WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Stick season 1, episode 4!Timothy Olyphant has a new show streaming on Apple TV+, and it marks a notable departure from his most iconic TV character,Justified’s Raylan Givens. Though he’s also starred in hit movies likeScream 2,Live Free or Die Hard, andHavoc, Olyphant’s most famous roles have largely been on the small screen. From starring asRaylan Givens inJustifiedand Seth Bullock inDeadwoodto more recent stints as Joel inSanta Clarita Dietand Cobb Vanth in Disney+’sStar Warsshows,Timothy Olyphant has long been a welcome TV mainstaywhile continuing to expand his diverse resume.
While theoriginalJustifiedseries endedin 2015, Olyphant reprised his role for the positively-reviewed limited revival show,Justified: City Primeval, in 2023. Considering that marked Olyphant’s big return to arguably his most iconic character,Justified’s revival set the bar high for the actor’s next TV follow-up. In the two years afterJustified: City Primeval, Olyphant’s only TV stints have been animated voice roles – until this summer. Olyphant has just made his debut in a new Apple TV+ sports comedy led by Owen Wilson, ending his live-action TV drought ahead of another starring role in August.
Apple TV+’s Stick Is Timothy Olyphant’s First Live-Action TV Show Since Justified: City Primeval
Timothy Olyphant Appears In Stick As Pro Golfer Clark Ross
Apple TV+’s golf comedyStickmarks Timothy Olyphant’s first live-action TV role sinceJustified: City Primeval’s endingin the summer of 2023. Between those two series, Olyphant’s only TV credits have been voice roles inTales of the Teenage Ninja Turtles, Netflix’sTerminator Zero(as the Terminator), HBO Max’sGremlinsanimated series, and Prime Video’s#1 Happy Family USA. However, that streak is now ending withthree new and upcoming live-action shows, as Olyphant is starring inStick,Alien: Earth, and Apple TV+’sLucky.
Still, some significant backstory is given about his character inStickseason 1, episode 4, setting up a major confrontation between Clark and Pryce as the latter’s coaching journey continues. ThoughOlyphant only has a guest rolein theApple TV+ sports comedy’s first season, there still seems to be room to expand on his character ifStickseason 2 is renewed. Considering sports comedies aren’t very familiar territory for Olyphant, as his biggest TV roles tend to lie in the Western, horror, sci-fi, and action genres, a more extensive part inStickseason 2 would be an exciting shift.
Stick’s Villain Clark Ross Is Very Different From Justified’s Raylan Givens
Clark Ross Doesn’t Appear To Be The Honorable Hero That Raylan Givens Is
As Timothy Olyphant’s first live-action show sinceJustified: City Primeval,Stick’s Clark Ross gives him a very different character to play than Raylan Givens. Outside ofSticknot being a neo-Western crime series,Olyphant’s antagonistic role puts him in a very different position from Raylan Givens, who was the cowboy hero ofJustified. There’s still much more to see with Clark Ross, but the stories about him paint him as an egotistical, selfish figure who puts his own power and status before compassion and honor – far from the beliefs of the loyal, honorable, and respectable Raylan Givens.
Kirsh
July 10, 2025
In a sense,Olyphant’s Raylan Givensis more comparable to Owen Wilson’sStickcharacter Pryce Cahill. Both are flawed heroes with moral ambiguity, tragic pasts, determination, and great skills in their respective fields, even if they often approach their goals in unconventional ways. The stakes are also vastly different, as Raylan is a lawman going up against live-or-death situations with criminals, while Pryce is a former athlete trying to coach a talented player and work his way back into the golf world, but both have similar positions in their respective stories.
Timothy Olyphant’s Next TV Show Is Another Big Departure From These Roles
Olyphant’s Next Live-Action Show Is A Sci-Fi Horror
As Timothy Olyphant continues his live-action TV comeback, his next show sees him venture into an iconic franchise that further distances itself from the premises and tones ofJustifiedandStick. AfterStickcomes to a close in July,Olyphant’s next TV show isAlien: Earth, a prequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic filmAlien. InAlien: Earth, a spaceship’s crew faces dangerous threats from mysterious creatures after crashing on Earth, withTimothy Olyphant portraying the synthetic character Kirsh.
Alien: Earthreunites Timothy Olyphant with writer and director Noah Hawley after collaborating onFargoseason 4.
FollowingJustified’s neo-Western lawman Raylan Givens andStick’s sports comedy antagonist Clark Ross,Alien: Earth’s Kirsh takes Olyphant into new territory as he plays an android serving as the mentor of a human-robot hybrid. While Olyphant recently debuted in a somewhat similar part as theTerminator in Netflix’s animatedTerminator Zeroseries,his robotic sci-fi horrorAlien: Earthcharacter being in the live-action format gives the actor a very different roleto physically step into.
