Justified Returns for a Third Season With Guns Blazing 
Strap on your Stetsons because FX&amp;#8217;s Emmy-winning hit Justified is returning on Jan. 17 for a third season. It&amp;#8217;s been far too long  since we&amp;#8217;ve checked in with sarcastic law man Raylan Givens and watching  the first four episodes I realized how good it felt to be back in the  saddle again with the show.
Last season focused on the unfurling dreams of the Bennett clan lead  by the dangerously good Margo Martindale as matriarch Mags. Throughout  the season, Martindale&amp;#8217;s performance as Mags became such a standout that  losing her by season&amp;#8217;s end was as much a tragedy for the show as in the  show. Fittingly the ghost of Mags lives on in the third season, still  haunting the lives of our favorite Harlan County residents.
Season three starts off on a great foot and hints at some further  twisty complications down the road. For starters, Raylan has a whole lot  more on his plate now that the downfall of the Bennett family has left a  power vacuum in Harlan.
Stepping into the picture is a new addition from Detroit named  Quarles, played with both scary intensity and boardroom cool by Neal  McDonough. He&amp;#8217;s got a few tricks up his sleeve (some literal) and some  less than savory connections to former small time crook Wynn Duffy. Plus  there&amp;#8217;s the mysterious Limehouse (Mykelti Williamson) who has a history  with Raylan&amp;#8217;s criminal daddy Arlo (Raymond J. Barry).
The other power player is none other than Raylan&amp;#8217;s sometime friend,  often nemesis Boyd Crowder played by the always fantastic Walton  Goggins. Boyd began to set up his operation and get back into the crime  game last year and he continues his efforts this season.
What&amp;#8217;s so great about the show is that the world of Justified is such a fully-realized one. From the Marshals office in Lexington to  the backwoods of Harlan County, the show has such an indelible sense of  place. Unlike many shows on the dial, there&amp;#8217;s no mistaking the landscape  of Justified for anywhere else. And just like a real small  town, characters never truly disappear from the world of the show unless  they do so in a body bag. Seeing minor characters pop up in different  configurations and roles is part of the charm of the show, lending  reality to the small town feel. Season three sees the return of several  major and minor players from seasons past like Dickie (Jeremy Davis) and  wise-beyond-her-years Loretta (Kaitlyn Dever).
What I&amp;#8217;ve always loved the most about the show is its sly sense of humor, even in life or death situations. Most characters on Justified are some shade of gray and they all share a welcome sense of humor that  grounds even the most outrageous acts.  Star Timothy Olyphant has  credited this to the writers and to the world created by the work of  novelist Elmore Leonard, on which the show is based. But Olyphant  himself is a big part of what makes Justified so intensely  compelling. His U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is flawed and tough while  still retaining a very human sense of humor and compassion. The show  itself rarely gives into the urge for melodrama, sprinkling even the  most intense moments with bits of levity. It&amp;#8217;s an adept show that can  get a viewer to both cringe and laugh when its hero runs over a criminal  (twice!) with his car.
It&amp;#8217;s that ability to balance drama and humor that makes the  relationship between crime fighter Raylan and criminal Boyd so  fascinating. Underneath all the suspicion and hostility is a very real  sense of camaraderie and affection. The two men might not always like  each other, or indeed be on the same side, but their scenes always carry  an undercurrent of respect. The beginning of season three sees quite a  bit of the complex dynamic between the two, including some explosive  fisticuffs in the premiere.

 Season three also seems to be delivering on the promise of a more active  Ava. Last seen shot by Dickie in the finale, Ava has certainly  toughened up. She was already beginning to dip her toes into Boyd&amp;#8217;s life  of crime last season and this Bonnie and Clyde dynamic continues. Ava  has always been a series standout since her intense husband-murdering  monologue in the show&amp;#8217;s pilot. Not many actresses could pull something  like that off, but Joelle Carter has always struck the right balance  between flirtatious and tough. It&amp;#8217;s great to see Ava continue to develop  and gain more agency.
The third season promises some nice stories for Raylan&amp;#8217;s fellow  marshals as well. Tim (Jacob Pitts) has a good time laughing at Raylan&amp;#8217;s  injured desk-bound state in the premiere. We see Chief Deputy Art  Mullen (Nick Searcy) get out from behind the desk when tragedy befalls a  fellow marshal. Underused but fantastic Rachel (Erica Tazel) also gets  some nice moments, especially in the fourth episode where we learn more  backstory on her character. Her interactions with Raylan have always  been infinitely fun to watch. With an African American community  introduced in the first few episodes, its possible Rachel will play a  bigger part this season. One of the great things about Justified is its unflinching look at race in the backwoods and how bigotry still runs rampant in these communities.
Justified is a rare treat, a show with subtle humor,  humanity and flawed heroes and antiheroes that feel like real people.  Coming off a phenomenal second season, it would have been easy for the  show to drop the ball. Don&amp;#8217;t fret though; the third season is shaping up  to be another gun-slinging, hillbilly-whispering good time.
Justified starts its third season on Jan. 17th at 10 p.m. EST on FX Networks.
What are you most looking forward to in Justified&amp;#8217;s third season?
&amp;#8212; Read the full article and sound off in the comments at HuffPost TV HERE!