A&E's Longmire: Wyoming's Finest

The third season of A&E's show Longmire arrived quietly last night (June 2) but it will not go unnoticed if only because it is one of the more unique police shows on television these days.  Sheriff Walt Longmire is one of those gritty old west characters that you seldom see on television anymore, though together with the rest of his team he solves a mystery each week in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. 

In addition to the recently-widowed sheriff, played by Robert Taylor, the show hosts a number of interesting characters, including Katee Sackhoff (well known from Battlestar Galactica) playing fellow officer Vic who escaped to Wyoming and is being haunted by part, as well as Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays Walt's friend Henry and often represents the spiritual conscience of the show.

In the current season, the search for the killer of Walt's wife continues, as does the search for the killer's killer.  Walt and Henry are both suspects, with Henry being jailed at the end of last season.  But this is just one of a number of cliff hangers from last season.  What really keeps the show going is the Luddite Walt learning more about himself and seeking out Native American traditions to keep himself on the right path.  Not that the local Native Americans leaders see him as a ally as they take uniquely non-traditional paths to address their own interests.  

I look forward to the new season and the adventures of Walt.  I cannot think of another police serial with this amount of texture, which I hope is enough to support more seasons of the show.  So sit back and enjoy the "Wild West" as it intersects with the world of today.