<\/p>\n
Young Timothy Olyphant got his foot in Hollywood’s door in 1996, when he landed a role in a show whose title might raise a few eyebrows. It was called “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” and it was about two spies in a complicated romantic situation. No, it was not connected to the big movie of the same name that came out in 2005, nor was it connected to the Alfred Hitchcock romantic comedy from the 1940s. That 2005 movie didn’t plagiarize this earlier TV show, either, although when I spoke to the co-creator of the ’96 “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”<\/a>\u00a0in 2024, he admitted he could see how someone might jump to that conclusion.<\/p>\n Who did Olyphant play in the series? Sadly, he didn’t play the titular Mr. Smith\u00a0\u2014 that role went to Scott Bakula. Instead Olyphant played Scooby, a guy who’s part of Mr. Smith’s spy team and certainly seems like a cool, loyal dude. Unfortunately, Scooby turns out to be a double agent, and the pilot ends with him going full evil and trying to murder Mr. and Mrs. Smith with a gun.<\/p>\n I hate to spoil this minor plot point of a nearly 30-year-old show that’s no longer available anywhere on streaming, but rest assured, it’s still fun to watch Olyphant here, even if you know exactly what happens. Olyphant’s Scooby is the best part of that “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” pilot, providing a major spark of energy in an episode that was otherwise a little slow by today’s standards.<\/p>\n This was Olyphant’s last episode on the series, and the show itself would soon be canceled and sadly forgotten.\u00a0But although it was hardly the big breakout role Olyphant likely hoped for, it may have helped the actor find his next big thing. Within a year, he was cast in “Scream 2” (the best “Scream” movie, in my humble opinion)<\/a> as Mickey Altieri, and it’s hard not to wonder if “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” was the reason he got the part.<\/p>\n