Longmire (TV series)

Longmire
Genre Crime drama
Based on "Walt Longmire Mysteries" book series 
by Craig Johnson
Developed by
  • John Coveny
  • Hunt Baldwin
Starring
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 43 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Location(s) New Mexico
Running time 45 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network A&E (2012–14)
Netflix (2015–present)[1]
Original release June 3, 2012 (2012-06-03) – present
External links
Website
Production website

Longmire is an American crime drama television series that premiered on June 3, 2012, on the A&E network.[2] The series was developed by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin, and is based on the Walt Longmire Mysteries series of mystery novels written by best-selling author Craig Johnson.[3]

The show centers on Walt Longmire, a Wyoming county sheriff who returns to work after his wife's death. Assisted by his friends and his daughter, Longmire investigates major crimes within his jurisdiction, while campaigning for re-election against one of his own deputies.

The third season of Longmire aired from June 2 through August 4, 2014. On August 28, 2014, A&E announced it would not renew the series.[4] Warner Horizon Television shopped it to other networks,[5] and on November 19, 2014, Netflix picked up the show. The entire fourth season was made available for viewing online via Netflix streaming on September 10, 2015.[1][6][7] On October 30, 2015, Netflix announced that it had renewed the show for a fifth season.[8]

Overview

Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor), is the sheriff of Wyoming's fictional Absaroka County (pronounced ab-suh-roh-kah [ab-suh-ra-kah by many Wyoming natives]) (on a map and in many scenes, Absaroka county seat Durant is portrayed by Buffalo in Johnson County situated in northeast Wyoming). Walt's adult daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman) is concerned that her father refuses to move on after the death of her mother. While preparing to run for re-election, Walt has delegated most police duties to deputies Branch Connally (Bailey Chase) and "The Ferg" (Adam Bartley). Connally has also entered the election to unseat Longmire. Cady and Branch are secretly dating. Victoria "Vic" Moretti (Katee Sackhoff), a transplanted Philadelphia homicide detective, arrived in Wyoming six months prior and is now one of Walt's deputies, and Walt's longtime friend Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) assists with any dealings with the local Indian reservation.

Season 1

The first season shows random flashback scenes detailing Walt and Henry traveling separately to Denver, Colorado, where Walt attacks someone in a meth house. Denver Police Homicide Detective Fales (Charles S. Dutton) later arrives in Wyoming to talk to Walt and Cady about her mother's death. Cady is shocked to learn her mother was murdered, as Walt had told her she died of cancer. Fales tells Walt they found the man suspected of killing his wife buried in a shallow grave. Walt denies killing him; however, Detective Fales feels that if Walt did not commit the murder, then Henry did.

Season 2

Cady arrives in Denver to speak to Detective Fales, who gives her the details of her mother's murder and informs her that the suspected murderer has also been killed. Fales prods her for information, and she offers that Walt confides in Henry, inadvertently giving Fales a new target of investigation. Henry tells Walt that he killed the murderer because Walt was unable to do so. Vic encounters Ed Gorski (Lee Tergesen), a retired cop from Philadelphia. They discuss the suicide of Gorski's former partner, whom Vic implicated in a corruption scandal that prompted an internal affairs investigation. Gorski blames Vic for his partner's death, leading to his stalking Vic. Frightened by Gorski's manner, Vic asks Henry for help, and Walt visits Gorski to warn him away. Gorski is subsequently beaten severely. Hector, a Cheyenne mercenary believed to have assaulted Gorski, is protected by Walt. Henry confesses to Walt that he hired Hector to kill Miller Beck, the murderer of Walt's wife, but Hector explains that he only beat him up and took his teeth as trophies. Fales and his team find the teeth at Henry's bar and arrest him. Walt wins the election, and Cady is hospitalized when she is hit by a car after hers is sabotaged by an unknown assailant. Branch investigates, which leads to trouble with the local Cheyenne reservation.

Season 3

As Branch recovers from being shot, he believes David Ridges, who was thought to have committed suicide and was cremated, was the one who shot him. Since Walt and the others do not believe Branch, he conducts his own investigation. In prison, Henry gets abused by fellow natives, led by former reservation police chief Malachi Strand (Graham Greene), for his friendship with Walt and assisting in his arrest. When Malachi makes it difficult for Henry to obtain an attorney, Cady decides to represent him. Henry gets released on bail and sets out to prove his innocence. However, Malachi is also released and begins working as security for Jacob Nighthorse. Both Branch and Henry uncover clues that point to Nighthorse's involvement in each of their situations, with Ridges as a key figure. Even Walt believes Nighthorse could have had something to do with his own wife's murder, years ago. Branch's dangerous obsession causes him to be suspended from the force and into the care of his father, Barlow. Walt and Henry learn that Ridges's murderous past leads back to his killing Miller Beck. Walt learns of Ridges's location and is forced to kill him when attacked. Fales drops all charges against Henry. However, neither Walt nor Branch believe their investigations are over. As Walt prepares to go after Nighthorse, Branch questions Barlow, who admits to paying Nighthorse to hire Ridges to kill Walt's wife in hopes of helping Branch become sheriff. A tense moment between father and son leads to a gunshot.

