From all Shows like “Justified” that are worth watching“Karen Sisco” is the only one who deserves credit for starting the franchise. Admittedly, this was unintentional and occurred years before FX’s crime drama about Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) came to fruition. However, “Karen Sisco” has canonical connections to “Justified,” and it is unfortunate that the series is largely forgotten as it is just one of many great shows that were canceled after one season.
Based on the character of the same name by Elmore Leonard, “Karen Sisco” stars Carla Gugino as the eponymous U.S. Marshal as she solves crimes in Miami, Florida, while also trying to earn the respect of those around her and find her way into a dating world. Navigating a world full of men who can never guess their true job. Luckily, she has a close confidant in her father, Marshal Sisco (Robert Forster), a retired lawman who is always on hand to offer a few words of wisdom.
While “Karen Sisco” was sent to the chopping block after one season, the makers of “Justified” haven’t forgotten. With that in mind, let’s examine how both series are connected.
How Karen Sisco and Justified are connected
Aside from both series being based on characters imagined by author Elmore Leonard, Karen Sisco and Justified establish their shared universe in the latter series’ third season. In the episode titled “Cut Ties,” Carla Gugino reprises her role as the Miami-based law enforcement officer, albeit under the name Karen Goodall because her character is married (and to avoid legal issues).
Despite the name change, the character’s backstory still matches the events of “Karen Sisco.” In the episode we find out that she lives in Miami and met Raylan Givens there. When speaking with Weekly entertainmentJustified showrunner Graham Yost also admitted that Goodall and Sisco were one and the same, although he jokingly tried to deny it:
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. No, listen, we’re big fans of Carla, she enjoyed playing a Marschallin, we thought it would be fun to have her play a Marschallin again.
At that point, the door was open for Gugino to return to Justified, but the stars never aligned. Still, her one-off appearance was enough to enrich the universe and bring some closure to fans who wanted to know what happened to Sisco after her show was canceled in 2004.
Why Karen Sisco was canceled
“Justified” had the luxury of ending with one goal after six seasons. In addition, thanks to the spin-off “Justified: City Primeval”, Raylan Givens has now returned to action and is ensuring that the franchise continues to grow. “Karen Sisco,” however, was canceled by ABC after seven episodes due to poor ratings despite positive reviews, and the series has become a forgotten gem in the annals of television history.
At the time, ABC planned to make some changes to the series and bring it back with a bang. The network hoped that some retooling would help the show resonate with viewers, but ultimately gave up on trying to make it a success and the show ended with three unaired episodes locked, loaded and ready to go were.
Additionally, Karen Sisco is not available to stream or purchase on DVD or Blu-ray at the time of writing. Hopefully, Justified’s continued popularity will lead to the series receiving more attention one day, but for now it seems destined to gather dust in the ABC vaults.
