Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Forgotten TV: NOWHERE MAN



This show lasted only one year (1995-96) and I am not sure I saw every episode.  Bruce Greenwood plays a photo-documentary maker whose whole existence is erased in the time it takes to use a restroom. It appears everyone in his life has been persuaded to lie to him. He comes to believe that his circumstances relate somehow to a photo he took of four men being hanged in South American.

It harkens to a lot of other movies and shows like CORONET BLUE, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, etc. It was expected to be a huge hit, got great reviews, but disappeared. I love this sort of show, but they often seem to self-destruct. Maybe in 1996 we weren't ready for story arcs quite yet. Or maybe this should have been a movie rather than a TV show since it hung so much on a conceit.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

You see, we have totally opposite viewpoints: I hate stories like this, where you are supposed to believe some vast conspiracy where - as you put it - everyone in his life has been persuaded to lie to him. I just don't believe them, any more than I can believe overarching government conspiracy movies like ENEMY OF THE STATE.

Jeff M.

pattinase (abbott) said...

But that wasn't it exactly. Think more along the lines of MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE.

Todd Mason said...

Or an X-FILES where only one government agency, rather than a conspiracy of everyone down to the Freemasons, is after the protag. I think part of the problem was that UPN was so desperate to have something resembling a hit, outside of acceptable numbers for ST: VOYAGER, that they kept casting off their decent (LEGACY, JAKE 2.0) as well as dire series entirely too quickly. A little more patience, as their competitors at the WB were showing, eventually paid off. At least UPN had the wit not to cancel VERONICA MARS.

Todd Mason said...

CORONET BLUE, btw.

George said...

I never saw NOWHERE MAN, but now I'm interested in watching an episode.

Charles Gramlich said...

I definitely don't remember the show, although it seems I've read a story with that title. It's probably not uncommon

Todd Mason said...

Beatles songs have a way of getting phrases before the public.

Randy Johnson said...

I loved this show when it was own and, as always with this type of program, was disappointed that it wasn't allowed to come to a logical end.

J F Norris said...

I relaize that that was a homemade video but the song used is from FOOTLOOSE! I cant' hear it without seeing in my mind Kevin Bacon dancing frenetically with his 80s hair flyign all over the place. I had to laugh.

I don't remember this show at all.

What else has Greenwood done? He looks very familiar. Off to imdb.com to rouse my entertianment filled memory.