. But they share an obsession with justice and a facility for violence that will inflict irreparable damage on both men. 

Also featured in TRUE DETECTIVE are Kevin Dunn (HBO's "Luck") as Major Quesada, Hart and Cohle's boss; Tory Kittles ("Sons of Anarchy") and Michael Potts (HBO's "The Wire") as detectives Papania and Gilbough, in charge of the 2012 investigation;  Elizabeth Reaser ("The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn") as Laurie; Shea Whigham (HBO's "Boardwalk Empire") as revivalist Joel Theriot; Clarke Peters (HBO's "Treme") as a rural minister; Jay O. Sanders ("Person of Interest") as Billy Lee Tuttle; and Lili Simmons (CINEMAX's "Banshee") as Beth, a prostitute.

January's episodes:

Episode #1: "The Long Bright Dark"

Debut: SUNDAY, JAN. 12 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 12 (11:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 13 (12:15 a.m.), 14 (9:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 15 (10:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 16 (midnight), 17 (9:00 p.m.), 18 (1:00 a.m.) and 24 (8:00 p.m.), and Feb. 4 (11:00 p.m.), 7 (7:00 p.m.) and 8 (10:15 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Jan. 13 (9:00 p.m.), 17 (1:15 a.m.) and 19 (3:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), and Feb. 1 (5:00 p.m.) and 9 (4:00 p.m.)

Former Louisiana State CID partners Martin Hart and Rustin Cohle give separate statements to a pair of investigators about the murder of a prostitute, Dora Lange, 17 years earlier. As they look back, details of the crime, replete with occult overtones, are accompanied by insights into the detectives' volatile partnership and personal lives.

Written by Nic Pizzolatto; directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Episode #2: "Seeing Things"

Debut: SUNDAY, JAN. 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 19 (11:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 20 (12:15 a.m.), 21 (8:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 22 (10:00 p.m.), 23 (midnight), 24 (9:00 p.m.), 25 (9:45 p.m.) and 31 (8:00 p.m.), and Feb. 4 (midnight), 7 (8:00 p.m.) and 8 (11:15 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Jan. 20 (9:00 p.m.), 24 (1:15 a.m.) and 26 (12:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), and Feb. 1 (6:00 p.m.) and 9 (5:00 p.m.)

Under pressure to land a suspect in the Lange murder, Quesada warns Hart and Cohle that they might be replaced by three detectives from a new task force. The pair lobbies for extra time to follow up on a lead that takes them from a rural cathouse to an incinerated church. With his marriage to Maggie already strained by work, Hart finds respite away from home.

Written by Nic Pizzolatto; directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Episode #3: "The Locked Room"

Debut: SUNDAY, JAN. 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates: Jan. 26 (11:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 27 (11:45 p.m.), 28 (9:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 29 (10:00 p.m.), 30 (11:45 p.m.) and 31 (9:00 p.m.), and Feb. 1 (9:00 p.m.), 5 (10:00 p.m.), 6 (midnight), 7 (9:00 p.m.), 8 (12:15 a.m.) and 14 (8:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Jan. 27 (9:00 p.m.) and 31 (1:40 a.m.), and Feb. 1 (7:00 p.m.), 2 (12:30 a.m.), 3 (9:00 p.m.) and 9 (6:00 p.m.)

A hidden image at the burned-out church leads Cohle and Hart to Joel Theriot, a tent-revival minister whose parishioners finger a scarred "tall man" seen with Dora Lange. Brought in for interrogation, a sex offender matching the description is quickly dismissed by Cohle, despite offering a confession. Hart gets sidetracked after Maggie sets Cohle up with a friend at a C&W bar. Looking to establish a pattern of murder, Cohle pores over old case files, finding a connection with a woman assumed to have drowned years earlier.

Written by Nic Pizzolatto; directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

Matthew McConaughey's feature films include "Dallas Buyers Club," for which he just received a Golden Globe nomination, "The Wolf of Wall Street," "Mud," "Magic Mike," "The Lincoln Lawyer," "Bernie," "The Paperboy," "Contact," "Killer Joe," "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing," "We Are Marshall," "Surfer, Dude," "Reign of Fire," "The Wedding Planner," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," "EDtv" and "Dazed and Confused." He was previously seen on HBO in a recurring role on "Eastbound & Down."

Woody Harrelson received Oscar(R) nominations for "The People vs. Larry Flynt" (Leading Role) and "The Messenger" (Supporting Role); Golden Globe nominations for "The People vs. Larry Flynt," "The Messenger" and HBO's "Game Change"; and five Emmy(R) nominations for "Cheers," winning once, as well as Emmy(R) nominations for "Frasier" and HBO's "Game Change." His other feature films include "Out of the Furnace," "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", "Now You See Me," "The Hunger Games," "Zombieland," "Surfer, Dude," "Transsiberian," "No Country for Old Men," "A Prairie Home Companion," "Natural Born Killers" and "Kingpin."

Writer and series creator Nic Pizzolatto is a former professor of literature who wrote the novel "Galveston" and the short-story collection "Between Here and the Yellow Sea." His film work includes re-inventing "The Magnificent Seven" for MGM and star Tom Cruise.

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga's directing credits include "Jane Eyre" and "Sin Nombre."

Justified Season 5 On FX Premieres Tuesday January 7, 2014 10PM

[FX Press Release]

Up first for FX in the new year is Season 5 of the Emmy and Peabody Award winning drama series Justified, which premieres on Tuesday, January 7 at 10 PM ET/PT. 

This season, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) confronts the Crowes, a deadly, lawless family from Florida intent on settling in Harlan with new criminal enterprises in mind. Meanwhile, Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) struggles to free his imprisoned fiancée Ava (Joelle Carter) as he partners with the Dixie Mafia’s Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns).

The series stars Emmy Award nominated Timothy Olyphant as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. Series co-stars are Emmy Award nominated Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Joelle Carter, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel, and Jere Burns.

Based on the late Elmore Leonard’s novella “Fire in the Hole,”Justified was developed by Executive Producer/Showrunner Graham Yost. Carl Beverly, Sarah Timberman, Michael Dinner, Fred Golan, Dave Andron, Don Kurt, and Elmore Leonard are Executive Producers of Justified. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions. FX has ordered 13 episodes for the upcoming season