1995’s Nowhere Man mirrors modern surveillance themes seen in The Copenhagen Test

Collider reports that Peacock's spy thriller The Copenhagen Test centers on Simu Liu's Alexander Hale, an analyst who is hacked with technology that transmits everything he sees and hears, leaving him a fully compromised mole inside a covert intelligence agency. The piece points to a similar, lesser-known 1995 UPN series, Nowhere Man, which starred Bruce Greenwood as photojournalist Thomas Veil.

Created by Lawrence Hertzog, the show opens when Veil's identity appears erased after he photographs an execution called "Hidden Agenda." Over 25 episodes Veil attempts to regain his life while investigating the mysterious organization pursuing him and trying to recover his negatives; the series culminates in an explosive finale that calls into question what he once believed, including the wife he thought he knew.

Nowhere Man was canceled after Season 1 and has remained underseen and underrated, with viewers praising Greenwood's performance and the show's layered storytelling. Reviews cited in the article include an IMDb comment that "He makes even the silent moments a fascinating pleasure" and praise for the pilot "Absolute Zero," directed by Tobe Hooper, which is seen as one of the best sci-fi pilots to date.

Key Topics

Culture, Nowhere Man, Simu Liu, Bruce Greenwood, Lawrence Hertzog, Thomas Veil