"The 4400" (2004) TV series 2004-2007

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creators:

René Echevarria
Scott Peters

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | unknown

Release Date:

11 July 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

This July, the missing return.

Plot:

As the reappearance of 4,400 missing persons on a single day confounds the global community, federal agents on the case slowly discover the ways in which the victims have been changed.

Plot Keywords:

Teen | Murder | UFO | Homelessness | Psychokinesis

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Jacqueline McKenzie	...	Diana Skouris / ... (43 episodes, 2004-2007)
Joel Gretsch	...	Tom Baldwin (42 episodes, 2004-2007)
Patrick Flueger	...	Shawn Farrell (42 episodes, 2004-2007)
Conchita Campbell	...	Maia Rutledge / ... (42 episodes, 2004-2007)
Chad Faust	...	Kyle Baldwin (33 episodes, 2004-2007)
Richard Kahan	...	Marco Pacella (32 episodes, 2004-2007)
Mahershalalhashbaz Ali	...	Richard Tyler (31 episodes, 2004-2007)
Bill Campbell	...	Jordan Collier (26 episodes, 2004-2007)
Megalyn Echikunwoke	...	Isabelle Tyler (25 episodes, 2006-2007)
Samantha Ferris	...	Nina Jarvis (23 episodes, 2005-2006)
Kavan Smith	...	Jed Garrity (21 episodes, 2005-2007)
Laura Allen	...	Lily Moore Tyler (18 episodes, 2004-2007)

Runtime:

43 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M (season 4) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | USA:TV-14 | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

99 Chairs, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Renegade 83

Trivia:

When the producers were conceiving of the series, the secret of who had abducted the 4400 was supposed to be revealed in the fifth season. USA had picked the show up as a miniseries and wanted it to have some resolution, so the secret was revealed in the fifth episode.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the pilot episode, Lily and Richard talk in a coffee shop. At one point, a TransLink trolley bus passes by the window. TransLink is the public transit authority of Vancouver, where this was filmed.

Quotes:

Diana Skouris: [Marco hands Diana the fake version of Maia's diary of predictions] This is insane. It's also the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me.

Soundtrack:

A Place in Time

I'm looking forward to the continuation of the story in the next series

I actually quite enjoyed the first series. I was compelled to watch through to the final episode to see the characters story arc's develop.

Yes there are the typical Sci-fi clichés (maybe 4400 by the time the show is finished?). But I would say that this is a Sci-fi show and not a Sci-fact show, and by it's very nature it's a work of fiction, thus real world science doesn't really matter or nessecarily apply.

The scene the first post was alluding to was (I'm sure) not intended to be a dazzling display of the script writers grasp of near and outer orbital rocket science, but a characterization of both the governmental paranoia and hopeless desperation that humans can exhibit when faced with seemingly futile situations.

Personally, I don't think the acting is too bad, yes it does smack of countless other Sci-fi shows and draws heavily on many common themes running through all Sci-fi series, but what shows don't? There is little originality in Sci-fi these days, but the premise of this show is at least relatively unexplored.

How many shows do you know that effectively try to portray the multitude of challenges that face abductees when they try to re-integrate into a society that seemingly doesn't want them, can't understand them or are jealous of them?

Comparisons are inevitable, but when you're subconsciously thinking "Mulder and Scully" or "Rouge and Wolverine" while you are watching supposedly new characters then as a script writer you've got to try to distance yourself from what could easily be considered as stereotypes. This is probably my greatest (and only real) criticism.

If the script writers were just a little less derivative, and a bit more adventurous then I think we have a winner.

P.S. Oh, and they need to stop the re-caps at the start of every darn episode, the fast forward button on my Tivo's getting worn out as it is.

Mqark.