Longmire: O Xerife

I actually enjoyed Longmire a lot more than I thought I would. I'm so glad Netflix picked this up after it cancelled. It was originally cancelled after season 3 and then Netflix picked it up. It didn't drop in quality at all either. If anything it got better on Netflix because they had a bigger budget to work with. I never watched it when it originally on but was looking for a new show to watch recently and Longmire was that show. It took an episode or two to get going but after that I was hooked. Once I started watching I couldn't stop, I binged all six seasons in just a couple weeks. The acting and writing is so good that it just pulls you in and you start to actually care about these characters. It's a classic modern western so if you're into that kind of genre then give this show a chance. I promise you won't be disappointed.

We're not in Kansas anymore both literally and figuratively. Literally Longmire takes place in Wyoming. Figuratively it represents yet another persuasive piece of evidence for the view that higher quality product is coming out of TV than the studios these days. Whoda thunk it? Following JUSTIFIED and HATFIELDS/MCCOYS, we have this new entry and it is prime Grade A Entertainment. Arguably a little less showy than JUSTIFIED, it serves up each week a visceral portrait of an old-time lawman in the modern world -- Taylor is brilliant -- along with some intellectual thrills as well. In the first episode, Longmire justifies (pardon the pun) the fact that he was seen "reading on the job" by revealing the book he was reading -- and it's Sherlock Holmes. Recommended to keep your skills sharp, he explains. Also a nice blending of testosterone and estrogen, with Katee Sackhoff and Cassaday Freeman there to remind viewers that the Wild West was not merely a bunch of cranky old guys so macho they could jog home from their own vasectomies. Lou Diamond Phillips, a bit older now, is excellent in a supporting role. If all TV was this good, Hollywood would be out of a job..

ADDENDUM; I just upgraded my rating from a 9 to a 10 as I finished season 1. This show is a jewel. No wasted dialogue, no wasted camera angles, no wasted cuts. Easily one of the leanest productions in recent memory, and possibly should come with a warning that it is addictive. Sackoff's voice contains so many tones and nuances that I Google'd her, turns out she is not only a superb actress but a tier-1 animation voice too. Wow.

FINAL ADDENDUM 2018 -- Goodbye Team Longmire you will be missed -- this show had a "near death experience" with its original network and was "rescued" by Netflix. (Netflix in 2018 is growing so fast it needs a constant supply of product -- a topic well beyond the scope of this review). This is the point where i would like to tell you that, during the "Netlix" episodes, the quality was unchanged -- but I cannot say that because the quality fell significantly as did, I am sure, the budgets available under the new production deal. What used to be a legitimate "mystery" show with astonishingly strong background characters morphed into a character show with an actual mystery popping up only occasionally. Which meant that the Netflix episodes were really for diehard fans only. If you are newbie to the series, you cannot go wrong with the first few seasons. They are brilliant. If you are a fan, the last season and the big FINALE are a bit maudlin, but still comfortable. Will miss this show. A lot.

I have been a fan since the beginning of Longmire. When I heard it had been cancelled I just couldn't believe a show with this class could be dumped. There was never a moment when Longmire was disappointing. The whole cast was always in top form, building with each episode characters with edges that were always clear but bendable, making them interesting and surprising. Scripts that kept you thinking. Then after 3 great seasons cancelled. The news that Netflix had picked up for season 4 made me hope.

Well, thank you Netflix. Season 4 is here. I have watched them all, loved them all, they made me sad, made me smile, and most of all they made me hope that there will at least be a season 5.

Ps. Watched the final episode today. I was, I admit it, in tears for the happy ending(s) and for the fact that such a great TV show was allowed to come to an actual end. All seasons have been exceptional and I will be recommending this show even in years to come because it will never get out-dated. Thanks to everyone who made this so great.

I can understand some of the negative reviews. Some of it I agree with. On shows like this, if it is in your wheelhouse, you buy in completely, and I'm there. Some of the supporting characters are over the top, but one thing is for sure, Robert Taylor is amazing. I wish there was someway to get a buzz going on the Internet about a Best Actor nomination for an Emmy.

It's a good procedural and plenty of dramatic elements. I'm never bored and it's quite different from previous attempts at Western cop dramas. I'm glad it's not another fish out of water story like Coogan's Bluff or McCloud. Robert Taylor's screen presence is the glue that holds it all together.

Longmire is an interesting character driven show. With some unique situations and breathtaking scenery, this series deserves a long run. Let's give this show time to develop. The relationships between Longmires daughter and the deputy sets the stage for a possible rocky three way feud. Lou Diamond Phillips, as the bar owner part time tracker, does some of the best acting that he has done in years. The supporting cast is believable and the guest roles have been filled with creditable and sometimes quirky characters that give a different sense of style to each episode. AMC has served up several excellent series and this may just be one of the best yet.