2000-2001

Seeing as how H.G. Wells' "Invisible Man" was a bit of an ass, it was nice for the cable-series update to make its transparent hero somewhat of a ne'er-do-well. In the first of the 23 episodes here, Darien (Vincent Ventresca) is a thief. Post-arrest, he avoids jail by agreeing to a government experiment, not knowing he'll be turned invisible.

 

As much as he'd like to go back to normal, his condition has side effects "? like driving him insane "? and the feds have control of an antidote that temporarily keeps the madness in check. So, he's stuck playing a see-through James Bond for them.

 

Each episode is different enough that the premise never gets boring, plus the show continually dips its toes in the realms of action, mystery, sci-fi and comedy, all within 50-minute chunks. The underrated Ventresca proves a deft talent in the role, and his powers are rendered by effects better than most cable efforts.

 

One second-season episode appears in the extras, whetting appetites for that eventual release. Plus, creator Matt Greenberg contributes a revealing and moving talk about the show's development. Now you see it "¦

 

"?Rod Lott

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