Matthew E. Nix (born September 4, 1971) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is best known for creating the
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...
television series ''
Burn Notice
''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwa ...
'', the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
series ''
The Good Guys'', and more recently the
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
series ''
The Gifted'' (2017–2019).
Early life and education
Nix was born in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...
, to Phillip and Susan Nix, and graduated from
Analy High School in
Sebastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
. A graduate of the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...
(UCLA), he was a UCLA Alumni Scholar.
Career
''Burn Notice''
In summer 2006, Matt Nix created ''
Burn Notice
''Burn Notice'' is an American espionage television series created by Matt Nix, which originally aired on the USA Network for a total of seven seasons from June 28, 2007, to September 12, 2013. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwa ...
'', a TV series whose title refers to the
burn notices issued by intelligence agencies, which discredit or announce the dismissal of agents or sources. The television series follows agent
Michael Westen (played by
Jeffrey Donovan
Jeffrey Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American actor. He played Michael Westen in the television series ''Burn Notice'', and appeared in films such as '' Hitch'', '' Believe in Me'', ''Changeling'', and '' Come Early Morning''. He played R ...
), who is abandoned by all his normal intelligence contacts. Not knowing why he has been "burned", he begins to work as a freelance spy and investigator as he tries to find out what happened.
The series premiered on
USA Network
USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...
on Thursday, June 28, 2007. It co-starred
Gabrielle Anwar as
Fiona Glenanne (Westen's "trigger-happy ex-girlfriend"),
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is known for portraying Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' franchise, beginning with the 1978 short film '' Within the Woods''. He has starred in many low- ...
as
Sam Axe (an old friend who "used to inform on" Westen to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
),
Sharon Gless
Sharon Marguerite Gless (born May 31, 1943) is an American actress and author, who is known for her television roles as Maggie Philbin on ''Switch'' (1975–78), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series ''Cagney & Lacey'' (1982 ...
as
Madeline Westen (Michael's mother), and as of season four
Coby Bell as
Jesse Porter (a spy Westen accidentally burned). During production of its fourth season in early 2010, it was announced that the series had been renewed for two more seasons.
On the final episode, Nix had a cameo appearance as a news reporter. He also had a voice cameo in the pilot, as he is the voice that says "We've got a burn notice on you. You're blacklisted."—which then went on to appear in the opening sequence of every episode. The series ended on September 12, 2013. Between seasons four and five, a ''Burn Notice'' movie, entitled ''
Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe'', was aired on USA Network. Written and executive-produced by Nix, the movie portrayed character Sam Axe's final mission as a U.S. Navy SEAL.
''The Good Guys''
In early 2010, Nix began working on ''The Good Guys'', a series which premiered on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
on May 19, 2010. The series starred
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he w ...
as Dan Stark, a mustachioed, former big-shot detective with the
Dallas Police Department
The Dallas Police Department, established in 1881, is the principal law enforcement agency serving the city of Dallas, Texas.
Organization
The department is headed by a chief of police who is appointed by the city manager who, in turn, is hir ...
, and
Colin Hanks
Colin Lewes Hanks (born November 24, 1977) is an American actor. He has starred in films including '' Orange County'', ''King Kong'', '' The House Bunny'', '' The Great Buck Howard'', and the '' Jumanji'' film series. His television credits inclu ...
as Jack Bailey, a young, ambitious, by-the-book detective who has been assigned as Dan's partner because of his snarky attitude.
''The Good Guys'' was originally known by the working title ''Jack and Dan''. For several months, the series was to be known as ''Code 58'', the Dallas Police Department code for "routine investigation", and then briefly as ''The Five Eight'' before producers settled on ''The Good Guys'' title.
The show struggled with low ratings, regularly ranking in fourth place for its timeslot during the summer and then fifth place from October onward. The final episode to air was broadcast December 10, 2010, on Fox.
On December 15, 2010,
Fox Television Studios
The second incarnation of Touchstone Television (formerly known as Fox 21 Television Studios) was an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Disney Media Networks' Walt Disney Television owned by The Walt Disney Company. It ...
, the production company for the show, informed the Dallas Film Commission that the show would not be renewed for a second season.
Personal life
He is married to Melinda Stahl.
He has three children, including youngest son Mateo.
Filmography
Film
Television
The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.
References
External links
Matt Nix(official website; archive)
*
Matt Nix ''Burn Notice'' Season 6 Press Call Transcripta
Multipleverses.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nix, Matt
1971 births
American male television writers
American television directors
American television writers
Edgar Award winners
Living people
Screenwriters from California
Showrunners
Television producers from California
Writers from Los Angeles