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2 TV ENCORE By Cassie Dresch TV Media W alt Longmire is living in rel- ative obscurity. You won't see his name splashed across huge billboards or shouted from Hollywood's highest towers commanding attention and accolades. In fact, you won't find it on any Golden Globe, Emmy, Critic's Choice, People's Choice or one of the countless other major awards that spring to mind. And yet, there he is. Dusty cowboy boots, sturdy Stetson hat and the stern introspection of a sheriff who's seen so much and says so little. He's the title char- acter in A&E's Western-inspired crime drama "Longmire," which airs a new episode Monday, July 28. Based on the "Walt Longmire Mysteries" novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson, the TV show has been a major success for A&E since the get-go, despite the sore lack of recognition. The series premiered in June 2012 and set a record for the network, becoming the most watched original series launch of all time with 4.1 million total viewers. The first season finished even stronger than its premiere, notch- ing 4.3 million total viewers, and season 2's premiere and finale numbers were higher yet. Graybeals Carpet 2 x 3" Young's Culligan 3 x 3" Harrison- Merzger 2 x 2" On the Cover Now in its third season, "Longmire" picked up where it left off and continues to boast strong numbers and a dedicated fan base ... but still no hype. It's odd, though, that it continues to dwell in anonymity. The writing is top notch, the acting is spot on and overall it's been very well received since the beginning. In a review for "Newsday" back when the series premiered, Verne Gay said it "arrives as silently as a dust devil kicked up by a high wind on the Wyoming plains (where the show is set). With little in the way of fanfare and a lead actor unacquainted with household name status, it must instead rely on a quiet forti- tude, much like its namesake. Unassuming 'Longmire' doesn't shout 'LOVE ME!' but instead works its charms subtly, quietly." And worked its charms it has. Leading the charge as Sheriff Walt Longmire is Australian actor Robert Taylor, most well known for his role as Agent Jones in the sci-fi action flick "The Matrix" (1999). He is, as Gay pointed out, quite unacquainted with being a household name — at least in the U.S. — but that doesn't take away from what he brings to the role. Johnson has described Walt's character as "a detective for the disenfranchised, a man whose secret weapon is his compassion for the less fortunate or forgotten members of society." Taylor epit- omizes all of that, to the point that Johnson was brought almost to tears when they first started bringing his books to life. "My eyes started welling up, and I had to turn away and walk off the set," he said in an article for "CriminalElement.com." "There was something about watching these characters, these people I'd created, going about their lives and discussing the innermost workings of their hearts that hit me like a war lance." Starring alongside Taylor is a cast that brings poise and experi- ence to the fictional Wyoming town of Absaroka County, and since the first season, they've each seen their characters grow and develop. Katee Sackhoff ("24," "Battlestar Galactica") plays Walt's deputy Vic Moretti, who, it turns out, kick-started an investi- gation into corruption against a former colleague in Philadelphia, causing her to flee her former job hoping for anonymity. It seems to have been all for naught, though, as her colleague's former partner has found her in Wyoming. Of course, no show is com- plete without some personal drama to mix in with the profes- A&E's 'Longmire' lacks the hype but packs a punch sional. As Walt struggles to move on from his wife's death and — spoiler alert! — tries to find out who actually murdered her, he has to contend with his lawyer daughter Cady, played by "Smallville's" Cassidy Freeman. Throw in the fact that his oldest friend and confidant Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips, "La Bamba," 1987) is in some hot water legally (albeit for an honorable reason), and there is no shortage of storylines to follow as the show barrels towards the season finale. And so, as Sheriff Walt Longmire continues to watch over his county like a shepherd guards his flock, "Longmire" continues to plug away, put up solid numbers and entertain its ever-loyal fan base. If middling in obscurity bothered Walt at all, you wouldn't know it. With a grunt and a shrug, he'd go on his way, clearly with more pressing things on his mind. Stop by Absaroka County and catch a new episode of "Longmire," air- ing Monday, July 28, on A&E. 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