feeling that things might go anywhere." A.O. Scott of The New York Times remarked that the part was played with "a throwaway inventiveness" while Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times felt it was played "with wonderful comic zest." David Edelstein of Slate enjoyed his "spaced-out volatility. Olyphant's Kelly is a brilliant synthesis of poses." Joe Leydon of Variety said he "strikes an impressively deft balance of hearty amiability and understated menace in his scene-stealing turn." In a 2015 interview, Olyphant reflected on the early stages of his film career, and not getting the leading roles that would have possibly led to major fame: "I got great opportunities right off the bat. And at the same time I either passed or failed to get things that would have made things ridiculously quick. I passed on enormous opportunities only to end up playing the supporting role in the next film. And then I'd think to myself, "What the fuck am I doing? Why did I do that?" But sometimes I feel like I got away with some things, because I've been able to work for a long time and I haven't had to deal with any kind of fame issues." 2004–2009: Deadwood and leading film roles Olyphant came to the attention of a wider audience when he was cast as Sheriff Seth Bullock in HBO's acclaimed western Deadwood, which aired for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. While he had previously been typecast "as a talkative, Jack Nicholson–styled, funny bad boy," in the words of Vultures Matt Zoller Seitz, Deadwood gave him the opportunity to play a righteous, brooding lawman. The show's creator, David Milch, said of the casting choice: "Bullock's uprightness is an alternative to going medieval on people. You can see that same fire and that possibility in Tim, even at his most genial ... I'm not sure which poet talked about 'thoughts too deep for words,' but he brings that idea alive ... Tim is a guy that doesn't let himself be known easily." While Bullock was initially introduced as Deadwoods protagonist, Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club noted that the character of Al Swearengen came to "dominate the show ... This is not to slight Timothy Olyphant. He's a fine actor, and his portrayal of Bullock is frequently very, very good. Bullock is still unquestionably one of the most important characters on the show but the character