FX has found sufficient reason to renew "Justified" for a third season, the station announced Tuesday.
FX has picked up the drama, which stars Timothy Olyphant as renegade lawman Raylan Givens. It's not a surprising move, given the strong numbers that the show has enjoyed since it launched a year ago.
The series debuted on FX in March 2010, drawing 4.9 million total viewers — surpassing even the debut of "The Shield" in 2002 to become the outlet's highest-rated premiere in its history.
This season, the series' first-run episodes have averaged 3.9 million total viewers, a 15 percent bump over the previous season.
John Landgraf, president and general manager of FX Networks, emphasized the creative growth the show has experienced while announcing the renewal.
"'Justified' was a critically acclaimed hit series in its first season, but the show has far surpassed our expectations this season," Landgraf said. "Creatively, the show is on a roll."
The renewal stops the bleeding for the News Corp. cable network, which recently decided to cancel freshman dramas "Terriers" and "Lights Out."
"Justified," which is based on Elmore Leonard's novels "Pronto" and "Riding the Rap," also stars Nick Searcy and Joelle Carter.
FX also confirms to TheWrap that it has renewed its animated spy comedy "Archer" for a third season, consisting of 16 episodes. The series, about a secret agent devoted to maintaining a jet-setting, playboy lifestyle, debuted in January 2010.
