The Resident's Bruce Greenwood Starred In A Forgotten, X-Files-Esque Sci-Fi Series

Most viewers will recognize Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Randolph Bell, the dishonest surgeon turned forward-thinking CEO on Fox's "The Resident," but fewer people will remember his role on the short-lived sci-fi series that was canceled too soon, "Nowhere Man." The thriller's sci-fi slant pushed its anti-authoritarian, man-on-the-run storyline into strange new territory, reminiscent of shows like "The X-Files."

Airing on the now defunct UPN, "Nowhere Man" ran for just one season of 25 episodes between 1995 and 1996. Greenwood led the series as Thomas Veil, a photojournalist who found his entire existence had been erased in the blink of an eye. Not only were there no official records of him, but his studio suddenly belonged to someone else, his own wife did not recognize him, his mother had a stroke and could no longer remember him, and his best friend was killed. Thomas could find only one explanation for his sudden erasure –- a photo he had taken of U.S. soldiers hanging four men in South America. Suddenly on the run from mysterious pursuers, Thomas set to uncover who had erased his existence and how.

As "Nowhere Man" progressed, not only were the people around Thomas Veil shown to have forgotten him, Thomas' own memories became subject to manipulation, leading him to question much about his own identity and his own perception of reality. Series creator Lawrence Hertzog took inspiration from the infamously surreal British sci-fi cult series "The Prisoner," which featured similar themes of identity loss, and reality being called into question.

Perhaps fitting for a series about a man being erased from records and memory, "Nowhere Man" itself has been largely forgotten and little evidence of its existence remains. The show is sadly not officially available to stream on any platform. The fact that it only ran for a single season on a network that no longer exists has only made it easier for all traces of "Nowhere Man" to be swept away.

Despite the series having been largely forgotten and lost to time, "Nowhere Man" did receive overwhelmingly positive response from audiences and critics at the time of its release. It was hailed as "this season's coolest hit" by TV Guide, while Variety noted the show's "aura of intrigue" and praised Greenwood's performance as Thomas Veil. The series' list of guest stars was also dotted with big names. Among those who appeared in single-episode roles were "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Breaking Bad" star, Bryan Cranston, and "The Matrix" star, Carrie-Anne Moss, just a few years before they took on the roles that would make them household names.

Much like its inspiration, the controversial "The Prisoner," "Nowhere Man" ended on an ambiguous note, with Thomas' investigation only leading to more questions about the truth behind the nameless organization that had been pursuing him. Some viewers have noted that the finale provided a certain degree of closure, but the door was certainly left open to future seasons that unfortunately never materialized.