Season 4

Walt, Vic and Ferg set out to search for Branch, after finding a typewritten note on his home computer. Walt finds him dead in a river from what appears to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound. Walt refuses to rule Branch's death as a suicide after he finds dirt in the shotgun shell, signifying that the gun had been fired, the shell ejected and put back into the gun. Walt maintains Jacob Nighthorse to be behind the murder, until a drunken Barlow Connally confesses to Walt about killing Branch for finding out that Barlow had Walt's wife killed. Barlow then causes Walt to shoot and kill him, furthering the suspicion around Walt. Meanwhile, Walt and his department join forces with Mathias (Zahn McClarnon), chief of the tribal police, to investigate the rape of Gabriella (Julia Jones), a Cheyenne woman, by several oil field workers. The men are never prosecuted, after the case gets mired in governmental red tape and Walker (Callum Keith Rennie), the oil foreman, buys off Gabriella's family. Henry takes up Hector's role of avenger and kills one of the rapists, but Gabriella shoots the other as Henry is threatening him. Shot in the dark by Walt, Henry must then take Gabriella into the Crow Nation to protect her. Both Walt and Walker set out to find her, and Walker gets shot by a hidden Henry as Walt collects her. Later, Mathias catches up with Henry and takes him into custody. Thinking the recent events are over, Walt relaxes at home with his new love interest (Ally Walker), but an intruder interrupts them, as it shown that Walker has escaped his hospital custody.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Production

Longmire received a pilot order on December 14, 2010. The pilot was written by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin, and directed by Christopher Chulack. Coveny, Baldwin, and Chulack serve as executive producers alongside Greer Shephard, Michael M. Robin, and the production companies Warner Horizon Television and the Shephard/Robin Company. The series is an adaptation of the Longmire mystery novels written by best-selling author Craig Johnson.[11] While the story is supposed to take place in northern Wyoming, the series is being filmed in several locations in New Mexico: Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Eagle Nest, and Red River.[12]

Casting announcements began in February 2011, with Robert Taylor first cast in the lead role of Walt Longmire, the sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming.[13] Katee Sackhoff, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman, and Lou Diamond Phillips followed, with Sackhoff cast in the role of Victoria "Vic" Moretti, Chase cast as Branch Connally, Freeman cast as Cady Longmire, and Phillips cast as Henry Standing Bear.[14]

On August 26, 2011, A&E picked up Longmire for a 10-episode first season.[15] Following early success as the highest-rated summer scripted drama debut, and as A&E's highest-rated scripted drama, A&E renewed Longmire for a second season on June 29, 2012.[16] On November 25, 2013, A&E renewed Longmire for a third season.[17]

In 2013, massive wildfires scorched the Valles Caldera National Preserve, which disrupted the series production. In a three-week period, three fires started up (two at the same time). The Prescott Fire Department's Granite Mountain Hotshots assisted in preventing the fiery destruction of the area around where Walt's house is filmed.[18] Nineteen of the Hotshots' 20 members later died battling an Arizona wildfire.[19] The second season's finale honored the firefighters in the closing credits.[18]

Production for the third season began in early 2014. Filming of the interiors took place in New Mexico at Garson Studios, on the campus of Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Exteriors were filmed in and around Santa Fe and at Garson Studios, according to the New Mexico State Film Office.[20]

On August 28, 2014, A&E announced Longmire was canceled after completing its third season, despite consistently strong viewership. Three months later, Netflix confirmed Longmire would resume on its service.[21] The ten-episode fourth season, which continued to be filmed on location in New Mexico,[22] was made available for viewing on September 10, 2015.

On October 30, 2015, Netflix announced Longmire would return for a fifth season.[23]

Broadcast and release

As of September 10, 2015, 43 episodes of Longmire have aired, concluding the fourth season.

