John Doe (TV series)

Synopsis

In the opening scene of the series' pilot episode, a mysterious man awakens on an island off the coast of Seattle, Washington, naked, with absolutely no memory of who he is or how he got there. Apart from the details of his own past, "John Doe", as he comes to call himself, seems to have access to the sum total of all human knowledge: he knows how many dimples are on a golf ball, the population of Morocco, and other such obscure (and not-so-obscure) facts. He has expert knowledge on everything from the stock market to computers. John attempts to find clues about his past by using his unusual ability while also helping to solve crimes with the Seattle police department. It becomes clear that an international conspiracy known as the Phoenix Organization is watching John's every move.

Who is John Doe?

Due to the series' cancellation, the final episode ended with an unresolved cliffhanger, revealing that Digger, John's close friend, was in fact the leader of the Phoenix Organization. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, series creators Brandon Camp and Mike Thompson revealed what would have happened and John Doe's true identity.

Cast

Main cast

• Dominic Purcell as John Doe
• John Marshall Jones as Frank Hayes
• Jayne Brook as Jamie Avery
• Sprague Grayden as Karen Kawalski
• William Forsythe as Digger

Recurring cast

• Rekha Sharma as Stella
• David Lewis as Stu
• Michelle Hart as Nance Fenton
• Grace Zabriskie as Yellow Teeth
• Gary Werntz as Trenchcoat
• David Parker as Detective Roosevelt
• Gabrielle Anwar as Rachel
• Matt Winston as Samuel Donald Clarkson

Episodes

Syndication

On January 20, 2006, the series was syndicated to the Sci-Fi channel.

Reception

On Metacritic, the series has a score of 65 out of 100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 73% with an average rating of 7/10 based on 26 reviews, with a critical consensus stating: "John Doe overcomes its somewhat dubious premise with an alluring sense of mystery and a nuanced performance from Dominic Purcell." Phil Gallo of Variety wrote, "It's so stylishly executed, with Mimi Leder's direction, a crisp script and magnetic lead by Dominic Purcell, that the John Doe indeed has a solid identity."

References

References

1. "Shows A-Z - john doe on fox". [[The Futon Critic]].
2. "John Doe". [[EW.com]].
3. "John Doe". [[Zap2it]].
4. Bierly, Mandi. (October 1, 2004). "EW solves TV cliff-hanger mysteries".
5. "John Doe: Season 1". [[Metacritic]].
6. "John Doe: Season 1".
7. Gallo, Phil. (September 18, 2002). "John Doe".