So here’s some good news/bad news regarding Timothy Olyphant.

Good news: He’s been cast in the lead role in a new FX drama.

Bad news: That probably means he’s done with “Damages,” so there’s a storyline that we’ll likely never get resolved. Too bad. Wes was an intriguing character that just begged for more reveals about his background. Ehhh, that’s one less reason to watch Season 3 of “Damages,” whenever it comes out.

OK, back to his new show, “Fire in the Hole.” It sounds pretty good. For starters, it’s based on an Elmore Leonard short story, which is usually good as gold. Leonard is arguably the best crime novelist out there, and his work translates exceptionally well to both TV and film. Among his big-screen hits: “Out of Sight,” “Get Shorty,” “Jackie Brown” (different title, but it was based on one of his books) and “3:10 to Yuma.”

Olyphant’s character is a U.S. marshal who returns to his hometown in Kentucky, a jagged old-school cop who wears cowboy boots, a hat and a holster on his belt. Sounds a lot like a modern-day version of Sheriff Seth Bullock, the clenched-jaw voice of decency and order portrayed by Olyphant in HBO’s late, great “Deadwood.”

Add FX’s track record in putting on quality dramas, and I’m sold. Production starts in May, so expect the show to hit the air in the fall, or maybe the beginning of 2010. I’d bet it premieres after the end of Season 2 of “Sons of Anarchy.”

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