Matrix (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Matrix is the title of a Canadian
-produced fantasy/adventure series that ran for 13 episodes during 1993 on the USA Network
in the United States
. The series later enjoyed a brief revival of interest due to a coincidence involving one of its stars.
The series starred Nick Mancuso
as Steven Matrix, a hitman
who is killed during a job and sent to a version of Purgatory
called The City In-Between. There he is given a choice: to be sent to Hell
for all the murders he's committed, or return to Earth and help people. Once alive again, Matrix receives periodic assignments from The City In-Between.
Co-starring with Mancuso were Phillip Jarrett and Carrie-Anne Moss
. John Vernon
was the narrator.
In 1999, Moss became popular for her appearance in the film The Matrix
which other than in title had no relation to the television series. As a result, however, Matrix was rebroadcast in Canada.
Scifi veteran David Winning
directed an episode entitled "False Witness" in 1993.
The central premise of this series is derived from "Sea of Fire", an episode of the TV series The Equalizer
. In that episode, Robert McCall (Edward Woodward
's character) attempts to scare a street gang into going straight by taking them to a morgue. There, McCall introduces the gang to one of his friends, a former hit man, who relates a dream he had of standing beside a sea of fire, surrounded by all the people he ever killed.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-produced fantasy/adventure series that ran for 13 episodes during 1993 on the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The series later enjoyed a brief revival of interest due to a coincidence involving one of its stars.
The series starred Nick Mancuso
Nick Mancuso
Nicodemo Antonio Massimo "Nick" Mancuso is a Canadian cinema and stage actor.-Career:Mancuso was born in Mammola, Calabria, Italy and immigrated to Canada in 1956...
as Steven Matrix, a hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
who is killed during a job and sent to a version of Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
called The City In-Between. There he is given a choice: to be sent to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
for all the murders he's committed, or return to Earth and help people. Once alive again, Matrix receives periodic assignments from The City In-Between.
Co-starring with Mancuso were Phillip Jarrett and Carrie-Anne Moss
Carrie-Anne Moss
-External links:...
. John Vernon
John Vernon
John Keith Vernon was a Canadian actor. He made a career in Hollywood after achieving initial television stardom in Canada.-Early life:...
was the narrator.
In 1999, Moss became popular for her appearance in the film The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
which other than in title had no relation to the television series. As a result, however, Matrix was rebroadcast in Canada.
Scifi veteran David Winning
David Winning
David Winning is a Canadian and American dual Citizen film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, thrillers and drama.-Biography:Winning...
directed an episode entitled "False Witness" in 1993.
The central premise of this series is derived from "Sea of Fire", an episode of the TV series The Equalizer
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
. In that episode, Robert McCall (Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward
Edward Albert Arthur Woodward, OBE was an English stage and screen actor and singer. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , Woodward began his career on stage, and throughout his career he appeared in productions in both the West End in London and on Broadway in New York...
's character) attempts to scare a street gang into going straight by taking them to a morgue. There, McCall introduces the gang to one of his friends, a former hit man, who relates a dream he had of standing beside a sea of fire, surrounded by all the people he ever killed.