‘Justified’ Season 4: Show-Runner Teases Patton Oswalt, Snakes, and Dickie Bennett

Even with a premiere date of early 2013, we've still heard relatively little about the coming fourth season of FX's gunslinger drama 'Justified.' The Emmy-winning shooter will boast appearances from the likes of Patton Oswalt and Ron Eldard, with a few key roles yet to be cast, but what does show-runner Graham Yost have to say about it? And what of some of our favorite returning characters like Dickie Bennett or Dewey Crowe? What's on deck for 'Justified' season 4?

Sure, we've got some bad-ass teasers to pore over, but where's the real scoop on 'Justified' season 4? Show-runner Graham Yost recently dropped by the New York Television festival to answer a few questions, and clear up the status of some beloved 'Justified' characters. Certainly one of the things we're most looking forward to about season 4 comes as comedian Patton Oswalt's Constable Bob, something of a sidekick to Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), but where did the idea come from?

There’s this weird thing in Kentucky where each county has one or two constables, and it’s an elected position, but your salary is, like, $2,000 a year. You’ve got to pay for your own car, your own light bar, your own uniform. But what they get to do with that is serve papers.

And they can charge $60 for serving papers, whereas the State Police has to charge $80. So they undercut the State Police, and that’s how they make money. So we just liked the idea of this sort of cop wannabe, who’s kind of a cop, interacting with Raylan some.

As for some of the returning favorites, Yost pointed out that nothing had yet been written for either Dickie Bennett (Jeremy Davies) or Dewey Crowe (Damon Herriman), but he'd of course be thrilled to have them back. As for those who assumed Davies' trademark hair at the recent Emmys suggested a return to 'Justified,' it seems Davies came up with the hair on his own back in season 3. Yeesh.

Plus, get ready for some snakes! Like that preacher character we've been hearing about foretells, Yost teased that the first four episodes would see the involvement of a backwoods snake-handling church. Even less specifically, Yost claimed another aspect of the 2012 novel 'Raylan' would make its way into the season, but wouldn't specify which.

What do you think the fourth season of FX's 'Justified' will bring? Who are you most looking forward to seeing back in action?