Timothy Olyphant's horror series, Timothy Olyphant has been a part of some excellent movies and TV shows over the years, and, while he may be best known for his roles in dramas and westerns like Justified and The Mandalorian, he's also had a rich career in comedy, appearing in The Office and The Girl Next Door, among other roles. One of his more unusual roles came in the Netflix comedy horror series, Santa Clarita Diet, starring opposite Drew Barrymore.

In the three-season series, Joel (Olyphant) and Sheila Hammond (Barrymore) are a typical suburban couple with a daughter, Abby (Liv Hewson). There's one key difference, however: Sheila undergoes a change and becomes an undead zombie who craves human flesh, but still has all her faculties. The Hammond family has to figure out what's happened to Sheila and make sure she gets enough to eat as well. Gory, hilarious, and weird, Santa Clarita Diet ended after season 3 with a cliffhanger, but it deserved a much better resolution.

6 Years Later, Santa Clarita Diet's Cancelation is Still Disappointing

The Show Was Suddenly Canceled With Little Explanation

Six years after the Santa Clarita Diet ending, the show's cancelation remains disappointing. The series premiered in February 2017 and was canceled in April 2019, just a month after the season 3 finale (via Deadline). In the announcement, representatives from Netflix said,

"The world had never known a 'zom-com' until Santa Clarita Diet, and we're indebted to creator Victor Fresco for bringing this idea to Netflix. To their endless credit, the incredible Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant were totally game, with an uncanny knack for comedy that brought Sheila and Joel Hammond to vibrant life, even though one of them was undead. We're grateful to Victor, Drew and Timothy, along with fellow executive producers Tracy Katsky, Aaron Kaplan, Chris Miller and Ember Truesdell and the terrific cast, including Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo, and crew for three hilarious seasons for Netflix to discover for years to come."

It's a standard message from production that doesn't offer much in the way of an explanation. The show's creator, Victor Fresco, and executive producer Tracy Katsky issued a statement that said,

"Like our audience, we were all-in on Sheila and Joel. Their relationship, in the face of incredible adversity, was inspiring to write and to watch. Mostly, they were funny, which in a comedy is important. Working with Drew and Tim, along with the immensely talented Liv and Skyler, was a joy and a once in a lifetime experience. Netflix took at chance on this odd show and for that we will always be grateful. They were ive, ever positive, and appreciative of our work. Until about noon today. Still, they were just one phone call away from being a perfect studio. Not bad. Everything ends. This was a thing. And so it ended. We’ll miss it but are proud of the work we did and will always appreciate the love and enthusiasm we felt from our audience. It if was up to them, Sheila and Joel would continue for another 10,000 years."

Timothy Olyphant had a similarly tongue-in-cheek response to the announcement, saying, "I loved working on this show. I'm going to continue coming in and doing scenes. If they don't want to film it, that's up to them." Drew Barrymore said, "Of all of the characters I’ve ever been, Sheila Hammond is one of my favorites." As disappointing as the cancellation was, it appears that everyone involved took the news in stride.

Santa Clarita Diet Deserved A Better Ending After Having 3 Great Seasons

Season 3 Ended On A Big Cliffhanger

Because no one knew that Santa Clarita Diet would be canceled, season 3 ends with a major cliffhanger, which is a real bummer considering how good the show was up to that point. The series has an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and season 3 has a 100%. It's a show that deserved more than it got. In the finale of season 3, which ended up being the series finale, Joel decides he wants to his wife in eternal undeath, but Mr. Ball Legs jumps into his ear canal before he can.

The episode ends with Sheila biting Joel to bring him back to life. That's a pretty big cliffhanger to end on. Joel appears to be a zombie, and there is so much more to explore with that fact. There's another question of what it means for Mr. Ball Legs to now be living inside Joel's head somewhere. This is a major moment, and having Joel and Sheila as zombies could have powered at least one more season. Now we're left with a big question mark and theories about what could have been.

Timothy Olyphant Is Getting Another Shot At The Horror Genre This Year

Olyphant Will Star In The Alien TV Show

Timothy Olyphant is no stranger to horror, famously his foray into the Alien universe with Alien: Earth. Olyphant will co-star as Kirsh, an android, in the FX series set to release on Hulu in August 2025. The series serves as a prequel to Alien, set two years before Ridley Scott's seminal film.

In the show, a space vessel crash-lands on Earth, and a team of tactical soldiers finds something horrifying inside. Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Samuel Blenkin, and Essie Davis are also set to star. It's Timothy Olyphant's first horror production since Santa Clarita Diet, and hopefully, this show will end with a more satisfying finale than that three-season series.