U.S. television ratings

Longmire debuted as A&E's #1 original-series premiere of all time with 4.1 million total viewers.[24]

Season Timeslot (ET) # Ep. Premiered Ended
Date Premiere
viewers
(millions)		 Date Finale
viewers
(millions)
1
Sunday 10:00pm
10
June 3, 2012
 4.15[25]
August 12, 2012
 4.34[26]
2
Monday 10:00pm
13
May 27, 2013
 4.31[27]
August 26, 2013
 4.42[28]
3 10
June 2, 2014
 3.86[29]
August 4, 2014
 3.68[30]

International broadcasts

Longmire began airing in the United Kingdom on TCM on March 17, 2013, at 9:00 pm,[31] in Australia on GEM on May 15, 2013, at 9:30 pm. Season two began airing in Australia on July 31, 2013,[32] and in Italy on Rete 4 on July 4, 2013, at 9:00 pm.[33] In Ireland, the series is shown on RTÉ Two, and in Germany on RTL Nitro as of January 10, 2014, at 10:05 pm. The series made its Canadian debut in English in January 2014 on APTN,[34] and in French on May 26, 2014, on Séries+.[35]

Home media release

The first season of Longmire was released on May 28, 2013. It featured a documentary about filming in New Mexico, when the setting is in Wyoming, a gallery of photographic stills, and some unaired scenes.[36] The second season was released on May 13, 2014. The three-disc set included an extended directors' cut version of the seventh episode, "Sound and Fury", as well as the season finale, "Bad Medicine". A bonus featurette, "Testing Courage: The Storm Defines the Man" was also included.[37] The third season, including a bonus featurette, "The Ghost in the Storm," was released on March 3, 2015.[38] The first three seasons were added to Netflix in June 2015.

Reception

Critical reception

Reception has generally been positive. Nancy DeWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal called the series "the best of two worlds: a modern crime drama with dry wit and sometimes heart-wrenching emotion that's also got a glorious setting under the big sky of Wyoming." She added: "If it weren't for a few modern conveniences, like cellphones and trucks, it might as well be 1875, so rugged and unspoiled does the scenery look."[39] Newsday's Verne Gay stated: "Longmire arrives as silently as a dust devil kicked up by a high wind on the Wyoming plains. With little in the way of fanfare and a lead actor unacquainted with household name status, it must instead rely on a quiet fortitude, much like its namesake." He added: "Unassuming Longmire doesn't shout 'LOVE ME!' but instead works its charms subtly, quietly. There's promise here."[40] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix stated "there's a sense of place to the show that makes it feel unlike every other cop show on television" and that he would "like to see the mysteries grow more engaging as the series moves along, but Longmire at least starts with a good foundation in Walt, his sidekicks, and the wide, open spaces they travel."[41] However, some negative reception included the San Francisco Chronicle's David Wiegand wrote that the series "has the look and feel of a show cooked up by a bunch of bored TV industry types while they were waiting for the valet to bring their car to them at the Beverly Hills Chuck E. Cheese." He added: "There's very little drama, and the pilot episode lumbers along like an overfed elk."[42] In the aggregate, Longmire has received favorable reviews—receiving an overall score of 67 out of 100 across seventeen media reviews on Metacritic.[43]

Awards and nominations

In 2013, the pilot episode of Longmire, teleplay by Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny, was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America.[44] The series also won a Bronze Key Art Award for its season two television advertisement, titled "The Oath".[45] The season two episode, "Party's Over", was also nominated by the Entertainment Industries Council for a PRISM Award for Best Drama Series Episode – Substance Use.[46] Also in 2013, the series won the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's Bronze Wrangler for Fictional Television Drama.[47] In 2014, Steve La Porte was nominated for a Makeup Artists and Hairstylist Guild Award for Best Special Makeup Effects.[48]

