The Nowhere Man, on Starz

Lukas Nkosi is a bit like the South African Reacher. He has some serious commando experience, but he has been living a little rough. Unfortunately, Nkosi has not yet achieved the kind of Zen we associate with Reacher, especially when Lee Child’s signature character binges diner food. Ruby, the devout mercy shelter director has put him on a more righteous path, but rather ill-advisedly, bad guys keep forcing Nkosi to revert to his old ways in showrunner-writer-director Gareth Crocker’s six-part The Nowhere Man, which premieres today on Starz (only in the app, not linear).

It is hard to keep up a shelter, so Nkosi often helps by scrounging second-hand goods to fix, sell, or incorporate into his industrial sculpture. Being compassionate, Dr. Neo volunteers to rummage around her tony airbnb for stuff to donate (surely the owners won’t mind), but as Nkosi waits unobtrusively, a gang of ruffians force their way in. We soon learn they work for convicted drug kingpin Phumza Sithole, Neo’s ex-husband. When she discovered the truth about Sithole, she testified against him—and has been running ever since.

Initially, Nkosi is reluctant to get further involved, but Ruby encourages him to use his skills for those in trouble—like the Equalizer. Sithole offers further motivation through his reckless violence. Of course, other criminals will also need Nkosi’s attention, including the proprietors of an underground fight club preying on the shelter’s clients, in the third somewhat standalone-ish episode. Yet, probably the worst villains turn out to be Nkosi’s former associates from his merc days.

Awkwardly, judging whether his old comrade Jonah is also a threat will be tricky. For years, Nkosi tormented himself over his friend’s presumed death. Given his harrowing experiences, Jonah understandably remains deeply traumatized, but he often lashes out in erratic and illogical ways.

Although never ground-breaking, Nowhere Man is a consistently entertaining testosterone-driven action series. Honestly, Nkosi definitely has his Reacher-worthy moments, in nifty combat sequences deftly devised by fight choreographer Lubabalo Nontwana. Frankly, the series does not inspire much confidence in South African law enforcement, since there is hardly ever a cop in sight. Indeed, some of the best stunt work comes during Sithole’s prison break, which is largely facilitated by prison guards.

Bonko Khoza broods hard and hits harder (or so it appears), as Nkosi. He also develops terrific slow-boiling romantic chemistry with Dineo Rasedile as Neo. In fact, Rasedile shows real international breakout star potential, because she really elevates Neo above and beyond a lady-in-distress. Nathan Castle also nicely conveys the complexity (and the potential danger) of Jonah without turning him into an overly familiar cliché.

Arguably, Nowhere Man is refreshingly straightforward. If you want to see a number of nasty customers get the beatdowns they have coming, then it is the show for you. Crocker’s slick direction and the high energy stunt work will keep receptive viewers hooked. Recommended for fans of Reacher and The Equalizer, The Nowhere Man starts streaming today (1/16) on Starz.