L'homme de nulle part

Nowhere Man has to be one of the best "unknown" television programs of recent memory. If there were martians, it would have been a hit. Actually, X-Files fans would (and probably did) love this program. It's dark. It's all about a conspiracy. No one can be trusted. Like the X-Files, some shows were crucial to the main storyline, and others were somewhat more light-hearted. Somewhat.

The story goes like this: Thomas Veil is "unveiling" some of his photographs at a local art gallery. A particularly interesting one features a US soldier hanging several people. Afterward, he celebrates with his wife at a restaurant. He briefly goes for a smoke in the washroom, and upon returning to his table discovers that his wife is gone, and the owner acts as if he doesn't know who Tom is. And that's where the series takes off. It seems that his photo of the military man hit a nerve. Every episode sees Tom either running from people who want him dead, or trying to re-establish contact with his friends and family. Of course, they all act as if he is a stranger, or worse yet, if they do side with him, it is only in the interest of later double-crossing him. Basically, The Fugitive, but with a twist. My fellow countryman, Bruce Greenwood, is always excellent in the lead role.

Unfortunately, the show lasted only one season, making the final episode seem somewhat rushed, with some ends needing to be tied up (or so I think).

If the series is, or becomes available on DVD, I highly recommend you pick it up!

Quite possibly the best show in age of modern television that was cancelled before it could shine. The concept of the "man on the run" and the conspiracy that invariably drives such events has been done before, but what made Nowhere Man a more effective, if not evocative story was the idea that Thomas Vail quite possilby fabricated the events that caused him to go on the run. Everything he was running from, he may have created. This plus the many turns and twists the episodes took made the series irresistable to many, maddening to most and unfortunately fodder for dismissal in the pantheon on UPN. Its really too bad SciFi hasn't sought fit to continue the series or at least pick it up for rerun. They did some good fan service when they picked up other slain series like "Prey" and "Burning Zone" for replay, and you would think this one would come up for the running. Shame really.

Tom Veil has the opposite problem of Number Six on "The Prisoner." Instead of being placed in a world which suppresses his individuality, he is placed in a world that doesn't even acknowledge his existence.

This is an excellent show. I am thankful to have seen it. How UPN cancelled this and kept "Voyager" (especially when Voyager started getting bad with Seven-of-Nine-a-thons and The Rock) is a mystery to me. A combination of "X-Files" and "The Prisoner" mixed in with "The Fugitive," and stuffed into the "Traveling Angel" format of shows like "Quantum Leap" and "The Incredible Hulk."

A minor classic.

This was an awesome show!!! I had always liked Bruce Greenwood,but I adored him as Thomas Veil!!!My friend & I could not wait for Mon. nights,then we would discuss it at work the next day.I would even watch the second running at midnight on Sun. just to be sure I did not miss anything(like maybe a hidden clue or hint).Never was I so addicted to one show or one actor.Even my then husband would be sure he was home to watch,we never talked during the show, just watched & analyzed.I did have all episodes on recorded VHS, but we all know how well those last. Would love for it to come out on DVD!!!! It has been gone almost 10 yrs.,but I swear I remember every episode & would recommend it HIGHLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started watching Nowhere Man, like many people here, because it came on after Star Trek: Voyager, and my interest in the former soon began to eclipse my interest in the latter. I didn't catch every episode (given its obvious quality I assumed I would have ample opportunity to watch it in reruns) but the ones I did see had a huge impact on me and I was lucky enough to see the final episode.

Nowhere Man is the kind of show you need to discuss with other viewers, but I can count on one hand the number of people I've met who remember it and inexplicably none of them cared for it. I was totally nuts for the show when it was on the air but I was much younger at the time. Truthfully, over the years I had worried that it would not live up to my memories.

Finally, Nowhere Man's single season has been released in a great 9-disc DVD set, and after 10 years I've truly enjoyed the chance to rediscover each of the 25 episodes. It's just as good as I remembered (and even better in some cases), with only a few episodes that don't quite measure up to the rest. Bruce Greenwood's performance is incredible. There is literally nobody else who could have made Thomas Veil more human. He makes even the silent moments a fascinating pleasure and basically carries the entire series. That's not to suggest that there aren't great performances from other actors, but Greenwood is the keystone of the show and he handles the weight effortlessly. You don't see acting of this quality on television very often. The writing is consistently solid and smart (though as I mentioned there are some "off" episodes), and Mark Snow (of The X-Files and Millennium fame) provides a wonderfully varied, appropriately moody soundtrack.

The bottom line: if you're a fan of The Prisoner (which strongly influenced the creator of the series) and/or The X-Files, you owe it to yourself to give Nowhere Man a chance. It's hard to believe that a show this good was canceled and it's harder to believe it graced a channel like UPN. At least we got one great season out of it.