The Canceled TV Series That Quietly Launched The Justified Universe

Of all the shows like “Justified” that are worth watching, “Karen Sisco” is the only one that deserves credit for launching the franchise. Granted, it did so unintentionally and happened 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’s unfortunate that the series is largely forgotten due to it being one of many great shows that were canceled after one season.

Based on the Elmore Leonard character of the same name, “Karen Sisco” sees Carla Gugino play the eponymous U.S. Marshal as she solves crimes in Miami, Florida, while simultaneously trying to earn the respect of her peers and navigating a dating world full of men who can never guess her real job. Fortunately, she has a close confidant in her father, Marshal Sisco (Robert Forster), a retired lawman who’s always on hand to offer some words of wisdom.

While “Karen Sisco” was sent to the chopping block after one season, the creators of “Justified” didn’t forget about it. Keeping that in mind, let’s explore how both series are connected.

Aside from both shows being based on characters imagined by author Elmore Leonard, “Karen Sisco” and “Justified” establish their shared universe in the third season of the latter series. In the episode titled “Cut Ties,” Carla Gugino reprises her role as the Miami-based law enforcer, albeit under the name Karen Goodall due to her character being married (and to avoid rights issues).

Despite the name change, the character’s backstory still lines up with the events of “Karen Sisco.” In the episode, we learn that she’s based in Miami, and that’s where she met Raylan Givens. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, “Justified” showrunner Graham Yost also admitted to Goodall and Sisco being one in the same, even though he tried to jokingly 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 marshal, we thought it would be fun to have her play a marshal again.”

At the time, 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 got cancelled in 2004.

“Justified” had the luxury of ending with purpose after six seasons. Furthermore, Raylan Givens has since returned to action courtesy of the “Justified: City Primeval” spin-off, ensuring that the franchise continues to expand. “Karen Sisco,” on the other hand, was canceled by ABC after seven episodes due to low ratings despite receiving positive reviews, and the show has become a forgotten gem in the annals of TV history.

At the time, ABC intended 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 they ultimately gave up on trying to make it a success and the show ended with three unaired episodes locked, loaded, and ready to go.

What’s more, “Karen Sisco” isn’t available to stream or purchase on DVD or Blu-ray at the time of this writing. Hopefully, the continued popularity of “Justified” will lead to the series being given more exposure someday, but for now, it seems destined to remain in ABC’s vaults collecting dust.