The series revolves around the inhabitants and culture in the Appalachian Mountains area of eastern Kentucky, specifically Harlan County where many of the main characters grew up.
In the present day, Raylan (Timothy Olyphant) receives a phone call from a former acquaintance/romantic partner, Sharon Edmonds (Aja Evans), who is now a bail bondswoman in Knoxville, Tennessee.
She enlists Raylan's help in finding a fugitive named Jody Adair (Chris Chalk), who is hiding out in Lexington and wanted by the Knoxville police.
In Harlan, two teenage burglars, Benny (Casey Brown) and Roz (Alexandra Kyle), invade Arlo Givens' old house and start breaking into a wall.
Bob provokes a scrapyard worker who gets the upper hand on him while Raylan is gone to check on the whereabouts of Jody and the teens, who are hiding in a nearby shed.
Nick Grad, FX Executive Vice President of Original Programming, said "Justified is one of television's best series and this season has reinforced that excellence.
Graham Yost and his writing team continue to deliver compelling material and richly drawn characters brought to life by the brilliance of Timothy Olyphant and our terrific ensemble cast.
"[2] In December 2012, it was reported that the first episode of the fourth season would be titled "Hole in the Wall", and was to be directed by executive producer Michael Dinner and written by series developer Graham Yost.
[3] The opening scene and mystery of the episode was inspired by the true story of Andrew C. Thornton II, a former narcotics officer and lawyer who became the head member of "The Company", a drug smuggling ring in Kentucky.
I had originally pitched that Arlo would grab the guy and slashed his femoral artery, and Michael Dinner said, 'Yeah, that's pretty hard to read, I need him to go for the neck', and I said, 'Okay' and it became very bloody.
Starting with this episode, Natalie Zea is no longer credited as part of the main cast for the season, now deemed "recurring guest star".
[10] In October 2012, it was announced that Patton Oswalt was cast in the recurring role of Bob Sweeney, "a local constable who went to high school with Raylan and has been hired by the lawman to watch Arlo's house.
"[11] Oswalt viewed the character as "a guy that basically sorta wants to be Raylan Givens, but is not, which I think most men can relate to"[12] On the same month, it was announced that Ron Eldard was cast in the recurring role of Colton "Colt" Rhodes, "a violent, dark-humored and rule-bending sergeant with the military police.
"[13] Joseph Mazzello was also announced to join the series in the recurring role of Billy St. Cyr, "a preacher who has saved the lives of drug addicts.
[15] In its original American broadcast, "Hole in the Wall" was seen by an estimated 3.59 million household viewers and gained a 1.3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.
"[20] Kevin Fitzpatrick of Screen Crush wrote, "It's a relatively simple outing for Raylan Givens in Justified's season 4 premiere 'Hole in the Wall', but one we have every confidence in the series to expand and deliver upon.
"[22] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine wrote, "Justified is the strongest, liveliest, and most tonally accurate adaptation of the writer's work to date, and the latest season bracingly suggests that isn't likely to change anytime soon.
"[23] Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The last-minute shanking Arlo performed in the closing seconds — this is one old coot who gives better than he gets — and I'd say Justified is off to a very good start.
"[24] Joe Reid of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "So Boyd's set up against the drug-dealing preacher boy.
"[25] Dan Forcella of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Over the past couple years Justified has been my favorite drama on television.
With its riveting performances, exciting story lines and endless charm, the series has received equally high praise from critics across the country.
"[26] Jack McKinney of Paste gave the episode a 9 out of 10 rating and wrote, "In the end, the fourth season of Justified managed to start off with an effective blend of instant familiarity and an appealing freshness.