Moving away from “Justified,” you’ve also written on “The Chicago Code” and “Terriers.” I was a huge fan of “Terriers,” and was totally heartbroken when it was canceled. Can you talk a little about your experience working on the show, and what it was like to be involved in a show that had such trouble with ratings despite high critical praise?
“Terriers” was my first real writing job, and I was completely in love with that show. It was just a perfect mix, noir and buddy dramedy, witty, at times raw and heartbreaking. As a completely green 25-year-old, I couldn’t have hoped for a better experience to teach me how the TV world works. And such a great, fun staff. I still keep in touch with all of them. And yes, it kind of broke my heart for a while when it got canceled. Because there was nothing else like it on TV, and if I hadn’t written for it, I would have been a fan.
When we were making it, we had no idea how it would fare ratings-wise. We had been wrapped for months by the time it premiered. And it was amazing and flattering to see the huge critical outpouring — you know, from you guys, from Sepinwall, and the AV Club — and kind of crushing to see that it never found an audience. Or at least a sizable enough audience to survive.
Did the staff have concerns about the title and marketing before the show aired, or were those issues that people started noticing after the fact?
We did have concerns, sure. We pitched various other titles. ”Small Time” was the title that probably got the most traction, “Dirty Deeds” and “Rain Dogs” were some others. But it was never changed. I guess in retrospect, it’s easy to say we should have called it something else, or that it should have been marketed differently. I mean, when you call a show “Terriers,” and the most prominent thing on the poster is a dog, people are likely to get the wrong idea.
The show was fundamentally so character-based… it was a tough thing to put on a billboard, or in a promo. That central relationship, between Hank and Britt, is just something you had to watch the show to understand, and, you know, not enough people watched the show.
We really like 5-Second Films here at Uproxx. Like, more than friends “like.” How did you get started with those, and what’s the process like for putting one together?
It’s something my friend Brian Firenzi started back in his dorm at USC. I found it hilarious… a sort of askew genius, and joined in eventually, and we were just doing it for fun, drinking beer and making funny shit with our friends. Which I guess is how it still is, four years later, although we now have an LLC and a website and a Youtube partnership and celebrity guest stars — it’s still mainly a “drinking beer and making funny” affair, as I see it. As many people as are available get together every Sunday, we shoot the sh-t for a while, hone our jokes, spend a few hours shooting them, and edit them throughout the week. Credit belongs to the other guys and gals for doing the heavy lifting, production and editing-wise. I just don’t have enough time these days, although I love it. I mainly just try to say funny sh-t, occasionally I act, often in compilation style stuff like “Everyday Dubstep” or “Grumpy Ben” with my buddy, comedy savant Paul Prado.
There was a Spin article in the Patton Oswalt-edited “funny issue” that gets into our routine more in-depth.
Okay, let’s close with some nonsense questions. Guy Fieri is a 44-year-old man who talks and dresses the way old people think young people do. Do you think maybe he’s a narc, like in “21 Jump Street”?
That guy looks like someone electrocuted a fat skunk. Or like the evil-universe Ethan Suplee in The Butterfly Effect. Or like the guy the Joker sews an explosive cell phone into in The Dark Knight. Narc? No, he’s the new Marlon Brando.
There’s a scene in Fast Five where The Rock’s character and Vin Diesel’s character fight, and Vin Diesel’s character wins. This is bullsh-t. Vin Diesel can’t beat up The Rock. Not a chance. Admittedly, this is not a question, but I think it’s important.
Gina Carano would own both of those dudes.
Last question: I just found this GIF of Bobby Brown humping some stairs in a folder on my computer. It’s the best thing, right?
It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and that includes Lawrence of Arabia and The 400 Blows. Speaking of internet bullsh-t, I just discovered this Blues Name generator. Mine’s “Boney Bones Bailey.”
Duly noted. Thanks a lot, Boney.
“Justified” airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX. Follow Jon on Twitter, because he asked me nicely to get him more followers.



This season has been nothing short of a disappointment. choppy editing, muddled storylines, too many new characters right of the bat with no development…and why is wynona still alive. Obviously, the new writers have no idea what made the first two seasons as amazing as they are! If tonight’s episode doesn’t bring back what actually IS “Justified”, I’m out…
If that “he’s the new Marlon Brando” is a reference to the perversion The Wild One did to biker culture… wow. I may just have to get used to posting upside down and backwards amongst the winking and blinking pictures.