References

  1. 1 2 Kondolojy, Amanda (November 19, 2014). "'Longmire' Picked up for a 10-Episode Fourth Season by Netflix". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
  2. ↑ Munn, Patrick (2012-03-17). "A&E's New Drama Series Longmire To Premiere June 3rd". Tvwise.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  3. ↑ Memmott, Carol (June 7, 2011). "Longmire mystery series basis for TV pilot". USA Today Books. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  4. ↑ Webb Mitovich, Matt (August 28, 2014). "Longmire Cancelled by A&E". TVLine. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ Rhoten, Josh (November 3, 2014). "Will "Longmire" return to TV? Craig Johnson thinks so". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  6. ↑ Abrams, Natalie (July 28, 2015). "Longmire is 'more complete and more complex' on Netflix". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  7. ↑ Pease, Jasmin (September 10, 2015). "New Titles on Netflix US (Sept 10, 2015)".
  8. ↑ "'Longmire' to Return for Season 5 on Netflix". Variety. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
  9. ↑ "Death Came In Like Thunder". Longmire. Season 2. Episode 3. June 10, 2013. A&E.
  10. ↑ "Miss Cheyenne". Longmire. Season 3. Episode 3. June 16, 2014. A&E.
  11. ↑ "Breaking News – Development Update: Tuesday, December 14". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  12. ↑ Christine (2012-01-16). "A & E will film the new series ‘Longmire’, starring Katee Sackhoff & Lou Diamond Phillips, in New Mexico this spring". Onlocationvacations.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  13. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "'Matrix' Actor Robert Taylor Gets The Lead In A&E's Pilot 'Longmire'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  14. ↑ Michael Ausiello (2011-03-25). "Pilot Scoop: Katee Sackhoff Joins A&E's Longmire". TVLine. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  15. ↑ "Breaking News – Development Update: Friday, August 26". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  16. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (June 29, 2012). "A&E Renews Western 'Longmire' for Second Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  17. ↑ Seat42f. "Longmire Renewed For Third Season". Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  18. 1 2 Longmire Episode Guide: Bad Medicine
  19. ↑ "Loss of 19 firefighters in Arizona blaze 'unbearable,' governor says". CNN. July 1, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Longmire gears up for season three production". ABQ Journal.
  21. ↑ "Longmire Season 4 And Its Ups And Downs. Ten Things You Should Know About Its Epic Resurrection".
  22. ↑ Marifosque, Raphael (23 June 2015). "'Longmire' season 4 news: Production under way, series to pick up from events in the previous finale". Ecumenical News. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  23. ↑ Netflix (October 30, 2015). "He's never been one to back down from a fight. #Longmire will return to Netflix for a new season" (Tweet).
  24. ↑ "A&E’s "Longmire" Debuts as the Network’s #1 Original Series Premiere of All Time with 4.1 Million Viewers + ‘The Glades" – Ratings". TVbytheNumbers. zap2it.com. 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
  25. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 5, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: NBA Playoffs + 'Game of Thrones' Finale, MTV Movie Awards, 'Sister Wives', 'The Glades', 'Longmire' + More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  26. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 14, 2012). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood' Beats 'Comedy Central Roast of Roseanne' + 'Falling Skies', NASCAR, 'Army Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  27. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 29, 2013). "Monday Cable Ratings:NBA Playoffs Win Night, 'WWE Raw', 'Love & Hip Hop', 'Longmire', 'Hit the Floor', 'The Glades' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  28. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 27, 2013). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'WWE Raw' Wins Night + 'Teen Mom', 'Real Housewives of Orange County', 'Basketball Wives', 'TI & Tiny' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  29. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (June 3, 2014). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta' Wins Night + 'Monday Night RAW', 'Hit the Floor', 'Swamp People' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  30. ↑ Bibel, Sara (August 5, 2014). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'WWE Raw' Wins Night, 'Street Outlaws', 'Hit The Floor', 'Major Crimes', 'Teen Wolf' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  31. ↑ Munn, Patrick (February 8, 2013). "TCM Acquires UK Rights To A&E’s ‘Longmire’". TVWise. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  32. ↑ Airdate: Longmire
  33. ↑ "Rete4, al via "Longmire" in prima tv assoluta" (in Italian). July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  34. ↑ "APTN Introduces Brand New Network and World Premieres to Its Winter Prime Time Lineup". December 9, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Sur La Série". Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  36. ↑ Lambert, David (February 21, 2013). "Longmire – Warner's Formal Press Release for 'The Complete 1st Season'". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  37. ↑ Lambert, David (January 30, 2014). "Longmire - 'The Complete 2nd Season' DVD Announced: Date, Cost, Extras, Box". TV Shows on DVD. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  38. ↑ Amazon: Longmire: Season 3
  39. ↑ DeWolf Smith, Nancy (May 31, 2012). "Crime Solving, Wyoming-Style". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  40. ↑ Gay, Verne (May 30, 2012). "'Longmire' premieres on A&E". Newsday. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  41. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (May 31, 2012). "Review: Mystery goes to Wyoming in A&E's 'Longmire'". HitFix. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  42. ↑ Wiegand, David (May 29, 2012). "'Longmire' review: Western mystery lumbers along". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  43. ↑ "Longmire – Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. June 3, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  44. ↑ "Mystery Writers of America Announce 2013 Edgar Award Nominations". broadwayworld.com. January 16, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  45. ↑ "Key Art Awards 2013". Key Art Awards. October 24, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  46. ↑ "EIC Announces Nominations For 18th Annual PRISM Awards- Nods for Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Oprah, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Edie Falco, Allison Janney, LL Cool J, Jewel". Entertainment Industries Council (Press release). March 6, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  47. ↑ "National Cowboy Museum Announces 52nd Anniversary Western Heritage Award Winners". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Press release). March 1, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  48. ↑ Chan, Stephanie (January 14, 2014). "Makeup Artists and Hairstylist Guild Awards Nominations Announced". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 30, 2014.

External links

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