Timothy Olyphant has starred in several TV shows in recent years, but many viewers seem to forget that he had a short stint on The Office. The actor played the role of Danny Cordray for a multi-episode arc in season 7. Danny was a traveling salesman who ended up getting an opportunity at Dunder Mifflin before manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left the company. Despite Olyphant’s star status, the character of Danny abruptly disappeared.
Danny was first introduced in the season 7 episode "The Sting". After stealing away a top client from Dunder Mifflin, Michael orchestrated a sting operation with Jim (John Krasinski) and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) to uncover Danny's sales techniques. As an employee of Osprey Paper, the figure served as a rival to the Dunder Mifflin, emerging as a top salesman in the Scranton area. Upon failing to match Danny's offers to clients, Michael decided to offer him a job as a traveling salesman for Dunder Mifflin.
During Danny's debut, it was also revealed that the character briefly dated Pam (Jenna Fischer) shortly after Jim transferred to the Stamford branch. Their fling came back into focus during Olyphant's second episode, "Costume Contest", which served as season 7's Halloween episode. With Danny in the office for the day, matters became awkward when explained why he never contacted Pam after their second date. He later admitted that Pam was too "dorky" for his taste, which seemingly bothered Jim more than Pam. Even though Danny invited his coworkers to a Halloween party at a local bar he owned called Public School, he wasn't heavily featured in any other episodes. According to a deleted scene in "Michael's Last Dundies", Danny won the Dundie Award for "Hottest in the Office," but he couldn't be in attendance. The character's absence, however, made sense based on Danny's job in addition to Olyphant's availability.
Why Timothy Olyphant Disappeared From The Office
Like Todd Packer (David Koechner), Danny worked as a traveling salesman, meaning that he spent a limited time at the Scranton branch. Unlike the other members of the sales team, Danny met with clients out on the road rather than use the primary workplace as a base of operations. Seeing as Todd had shared stories from all around the country, it would be likely that Danny also traveled far beyond Pennsylvania to meet with potential clients. Essentially, Danny was not seen or heard from, but he remained an employee of Dunder Mifflin until the series ended.
As for why Danny wasn't featured in The Office following his initial arc, Olyphant's busy schedule could be to blame. The season 7 episodes featuring Olyphant aired in late 2010, which was a very busy year for the actor. When his stint on Damages came to an end, Olyphant moved to Justified to play the lead character of Raylan Givens. The Western drama premiered in March 2010 before airing for six seasons, overlapping with the duration of The Office's run. While viewers may never learn the fate of Danny, Olyphant has certainly fared well considering his recent work on popular shows like Santa Clarita Diet, Fargo, and The Mandalorian.