I can't remember the last time I saw a television show about a fellow who lost his memory, but as a plot device it is well loved, and well used, by the types who do the writing.
Why that is I'm not sure - or perhaps I knew once and have forgotten - but it sets the scene for the resolution of the ultimate mystery: Who am I? That is the task set for Alec Ross (Charles Mesure) in what looks to be the pick of the latest crop of programmes announced by Television New Zealand.
This is Not My Life is what results from getting some of New Zealand's more renowned talent together, and letting them loose on something meaty.
It is directed by Robert Sarkies, of Scarfies fame, and written by Rachel Lang and Gavin Strawhan, both writers for Outrageous Fortune.
In episode one, Alec wakes up in a world of pale pastel shades, where all the houses are modern.
The cars are small and eco-friendly, and take you where you want to go if you say "home", or "work", or similar, and they give you a friendly "kia ora".
But Alec doesn't recognise his wife Callie (Tandi Wright), or his children, doesn't know where he is, and there is some disturbingly spooky music in the background, which never bodes well for anyone.
He finds he lives in Waimoana, where medical clinics are called "wellness centres", and people seem to sedate him on a regular basis - at the drop of a hat - with a small sedating device.
And there are so many questions.
Did he really lose his memory from a bump on the head? Why don't his shirts fit properly? His doctor (Tania Nolan; she was in Spartacus, nudge nudge) seems to know something about an "interface" that was "inserted correctly", but why is she locked out of the computer system?Why are people watching him, and who is Harry?
Why, when he tries to run away, does his car run out of carbon credits? Later in episode one, Alec seems to be back to normal, but is he really?
It is all, quite clearly, a mystery of no small proportion.
This is Not My Life has a hefty dose of Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner, particularly with Alec's difficulties trying to leave Waimoana.
The cast of the 13-part series is all quality: apart from Mesure, who has appeared in Lost, Ghost Whisperer, Bones and Outrageous Fortune, it features John Bach (Goodbye Pork Pie, Utu and Lord of the Rings) and Joel Tobeck (everything).
The show starts on TV One on Thursday, July 29, at 8.30pm.
If the quality of episode one is continued, it will be well worth catching.
