Nikita (TV Series)

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Nikita is an American television series that aired on The CW from September 9, 2010 to December 27, 2013 in the United States. Based on the French film Nikita (1990), the remake Point of No Return (1993), and a previous series La Femme Nikita (1997–2001), the series focuses on Nikita (Maggie Q), a woman who escaped from a secret government-funded organization known as Division and, after a three-year hiding period, is back to bring down the organization.

Main Cast

Main article: Character Appearances

Title card

Current

• Maggie Q as Nikita Mears
• Shane West as Michael
• Lyndsy Fonseca as Alexandra Udinov
• Aaron Stanford as Seymour Birkhoff
• Melinda Clarke as Amanda (regular 1x01-2x23; 3x04-4x06)
• Noah Bean as Ryan Fletcher (regular 3x01-4x06, recurring 1x10-2x23)
• Devon Sawa as Owen Elliot (regular 3x04-4x06, recurring 1x05-2x11)

Former

• Ashton Holmes as Thom (regular 1x01-1x12)
• Tiffany Hines as Jaden (regular 1x01-1x20)
• Xander Berkeley as Percival Rose (regular 1x01-2x23)
• Dillon Casey as Sean Pierce (regular 2x08-3x18, recurring 2x01-2x07)

Gallery

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Development

The CW had long been interested in an action-adventure series centered on a strong female character.On January 27, 2010, The CW ordered a pilot episode of Nikita.The 2010 television series is more closely tied to Luc Besson's 1990 French film Nikita than the 1997 television series, La Femme Nikita. However, the series does borrow many characters, or at least character names, from the previous television series.

During the 2010 Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles on July 29, 2010, executive producer Craig Silverstein said he was approached by Warner Bros. who owned the rights. Silverstein said, "My first thought was I love Nikita. My second thought was, 'it's been done.' Could it be done fresh? Could we have a take where you didn't know where this story would end?" As a result, two major changes have been made, one of which is the decision to have the story take place after Nikita has escaped. Maggie Q stated, "No one's told her story after the fact. No one knows where she is going."In addition, a new character, Alex, is introduced who has an unexpected backstory. The series is a mix of a weekly mission/counter-mission, and a story arc running through the first season that explores Nikita's relationships with Alex and Michael.

While presenting its 2010–11 season schedule on May 21, 2010, The CW officially confirmed the pick-up of the series and announced its intention to air Nikita after The Vampire Diaries on Thursday nights. In October 2010, Entertainment Weekly announced that the series would receive some tweaking to attract more of a female audience, including a new character and potential love interest for Nikita. However, the network promised the core of the show would remain the same. Later that month, the show was picked up for a full season, which would total 22 episodes. The CW have admitted they took gambles this year but said they were "thrilled that [it] paid off for us."

Filming locations

Although the show is set in and around Colorado and New Jersey, Nikita is primarily filmed in Canada—specifically, in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario. Much of the show is filmed on location, but studio shooting is also used for sets such as 'Division' and the penthouse. Many landmark locations used on the show, such as the White House, are actually doubles meant to represent various places in North America.

Productions codes:

• Season 1 - (Pilot: 276051) (other eps: 3X6252 - 3X6272)
• Season 2 - (3X7151 - 3X7173)
• Season 3 - (3X7351 - 3X7372)
• Season 4 - (4X5251 - 4X5256)

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Recipients	Result
2010	American Society of Cinematographers	Outstanding Cinematography in Episodic TV Series	David Stockton ("Pilot")	Nominated
2011	People's Choice Awards	Favorite New TV Drama		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series	George Haddad ("Pandora")	Nominated
	2011 Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Show: Action		Nominated
		Choice TV Actor: Action	Shane West	Won
		Choice TV Actress: Action	Maggie Q	Nominated
			Lyndsy Fonseca	Nominated
2012	2012 Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Show: Action		Nominated
		Choice TV Actor: Action	Shane West	Nominated
		Choice TV Actress: Action	Maggie Q	Nominated
			Lyndsy Fonseca	Nominated
2013	2013 Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Show: Action		Nominated
		Choice TV Actor: Action	Shane West	Nominated
		Choice TV Actress: Action	Maggie Q	Nominated
			Lyndsy Fonseca	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series	George Haddad ("Aftermath")	Nominated

Trivia

• Every season since its debut it has been paired with a different show, During the first season it was paired with The Vampire Diaries, during the second season with Supernatural, during the third season with America's Next Top Model and during the final season it was paired with The Carrie Diaries.

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