- published: 06 Sep 2015
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Once a Thief (also billed as John Woo's Once a Thief) was a 1997 Canadian television show inspired by the 1996 film of the same name.
Li Ann Tsei, an orphan who grew up amongst the Chinese Tang family - a ruthless criminal operation - falls in love with Mac Ramsey, a thief who works for the family. However, when she is betrothed to Tang heir Michael, the two fake their deaths in an attempt to flee the country. Li Ann escapes, but Mac is arrested and left to rot in a Chinese prison.
Two years later, he is released and taken to Canada where a mysterious woman known as the Director employs him to work for her crime-fighting institution. He soon learns that he will be working as part of a team with Li Ann, and the man she was engaged to, Victor Mansfield, a disgraced police officer. The trio soon are forced to work together under the manipulative Director.
After the success of the 1996 film, which was used as a pilot for the series, Glenn Davis and William Laurin created the series, which premiered in September 1997, with John Woo as executive producer. The show started out with strong ratings, which quickly fell, and the show was put on hiatus in November after 9 episodes. When it returned, in January 1998, ratings had significantly decreased. All 22 episodes of the show aired during the season, but it was not renewed, a fact which the producers were informed of before filming the last episodes of the series.
So you've decided to set me free
I've paid my debt to society
Fresh out of jail trying to make a new start
On the street with a bitter heart
But my past keeps on haunting me
There ain't no chance for a man with my history
Once a thief
Always a suspect
Once a liar
Never be believed
Will they ever forget that
I was once a thief?
I was out in the cold
I was soaked to the skin
I needed a home
And your heart took me in
Then I heard all the lies
and I lost my belief
You threw away my hope
and you called me a thief
So you've decided to set me free
I'm out of jail but you've still got the key
There was a time when I thought you respected me
But somehow you always suspected me
Once a thief
Always a suspect
Once a liar
Never be believed
Will they ever forget that
I was once a thief?
Instead of offering me charity,
You should've tried to put some faith in me
Instead of making me a better man,
You kept reminding me of what I am
Instead of offering me charity,
You should've tried to put some faith in me
How many years must a criminal pay?
Until he's old and his hair turns to gray
You smile at me
But I know underneath
You're thinking
Once a thief always a suspect.
Once a thief
Always a suspect
Once a liar
Never be believed
Will they ever forget that