Robert Taylor gives Longmire a quiet authority that its routine mysteries do not always deserve. This Western crime series is decent company, provided familiar police work and a strong cast are enough for the evening.
Longmire is decent, undemanding television, carried by performances that are better than its mysteries. Creators John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin centre their Western crime series on a grieving sheriff and leave Robert Taylor enough room to make his reserve interesting. Predictable plotting is a substantial weakness in a programme built around investigations, and the cast cannot quite disguise it. We would try it for the company, with modest expectations of the cases.
Robert Taylor makes Walt Longmire’s silences worth watching. There is thought in his pauses, and the sense of a man deciding how much of himself the job can afford to show. We were moved by how much effort Walt seems to put into remaining composed; his grief feels like something he is managing while other people need an answer. It is a performance that rewards a little patience, because Walt becomes more interesting once we stop expecting him to explain himself.
Katee Sackhoff gives Victoria ‘Vic’ Moretti the sharper presence that this arrangement needs. A whole cast adopting Walt’s pace would make for a long evening, and her alertness keeps his stillness from setting everyone’s speed. Lou Diamond Phillips, as Henry Standing Bear, is another good reason to spend time with the ensemble. The supporting players can seem more immediately inviting than the lead, but Robert Taylor’s unwillingness to compete for attention is part of what makes him convincing.
Wyoming gives the series a more particular home than an interchangeable city precinct, and the setting is a good reason to stay with it. The Western element also suits a lead whose authority depends on our willingness to watch him think. John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin understand that attraction and allow it time to work. Their choice makes sense for a character-led series, though it puts a great deal of responsibility on the actors to keep each exchange alive.
The opening mystery is the clearest warning about the programme’s limitations. It begins with enough purpose, then loses urgency as the procedural work takes over, and the route through it feels too familiar. We grew restless because following the investigation became less interesting than waiting for another exchange between the characters. The writing gives the actors things to do, but it does not consistently give us a strong reason to wonder what happens next.
We would recommend it to viewers who value a regular cast more than a surprising case. That is a substantial qualification for a crime series, and anyone hoping for an intricate mystery should take it seriously. Robert Taylor and Katee Sackhoff give the programme enough life to justify trying its pace, without making the familiar plotting feel much fresher. Give it an episode for the company; do not expect the investigation to do all the work.
