Funny Man Patton Oswalt Keeps Watch on Justified

• Tweet
• Pin It

Very, very few shows manage to excite me in quite the same way as Justified. This FX series has always been a high-class deliverer of great characters and fun stories. And with Season 4 set to premiere in early 2013 my expectations are rather high. Not that I think Justified would ever fail me, or anybody else for that matter. No, this series is too smartly written to deserve even the smallest drop of doubt. Even the casting of Patton Oswalt, which at first glance seems like a strange choice to make, is brimming with possibilities for what this show could do.

As reported by TVLine, Oswalt will be visiting Lexington as a local constable named Bob Sweeney. This recurring character went to high school with Raylan, who hires him to keep watch on Arlo’s house while he’s in prison. The character will manage to exude some of Oswalt’s funny sensibilities, particularly in the football tale from his glorious high school days that he continues to tell, as if it were some kind of local legend.  And there will come a point when Sweeney tries to help Raylan capture a bail jumper, leading to a rather humorous – and quite possibly successful – end.

But don’t let Oswalt’s history as a funny man fool you. If you’ve ever seen some of his feature work – particularly the Jason Reitman directed Young Adult – you’ll know he can bring the pathos when it’s needed. Production on Justified’s fourth season will begin next week in Santa Clarita, California. As always, the direction the show is headed is a complete mystery, which is exactly how I would like things to be for a series like this. I like to know as much about the characters before hand as possible, but the overarching story is something I prefer to enjoy as it unfolds. I’ve yet to be disappointed by Justified and I don’t expect to be the fourth time around.