Kokomo (Justified: City Primeval)

The episode was originally titled "Fun Wit' Albanians".[1] In July 2023, FX announced that the fourth episode of the series would be titled "Kokomo", and was to be written by executive producer Taylor Elmore, and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton. This was Elmore's first writing credit, and Horder-Payton's first directing credit.[2]

According to Timothy Olyphant on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Quentin Tarantino was going to direct this episode, but the birth of his child prevented him from doing so.[3]

In its original American broadcast, "Kokomo" was seen by an estimated 0.603 million household viewers and gained a 0.10 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.10 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[4] This was a slight increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.560 million viewers with a 0.07 in the 18-49 demographics.[4]

"Kokomo" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Ben Travers of IndieWire gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "Maybe Carolyn will lure Raylan into Detroit's sense of justice, or maybe he'll pull her back from using the little black book toward her own ends. Either way, in a challenging city, they're better off together than apart."[5]

Roxana Hadadi of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "What makes this episode more enjoyable than 'Backstabbers,' though, is how the removal of Willa gives Raylan the laser focus he needs to really make moves in this case and allows the character to show different facets of himself. We've seen the older and wiser version of Raylan already, the one who (mostly) puts methodical investigation over reckless spontaneity. But I missed flirty, smart-ass, abrupt Raylan, too, and 'Kokomo' gives us that guy during his visits to Carolyn's office and home, the meeting with Toma, and the raid on Tina’s apartment."[6]

Caemeron Crain of TV Obsessive wrote, "halfway through City Primeval things have just continued to get messier and messier. If Clement and Sweety are about to start blackmailing muckety-mucks in Detroit for their various indiscretions, we can expect there's even more chaos to come. Thankfully Willa is now safe at home in Miami."[7] Diana Keng of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "It took them until 'Kokomo', but we finally got what is - in my estimation - a classic Elmore Leonard-esque criminal philosophy expounded with conviction and eloquence."[8]

TVLine named Vondie Curtis-Hall as an honorable mention as the "Performer of the Week" for the week of August 5, 2023, for his performance in the episode. The site wrote, "Justified: City Primeval's Sweety was given a lot to chew on this week, and Vondie Curtis-Hall in turn enjoyed his best scenes yet. Heading into Episode 4, Sweety had a plan to parlay the murder weapon he had found stashed in his bar into A) overdue punishment for Mansell's myriad crimes and B) immunity for himself. But when Mansell clued his cohort-of-sorts into Judge Guy's little black book, Sweety's wheels got turning. Curtis-Hall conveyed a cool, newfound pragmatism as Sweety suggested to Carolyn that this book's secrets about Detroit power players represents 'the keys to the city' — one of which might get her the judgeship she covets. Later, when Mansell aimed to cement a partnership, Sweety presented himself as well-wooed, remarking, 'This is a nice view' as he regarded the skyline from Mansell's digs. How does Sweety plan to get what's due him and take down Mansell? Curtis-Hall's nuanced, engaging performance has us curious/worried to find out!"[9]