Nowhere Man (1995-1996)

Writer:
Lawrence Hertzog

Music:
Mark Snow

Starring:
Bruce Greenwood

45' American drama series

Thomas Veil was a photographer. He had it all: a beautiful and loving wife, friends, and a career. But in a moment those wre all taken away from him only because of a single photograph. His friends, wife and mother act like he is a stranger. His credit card doesn't work. A secret organization wiped out Tom's life once and for all. He thinks that he is a part of a conspiracy, and this has something to do with a photo he took a year ago. They want to have it. Veil has got the negatives. The mysterious people would do anything to get it from him. Veil keeps a diary as a proof that these events are real. He knows they are. At least they have to be.

In each episode Tom gets into a new situation. Mysterious people try to set up a trap for him or they try to be fiends with him in order to get the negatives themselves. These people could be suspiciously sympathetic.

After watching this TV series you could become paranoid. After a while the protagonist cannot trust anyone. Everybody and everything seems to be suspicious. Thomas Veil's character was brought to life by the creators that way so you can fill his shoes easily. The writers, directors and Bruce Greenwood deserve good grades for their achievement.

However each episode can stand alone as a whole you need to watch the pilot episode which was directed by the genius Tobie Hooper. You need to know its events in order to understand the situation of the protagonist. In this episode Tom loses everything that attached him to his old life. He has to start all over again and learn to survive. It is interesting that the music was composed by Mark Snow. It gives the show a great atmosphere.

I asked my acquaintances and friends about the Nowhere Man series. Almost nobody remembered watching this on TV before. Pehaps I only watched one or two episodes back then in the 90s. I can only remember just one of them crearly. In this episode a TV series was made about Tom Veil's life. Back then I was too young to understand the pot of the Nowhere Man show. However after watching the whole season from start to finish I was able to put the puzzle pieces together.

In the 90s this series was broadcasted late when I supposed to sleep. It had reruns just once after that in the early 2000s. It was hardly watched by anyone during its first broadcast. It is a pity that there is only one season of it. It could have been as famous as The X-Files. Of course the Nowhere Man wasn't perfect. out of the 25 episodes there were one or two weak ones. Usually its creators could live up to their standards. Quality was over quantity. There were action scenes too but according to the low budget these weren't in focus. The story and suspense were always more imortant. Some of the 90s special could look stange nowadays but the creators tried their best.

The last episode felt a little bit rushed. It was like the creators were told that there isn't going to be a second season of Nowhere Man. The season was finished with a two parter. The creators tried to end the series with leaving no loose ends. However it feels like there was very little time to do that. Some questions were left unanswered on purpose in a thought-provoking manner. With a review you cannot do justice to the Nowhere Man series. You have to watch it for yourself with your own eyes in order to live through this experience.