You May Miss Timothy Olyphant In Justified, But His Best Role Is In This Underrated Sitcom With A 93% RT Score

Timothy Olyphant made a name for himself with gritty Westerns like Deadwood and Justified, but one of his best roles is in the underrated comedy series, The Grinder. Years before Timothy Olyphant broke out in Deadwood, he found himself a variety of smaller roles, with Mickey in Scream 2 being one of his earliest. He slowly established himself as a fantastic character actor and proved how well he could also lead in the Western genre on television.

Shows like Deadwood and Justified wouldn’t have been the same without his presence. While Olyphant is mostly known for his more serious characters, he is also an incredible talent when it comes to comedic performances. The 2015 Fox series, The Grinder, is one in particular that really shows how much fun Olyphant can have in a role when he is allowed to be even funnier than usual. Running for only one season, it is also up there among the best of his performances.

Timothy Olyphant Played A Hilarious Fictionalized Version Of Himself In The Grinder

Timothy Olyphant Is Rob Lowe’s Nemesis In The Grinder

The Grinder follows Rob Lowe’s Dean Sanderson Jr., who returns to his hometown of Boise, Idaho following the end of his long-running television series titled The Grinder. Once there, Dean joins his family’s law firm, thinking his experience of playing a lawyer in his TV series is enough qualifications. That sort of set-up allows for the show to be incredibly hilarious, and Timothy Olyphant’s role in it is spectacular.

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In The Grinder, Olyphant plays a fictionalized version of himself and is the nemesis of Dean. He ends up essentially stealing the main role in The Grinder: New Orleans from Dean, after more or less convincing him to walk away. He also begins to date the woman that Dean has tried to form a romantic connection with several times. It’s not a main role by any means, but Olyphant is one of the most memorable (and funniest) parts of the entire show.

Why His Role In The Grinder Proves Olyphant Needs To Do More Comedy

Timothy Olyphant Consistently Nails His Comedic Roles

Timothy Olyphant looking out his car window in The Grinder

Olyphant is arguably best known for his more stoic and serious performances, with Deadwood, Justified, and The Crazies being just a few. While he excels at these roles, there is so much more to him as an actor, especially when it comes to comedy. Roles like The Girl Next Door, The League, and Santa Clarita Diet show how capable he is. Even playing Ghost Face in Scream 2 earlier in his career gave him room to really showcase with his comedic talents.

There is still so much more potential for him in comedy, and it is a shame that he wasn’t able to continue his role in The Grinder.

The Grinder, however, is where Olyphant shines the most as a comedic actor and shows that he needs to do more of that type of work. Thankfully, Olyphant was given the opportunity once again, appearing alongside Owen Wilson and Lilli Kay in Apple TV’s latest sports comedy series, Stick. There is still so much more potential for him in comedy, and it is a shame that he wasn’t able to continue his role in The Grinder, given how it was one of his best.

Why The Grinder Was Canceled After 1 Season

The Series Didn’t Have Good Enough Ratings

Timothy Olyphant pointing at Rob Lowe and smiling in The Grinder

Despite The Grinder being well-received by both critics and viewers, Fox decided not to move forward with the series, canceling it after just one season. Like most shows that end up being canceled, the network determined that the ratings weren’t what they wanted them to be, deciding that it was best to leave it at just one season. In May 2016, Rob Lowe confirmed via X that the series would not continue, praising The Grinder in the process.

It’s a shame that Fox didn’t let The Grinder continue to grow and build a fanbase, given how great the first season was. The number of talented actors in the show is impressive in and of itself, but also having one of Timothy Olyphant’s best performances makes it even better. He may be most well-known for his roles in Deadwood and Justified, but others like The Grinder prove just how versatile of an actor he is, and how funny he can be.

Source: X