Justified kept Boyd Crowder alive after the pilot, departing from Elmore Leonard’s source story in which Raylan Givens kills him. The change proved crucial to the FX drama: Walton Goggins’ performance and Boyd’s volatile relationship with Raylan helped define the series and, according to its producers, supported its six-season run.

The producers initially filmed Boyd’s death but reversed it after strong audience reactions and recognising Goggins’ potential. Boyd became a recurring character before joining the main cast, and the television version was influential enough to alter the character’s later fate in Leonard’s books; his reduced role in the revival City Primeval disappointed some viewers.