Nowhere Man (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Nowhere Man is an American
television series that aired from 1995 to 1996 starring Bruce Greenwood
. Created by Lawrence Hertzog
, the series aired Monday nights on UPN
. Despite critical acclaim, including TV Guide
s label of "The season's coolest hit," the show was cancelled after only one season.
, so she is incapable of confirming his existence. In the course of a single evening, every trace of Tom's identity has been erased.
Tom comes to believe his erasure is related to a photograph he took a year earlier called "Hidden Agenda". The photo depicts four men being hanged in South America
by what appear to be US soldiers. The only shreds of evidence Tom has of his past are the negatives
to that photograph. A mysterious "Organization" (as it is referred to throughout the series, since its name is unknown) covertly pursues Tom in search of the negatives. The series revolves around Veil's attempts to get his life back by trying to find out more about the Organization, while also trying to keep the negative safe.
Eventually it is revealed that Tom had been captured by the Organization prior to the events of the series' first episode, and that all his memories of his life, including his marriage and even his name, had been implanted as part of a brainwashing experiment known as Project Marathon. He learns that he is actually a covert government operative codenamed "Gemini", and is part of a secret task force called "Heritage House" which was formed to investigate the Organization and Project Marathon. He also learns that his copy of the "Hidden Agenda" photograph, as well as his memories of having taken it, have been altered, and that the original negative shows that the four men being lynched are actually U.S. senators being murdered by the Organization.
In the final episode, Tom questions the "number two man at the FBI" at gunpoint, who ends up taking his own life with a cyanide capsule rather than risk being tortured further or revealing more information. The finale ends with Tom watching a videotape that had been in the FBI man's possession, a film that finally explains everything.
and The Fugitive
in the show's themes. Resemblances can also be seen to The Manchurian Candidate
, North by Northwest
, Three Days Of The Condor
, The X-Files
and the 1967 television series Coronet Blue
.
(under license from ABC
) released Nowhere Man: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 on December 27, 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series that aired from 1995 to 1996 starring Bruce Greenwood
Bruce Greenwood
Bruce Greenwood is a Canadian actor and musician. He is generally known for his roles as U.S. presidents in Thirteen Days and National Treasure: Book of Secrets and for his role as Captain Christopher Pike in the 2009 Star Trek film...
. Created by Lawrence Hertzog
Lawrence Hertzog
Lawrence Hertzog was an American television writer and producer. He is best known for creating the cult series Nowhere Man, which aired for one season during 1995-1996 on UPN....
, the series aired Monday nights on UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
. Despite critical acclaim, including TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
s label of "The season's coolest hit," the show was cancelled after only one season.
Overview
Nowhere Man is the tale of a photojournalist named Thomas Veil. After leaving to use the restroom while out to dinner with his wife, Tom returns to find that his life has been "erased." His wife does not recognize him and is living with another man. His ATM cards no longer work. His best friend turns up dead. His mother was previously recovering from a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, so she is incapable of confirming his existence. In the course of a single evening, every trace of Tom's identity has been erased.
Tom comes to believe his erasure is related to a photograph he took a year earlier called "Hidden Agenda". The photo depicts four men being hanged in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
by what appear to be US soldiers. The only shreds of evidence Tom has of his past are the negatives
Negative (photography)
In photography, a negative may refer to three different things, although they are all related.-A negative:Film for 35 mm cameras comes in long narrow strips of chemical-coated plastic or cellulose acetate. As each image is captured by the camera onto the film strip, the film strip advances so that...
to that photograph. A mysterious "Organization" (as it is referred to throughout the series, since its name is unknown) covertly pursues Tom in search of the negatives. The series revolves around Veil's attempts to get his life back by trying to find out more about the Organization, while also trying to keep the negative safe.
Eventually it is revealed that Tom had been captured by the Organization prior to the events of the series' first episode, and that all his memories of his life, including his marriage and even his name, had been implanted as part of a brainwashing experiment known as Project Marathon. He learns that he is actually a covert government operative codenamed "Gemini", and is part of a secret task force called "Heritage House" which was formed to investigate the Organization and Project Marathon. He also learns that his copy of the "Hidden Agenda" photograph, as well as his memories of having taken it, have been altered, and that the original negative shows that the four men being lynched are actually U.S. senators being murdered by the Organization.
In the final episode, Tom questions the "number two man at the FBI" at gunpoint, who ends up taking his own life with a cyanide capsule rather than risk being tortured further or revealing more information. The finale ends with Tom watching a videotape that had been in the FBI man's possession, a film that finally explains everything.
Production
Series creator Larry Hertzog has acknowledged the influence of The PrisonerThe Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
and The Fugitive
The Fugitive (TV series)
The Fugitive is an American drama series produced by QM Productions and United Artists Television that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1967. David Janssen stars as Richard Kimble, a doctor from the fictional town of Stafford, Indiana, who is falsely convicted of his wife's murder and given the death...
in the show's themes. Resemblances can also be seen to The Manchurian Candidate
The Manchurian Candidate (1962 film)
The Manchurian Candidate is a 1962 American Cold War political thriller film starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh and Angela Lansbury, and featuring Henry Silva, James Gregory, Leslie Parrish and John McGiver...
, North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
, Three Days Of The Condor
Three Days of the Condor
Three Days of the Condor is a 1975 American action thriller film produced by Stanley Schneider and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay, by Lorenzo Semple Jr...
, The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
and the 1967 television series Coronet Blue
Coronet Blue
Coronet Blue is an American TV series that ran on CBS from May 29, 1967, to September 4, 1967.It starred Frank Converse as Michael Alden, an amnesiac in search of his identity. Brian Bedford costarred...
.
Recurring cast
- Megan GallagherMegan GallagherMegan Gallagher is an American actress.Gallagher was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and grew up in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Aileen Gallagher, was a model.Gallagher has largely worked in television and theatre...
as Alyson Veil (4 episodes) - Murray Rubinstein as Larry (3 episodes)
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|
DVD release
Image EntertainmentImage Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
(under license from ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) released Nowhere Man: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 on December 27, 2005.