Fire in the Hole (Justified)

Justified (originally titled Lawman) was given a 13-episode order by FX on July 28, 2009, announcing Graham Yost as developer and Timothy Olyphant as the main character, Raylan Givens.[3] The first episode was referred to as the "Fire in the Hole pilot" during shooting and retains this as the name of the episode itself.[4]

The character of Boyd Crowder was intended to die in the episode, but Yost kept the character when test audiences liked Walton Goggins's performance. Goggins would later be promoted to main cast from season 2 onward.[5] Yost would later comment on the decision by the time the series ended on 2015, "I think it would have been a bummer. That was part of it, too. We wanted the show to be entertaining for six years. That was always our goal, and it's not really a tragedy. We felt this was the right way."[6]

Yost also explained that Dewey was supposed to die in the episode but the network told him to change plans, "the uproar was such that it was loud and clear that Dewey must not die until Dewey absolutely has to die."[7] Both Natalie Zea and Joelle Carter were credited as guest stars in the pilot and were promoted to series regulars beginning with the second episode.[8]

While the episode was shot in Pittsburgh and suburban Kittanning, Pennsylvania and Washington, Pennsylvania, the subsequent episodes were shot in California. The small town of Green Valley, California often doubles for Harlan, Kentucky. Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center appears on film as the small town "airport" and the construction of the new Consol Energy Center serves as the "new courthouse".[9]

In its original American broadcast, "Fire in the Hole" was seen by an estimated 4.16 million household viewers and gained a 1.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 1.5 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. It was the highest rated show of the night in basic cable and it was also FX's second highest-rated series premiere, behind The Shield in 2002. It remains the series' most watched episode.[10] Before its premiere, TV by the Numbers called the show "a lock to be renewed", citing the network's Damages's dwindling ratings and the announced ending of veteran shows like Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me.[11] FX would later renew the show in May 2010.[12]

"Fire in the Hole" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Seth Amitin of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 rating and wrote, "This show could have a great four or five-season run if everything comes together for it, and maybe snag a few Emmy's along the way. Timothy Olyphant has found a good home and I hope he keeps it for a while. It looks like FX has another winner."[13]

Alan Sepinwall of The Star-Ledger praised the episode, "The pilot, in which Yost liberally borrows Leonard's trademark lean dialogue from "Fire in the Hole", has a swagger to it, and also a sly sense of humor."[14]

Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "It will be telling, in the weeks to come, if Justified can develop the world beyond its magnetic center — or if it will even leave Raylan's side at all. But for now, this is terrifically promising television, with an irresistible fish-out-of-water hook and a hero of deceptive simplicity."[15] Alyssa Rosenberg of The Atlantic wrote, "There's a lot of humor and potential and actual sex and violence Kentucky, it turns out. If Raylan and his Stetson can avoid crowding the screen, our visit there with him may turn out to be more than worth our while."[16]

Luke Dwyer of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "A lot of meaning can be drawn out of the title of the series premiere of Justified, 'Fire in the Hole.' First, and obviously, it speaks to what Boyd says to the people standing outside of the church before he fires his rocket launcher to blow up the building. The moment and decision by Boyd was an interesting one because, although it happened early in the show, it demonstrates a human side to someone already painted as a maniac."[17] Nancy deWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "The pitch-perfection of such an hour, lush and brightly lit, is sublime."[18]

TV Guide critic Matt Roush said, "The show is grounded in Olyphant's low-key but high-impact star-making performance, the work of a confident and cunning leading man who's always good company."[19] Chicago Tribune critic Maureen Ryan stated, "The shaggily delightful dialogue, the deft pacing, the authentic sense of place, the rock-solid supporting cast and the feeling that you are in the hands of writers, actors and directors who really know what they're doing—all of these are worthy reasons to watch Justified."[20]

In a more mixed review, Mike Hale of The New York Times noted the show's "modest virtues", but was critical of the first season's pace and characterization, writing: "Justified can feel so low-key that even the crisis points drift past without making much of an impression... It feels as if the attention that should have gone to the storytelling all went to the atmosphere and the repartee."[21]