Raylan Givens has been described by many television critics as the "defining role" of Olyphant's career. Brian Lowry of "Variety" said it was "an unabashed star turn": "There are surely worse ways to be pigeonholed than playing tough, laconic lawmen, and Timothy Olyphant is carving himself a formidable niche in those confines ... It's an enormously appealing performance." Tim Goodman of the "San Francisco Chronicle" praised "an incredibly riveting performance": "Olyphant's steely gaze, Zen interior and matinee looks called to mind a younger Clint Eastwood." Daniel Fienberg of "HitFix" described him as "a tremendously compelling actor. It's not that he thrives only on minimalism, but he gets a lot out of a little. His performance is about potential energy, or potential violence. And Olyphant does "intense and coiled" to perfection." Matthew Gilbert of "The Boston Globe" said: "It's hard to imagine any other actor in the part, as Olyphant milks Raylan's smooth, laconic cowboy style for as much wry humor as he can. He is riveting without a lot of noise — both his body language and his conversation are pared down, and yet his presence is always resonant." Although Olyphant was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2011, he and the show were often perceived to have been "snubbed" by Emmy voters. Matt Zoller Seitz of "Vulture" suggested this was because it was "the kind of performance that almost nobody recognizes as 'acting.' It's an old-fashioned movie hero performance in which much of the emotional action is internal and articulated with great subtlety." Similarly, Robert Bianco of "USA Today" commented that his "masterfully complete immersion in the role seems to have masked the talent expended playing it."