Gretsch Counts On 4400
Joel Gretsch, star of USA Network's upcoming SF limited series The 4400, told SCI FI Wire that the show about returned abductees resembles his previous SF epic, SCI FI Channel's original miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, in its emphasis on characters. "SF makes you think bigger, [in terms of] the possibilities beyond what we normally think of," Gretsch said in an interview. "I have done a few SF shows, and what intrigued me the most was that they were all character-driven stories. That's what compels me: human drama and obstacles that one can relate to, such as the love for your child and feeling helpless when they need you and you need them."
The 4400 deals with thousands of missing and presumed dead people who have returned all at once, leading to the formation of a government agency that's tasked with keeping an eye on them. Gretsch portrays Tom Baldwin, one of the government agents, who is partnered with Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie), a biomedical researcher.
"A comet is hurtling towards Earth, and it looks to be the end of civilization, when it suddenly slows and finally stops," Gretsch said, elaborating on the story. "It explodes, and 4,400 people come out, people who've been missing throughout the decades. They have no recollection of where they were, why they were missing and what date it is now. My character has a son, Kyle [Chad Faust], who has been in a coma for three years. I have no answers as to why he's in a coma and whether he will ever come out [of it]. What I do know is that he was with my nephew, Shawn [Patrick Fleuger], at the time and that Shawn has been missing since that date. When the 4,400 reappear, Shawn is one of them. Hopefully, Shawn will have the answers I need to help my son."
The 4400 will debut as a two-hour special at 9 p.m. ET/PT July 11 on USA Network, with subsequent hours airing Sunday nights until Aug. 8. USA Network is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.