"The Invisible Man" (2000) TV series 2000-2002

Director:

Breck Eisner

Writers:

Matt Greenberg (created for television by)
Matt Greenberg (writer) (pilot episodes)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

9 June 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Government's Ultimate Concealed Weapon

Plot:

A thief and conman is given the means to become invisible, and ends up working for a government agency.

Plot Keywords:

Government Agent | Invisibility | Invisible Man | Based On Novel

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Vincent Ventresca	...	Darien Fawkes (45 episodes, 2000-2002)
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Robert Albert Hobbes (45 episodes, 2000-2002)
Shannon Kenny	...	Claire Keeply / ... (45 episodes, 2000-2002)
Eddie Jones	...	Charles Borden / ... (45 episodes, 2000-2002)
Michael McCafferty	...	Albert Eberts (23 episodes, 2000-2002)

Also Known As:

I-Man (USA) (second season title)

Runtime:

60 min (44 episodes) | 120 min (1 Episode)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Sci-Fi Channel, The

Trivia:

The end of season one was the two part episode "Money For Nothing". After part one was aired, the Sci-Fi Channel allowed viewers to vote on line to determine the outcome of the part two cliffhanger.

Quotes:

Albert Eberts: Great news, Robert. I was able to pull a few strings and managed to get you you're very own staple remover.
Robert Hobbes: That's great. You know, I'm a highly trained, decorated field agent, Eberts. I could kill a man right now with my bare hands.
Albert Eberts: But can you collate?

Movie Connections:

Follows "The Invisible Man: Pilot (#1.1)" (2000)

The original, innovative and witty show that never should have been cancelled.

The Invisible Man. When you see the title, you would never expect it to be a great show. But it is. I have never fallen in love with a tv show like I've fallen in love with I-Man.

The core of it is of course the purest science fiction. But what makes it so great is the reality and honesty of the characters. They're not perfect, in fact, they're far from it. Darien Fawkes, the Invisible Man himself (Vincent Ventresca), is an ex-con, a thief. His partner, Bobby Hobbes (Paul Ben-Victor), is an ex-FBI agent who suffers from paranoia. And the list goes on, every character beautifully flawed in their own unique way.

And the cast has such excellent chemistry. From the hilarious boss-and-yes-man relationship between The Official (Eddie Jones) and Eberts (Mike McCafferty), to the budding romantic triangle between Darien, Hobbes, and The Keeper (Shannon Kenny), to the excessive banter and joking between the two main characters, a great part of which is ad-libbed. Of course the writers have been an important part of the show as well, with their great, innovative, and witty stories and dialogue. And special kudos goes to Craig Silverstein, who has written 11 episodes, every single one a gem. If you're only ever going to watch one episode, be sure to make it one of Craig's.

It's a story about invisiblity, but like you've never seen before. A major part of the story is the fact that the substance that makes Darien invisible also acts as a cerebral disinhibitor, effectively driving him insane. This puts a severe price on the usage of invisibility, not to mention the fact that it is a perfect way to control him, since the only thing that stops him from going insane is a special counteragent, which only the agency Darien works for possesses. So The Official holds his sanity hostage, blackmailing him into performing missions for the agency only known as The Agency.

Another thing that is unusual is the hero-sidekick relationship between Darien and Hobbes. You'd think that Darien as the invisible man is always the hero and Hobbes is only second best. But that's not true. In fact, it is usually Hobbes, as the more experienced agent, who takes the lead and tells Darien what to do. And Darien is often the one who gets himself injured or captured. Of course, the fact that many people are interested in getting their hands on the invisibility gland does have something to do with that.

All in all, this show is very, very good. Unfortunately, it's also very cancelled. The unofficial fanclub, the Imaniacs, of which I am a member, have been campaigning for its return from the moment they heard this news. Their latest effort is Operation: Visible Ink, a full-scale media campaign to attract as much attention as possible to the wonderful little show that could, but never got a chance.

This is a show that never should have been cancelled.

~Muse