Justified season 2

The second season of the American neo-Western television series Justified premiered on February 9, 2011, on FX, and concluded on May 4, 2011, consisting of 13 episodes. The series was developed by Graham Yost based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its main character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. Timothy Olyphant portrays Givens, a tough federal lawman, enforcing his own brand of justice in his Kentucky hometown. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky, and the hill country of eastern Kentucky, specifically in and around Harlan.

Main

 * Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, a suave deputy U.S. marshal who is tangled up with the criminal Bennett family.
 * Nick Searcy as Art Mullen, the chief deputy of Lexington's marshals office.
 * Joelle Carter as Ava Crowder, Boyd's sister-in-law who takes him in following the events of the first season.
 * Jacob Pitts as Tim Gutterson, a Lexington deputy marshal.
 * Erica Tazel as Rachel Brooks, a Lexington deputy marshal.
 * Natalie Zea as Winona Hawkins, Raylan's court reporter ex-wife who begins seeing him again.
 * Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder, Raylan's intelligent nemesis who tries to work a legitimate job at the Black Pike Coal mining company.

Recurring
• Jeremy Davies as Dickie Bennett, Mags's cunning son who walks with a limp because of a fight he had with Raylan when they were children.

• Joseph Lyle Taylor as Doyle Bennett, Mags's oldest son and the corrupt local chief of police.

• Margo Martindale as Maggie "Mags" Bennett, the deceptively kind matriarch of the Bennetts.

• Kaitlyn Dever as Loretta McCready, the teenage daughter of a local marijuana grower who becomes involved with the Bennett family against her will.

• Brad William Henke as Coover Bennett, Mags's largest, youngest, and dimmest son.

• Peter Murnik as Tom Bergen, Raylan's state trooper friend.

• Raymond J. Barry as Arlo Givens, Raylan's criminal father who is under house arrest after colluding with Boyd's father.

• William Ragsdale as Gary Hawkins, Winona's estranged husband who becomes bitter after she plans to divorce him.

• Linda Gehringer as Helen Givens, Raylan's maternal aunt and stepmother.

• David Meunier as Johnny Crowder, Boyd's cousin who is left paraplegic after being shot by his uncle.

• Kevin Rankin as Derek "Devil" Lennox, a former henchman of Boyd's who gets re-involved with him.

• Rebecca Creskoff as Carol Johnson, the vice president of Black Pike who seeks to buy up Harlan land.

• William Gregory Lee as Nick Mooney, one of Doyle's deputies.

• Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy, a volatile and dangerous Dixie Mafia enforcer who again gets involved with Gary.

• Damon Herriman as Dewey Crowe, Boyd's dim-witted former henchman who now does drug runs for the Dixie Mafia.

• Jonathan Kowalsky as Mike Cosmatopolis, Duffy's bodyguard.

• Richard Speight Jr. as Jed Berwind, a Bennett man that works mainly with Dickie.

• Abby Miller as Ellen May, a prostitute that crosses Raylan's path multiple times.

Guest

 * Jim Beaver as Shelby Parlow, the foreman at a Black Pike site.
 * Steven Flynn as Emmitt Arnett, a Dixie Mafia higher-up.
 * James LeGros as Wade Messer, a petty criminal who crosses paths with Loretta.
 * Stephen Root as Mike Reardon, an eccentric and harsh judge who is ruling over a case involving Black Pike.

Production
FX ordered a second season of 13 episodes on May 3, 2010.

Casting
Walton Goggins, who had a recurring role in the first season as Boyd Crowder, was promoted to series regular beginning with the second season.

Filming
Episodes were shot in California. The small town of Green Valley, California often doubles for Harlan, Kentucky.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 100% with an average score of 8.8 out of 10 based on 28 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Justified finds its footing in its second season with an expanded cast of characters that enriches its seedy world." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 91 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim.

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 praised Olyphant's performance and the writing for this season, observing: "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."

Awards
For the second season, it received four acting nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards—Timothy Olyphant for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Walton Goggins for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Margo Martindale for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and Jeremy Davies for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, with Martindale winning.

Ratings
The second season averaged 2.649 million viewers and a 0.9 rating in the 18–49 demographic, improving 9.6% in viewership from the first season.

Home media release
The second season was released on Blu-ray and DVD in region 1 on January 3, 2012, in region 2 on July 18, 2011, and in region 4 on September 5, 2012. Special features on the season two set include deleted scenes, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, and outtakes.