Matt Nix

At the time he sold his first television project, writer-director Matt Nix had never worked on a series, but the success of his action-thriller "Burn Notice" (USA Network, 2007-13) made him an immediate hit in the small screen community. Nix's clever blend of self-reflective humor and over-the-top action made his show a must-see program, which in turn led to a second series, the police comedy-drama "The Good Guys" (Fox, 2010). Both shows minted Nix as an up-and-coming talent with a fresh and unique perspective on timeworn genres.

Born in Los Angeles on Sept. 4, 1971, Matthew E. Nix arrived with a familial disposition towards the entertainment industry; his great-grandfather Harry Chandlee was a screenwriter and producer who began in the silent era and later shared an Oscar nomination for co-penning the Gary Cooper classic, "Sergeant York" (1941). Great-grandson Nix's initial interest was acting, which he pursued throughout high school and college at UCLA, but he would eventually follow in his predecessor's footsteps by writing, producing and directing short films for festival screenings. Several were tinged with the brazenly irreverent humor that were trademarks of his television work, like 1999's "Me and the Big Guy," which spoofed George Orwell's 1984. The short's central gag was that its Winston Smith character actually did not mind being observed at all times by Big Brother, and in fact, looked forward to seeing him to stave off his loneliness.

Nix wanted to move into writing feature films, but was frequently stymied in his efforts; at one point, two companies that had optioned his scripts closed down at the same time. Sensing his client's frustration, Nix's agent suggested that he write a television show. The result was "Burn Notice," a darkly comic take on espionage thrills that starred Jeffrey Donovan as falsely discredited secret agent Michael Westen, who becomes a private eye/gun-for-hire while tracking down the government figures who dismissed him from duty. Aiding him in his search was his hot-blooded ex-girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), a former IRA operative; Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell), a semi-retired Navy SEAL and sometime gigolo; and his mother (Sharon Gless), with whom Western had a love-hate relationship.

After a year of development, USA Network picked up the series, and even made Nix the showrunner, despite his complete lack of experience in television production. It debuted to modest numbers but an overwhelmingly positive response from critics, who praised its mix of wry humor and explosive action. An Edgar Award for Nix's pilot episode was the first of many laurels and nominations to follow, including an Emmy nod for Gless and a Writers Guild of American nomination in its second season. "Burn Notice" soon became the subject of passionate fandom among its small but enthusiastic audience.

Flush with success from his debut project, Nix soon set out to craft another series with similar sensibilities. "The Good Guys" (Fox, 2010) starred Bradley Whitford as an aggressively macho, heavily mustachioed cop whose crime investigation skills were decidedly old school, and Colin Hanks as his younger, by-the-books partner. The show derived much of its humor from the clash between the two men's styles of detecting, as well as an abundance of '70s and '80s-style shoot-outs and car chases. Heavily promoted during the summer of 2010, it received mixed ratings from critics, but the network renewed it for a second season. In 2009, Nix was announced as the writer for a feature film based on the popular line of Hot Wheels racing toys. The untitled film project was initially developed for director McG, but was sent into turnaround and eventually given to veteran producer Joel Silver, who tapped Nix to pen the script.