So, they’re gonna kill Winona, right? The whole, “Raylan is happy and realizing he wants to be with Winona and raise a family despite director hot-tits giving him the fuck me eyes” is just setting us up to be crushed when they kill Winona off this year.
I don’t care how whiny she is, I would also like to partake in the impregnating her more.
Also, awesome interview!
The youtube thing he mentioned: [www.youtube.com]
I disagree about Limehouse. I thought his character was kind of hokey. His obsession with chemical burns made it seem like his holler had just gotten Fight Club on DVD.
Consider this a warning.
Also Terriers would have been a hit if they had paid up and gotten Eddie from Frasier for their poster, he’s the huge name they needed.
That was a fun read, mainly because I read it on my smartphone while on a rollercoaster WHEEEEEEEEEEE!
That was a really fun read. The level of sycophancy was juuuuuuuuuuuuuust right.
Ahh yes, sycophancy. Or as I like to define it: fawning obsequiousness.
/still has no idea what sycophancy means
Thanks for the backhanded compliment and/or insult!
Verified
Yeah, I was kinda kissing DG’s ass.
– Worley
Hi DG, long time fan, first time commenter on an interview with Jon Worley. Do you maybe want to go out and get muddled strawberry smoothies spiked with absinthe some time? The offer stands for Jon as well as long as he brings GIF’s of early 90′s R and B stars simulating sex with inanimate objects (preferably Michael Bivins).
We were promised bourbon. What’s up with that?
Great work to all parties involved. I enjoy everything Worley is involved with and DG interviewed the hell out of him.
Warmingglow street cred: +10
Great read.
Verified
Thanks for squishing me between 36k boobs and Padma Lakshmi, DG (this is Worley).
Sounds like a fantasy come true my friend.
“Jon Worley here with another great product: THE FLIP-A-BABY.”
Great work, DG. You’re a hell of an interviewer.
Verified
Oldie but a goodie. Also, in case you were wondering the source of the image at the top of this article came from: [5secondfilms.com]
Everytime I see Boyd, the line “Gimme a smoke, hairdo” from trailer park boys pops into my head.
Also, I wish we could mix anal sex Natalie from Californiacation into whiny Natalie on Justified. I guess I just can’t get enough of her pointing out that she let a handsome older man sodomize her in public.
Ummm…Natalie Zea? Anal?
/stroke
While I didn’t care for Director Gump’s performance on 24, looks like he’s gonna kill it as Limehouse.
Nice interview DG.
Outfuckingstanding.
Makes a feller wanna dance!
Thanks, y’all. If you really wanna do me a favor, retweet and share the shit out of it. The better posts like this do traffic-wise, the more likely we are to be able to do more of them.
Also relevant.
I think that gif should be the official +1 for warmingglow.
and this
this
So based on this interview, now that a weekend of the flu got me through all the Community episodes on Hulu, I should start this one next.
Great read DG
REAL Journalism?!? Here?!?
Ok! Start the presses!
I loved Terriers and The Chicago Code. Miss them lots, particularly Terriers.
Winona > Ava
If there isn’t slash fiction about them yet, it’s only a matter of time.
39 chapters and counting! Luckily ‘Fire in the Hole’ worked fine as a title.
I’ve not committed myself to a team, but admittedly my ladyparts won’t let me understand a woman who would divorce Raylan Givens for Gary. Boo on that decision, even if she did come to her senses later.
Great work, DG. Now go down to the Wawa and treat yourself to something special.
Excellent work, DG. This was awesome. Any way we can convince Worley to play a counterpart during a Franklin and Bash post someday?
I would get Winona pregnant-er.
Great job, DG.
Put a second baby in there
Well done, DG. Still, kind of sad that you couldn’t incorporate your ZWR work into this interview [image.spreadshirt.com]
And, I’m sad about Terriers all over again.
That was a lovely & interesting read, DG. Well done.
I agree on both counts.
“Terriers” is streaming on Netflix, so you can always watch it and trick your brain into thinking that its still on. That’s what I do and its only SLIGHTLY sad and depressing!
*cuts self*
You wouldn’t GET ka-bonged by a skillet if you didn’t NEED ka-bonged by a skillet. When you will men learn? #TeamAva
RELEVANT.
That has to be extra-emasculating when your name is “Devil”.