As Timothy Olyphant prepares to return to horror and face the Xenomorph terror inMos Pelgo mashal Cobb Vanth in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and Sheriff Seth Bullock in Deadwood. However, the actor's role in Noah Hawley's spinoff of the sci-fi horror franchise is a far cry from these characters.

In Alien: Earth, Olyphant plays the android Kirsh, who is tasked with welcoming a potentially world-shifting lifeform into society as the Prodigy Corporation develops the first successful "Hybrid." A synthetic that has received a human consciousness, Wendy (Sydney Chandler) is placed into the care of Kirsh, who mentors her as she potentially marks an exciting development in the ever-ongoing race to uncover the secrets of immortality. However, as a Weyland-Yutani vessel crash-lands on Earth, the pair are set to come face to face with the horrifying lifeform.

Alien: Earth Is Timothy Olyphant's First Horror Show Since Santa Clarita Diet Was Canceled

The Netflix Series Melded Bloody Chaos With Quirky Family Comedy

Before Olyphant faces the Xenomorphs, however, TV viewers may be keen to visit his last turn in live-action horror on TV in Santa Clarita Diet. Created by Victor Fresco for Netflix, the horror-comedy starred Olyphant alongside Drew Barrymore, Liv Hewson, and Skylar Gisondo. In Santa Clarita Diet, happy suburban couple Sheila (Barrymore) and Joel (Olyphant) Hammond have their world turned upside down as Sheila develops zombie-like tendencies, including a desire to consume human flesh.

DID YOU KNOW: Liv Hewson has remained with the horror genre, as their role of Van Palmer in Yellowjackets has thrown them against potentially supernatural entities lurking in the Canadian wilderness.

While Sheila becoming one of the undead gives her a more outgoing, carefree, and impulsive outlook on her existence, Joel and daughter Abby (Hewson) are tasked with keeping things calm and normal on the surface while also providing Sheila with flesh to sustain herself, with neighbor Eric aiding in their efforts thanks to his horror expertise. With each season, the Hammonds have to balance their seemingly ordinary lives and catering to Sheila's new diet with fending off corrupt cops, undead slayers, and cultists.

Why Netflix Canceled Santa Clarita Diet After 3 Seasons

The Series Fell Victim To The Streamer's High Standards Of Success

Despite the acclaim that Santa Clarita Diet received throughout its run for its careful balance of creative comedy and bloody gore, the series came to a close with season 3 in 2019, leaving audiences on a shocking cliffhanger. After a bloody evening at the Hammond household, Joel decides he wishes to become an undead to stay with Sheila forever, but is incapacitated before she can turn him. In a last-ditch effort to save him, Sheila bites Joel, but season 3 concludes without revealing if Joel is successfully turned.

While Victor Fresco was editing the third season, the showrunner learned that Netflix had already begun dismantling the sets and was going to decline to renew the series for any additional season (via a proper conclusion to the Hammonds's story.

Timothy Olyphant Should Continue Starring In More Horror Projects After Alien: Earth

Olyphant's Suspense-Focused Filmography Has Offered Him A Range Of Roles

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However, Alien: Earth may offer Olyphant a new TV horror vehicle that could last for several years. According to Noah Hawley, shaping the events leading up to 1979's Alien movie.

Alien: Earth is set in 2120, two years before the events of the original movie.

Furthermore, Olyphant has proven plenty of times in the past that he can be versatile within the horror/thriller genre. Alongside Santa Clarita Diet's overwhelmed Joel and the various heroes he's played, he has also dived into the role of unhinged slasher villain Mickey Altieri in Scream 2, survivor David in The Crazies, and suspicious vacationer Nick in A Perfect Getaway. As such, audiences may be hungry to see if he can play any other archetypes within the genre should Alien: Earth prove to be a worthy successor to Santa Clarita Diet.

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Alien: Earth

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Thriller

Release Date

August 12, 2025

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FX

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• 
  Sydney Chandler

  Wendy
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  Alex Lawther

  CJ
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  Essie Davis

  Dame Silvia
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  Adarsh Gourav

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