USA's 4400 Might Not Disappear After All
IThe truth is out there.
USA Network's limited-run science fiction series The 4400, which concludes tonight at 9, is one of the biggest hits of the summer.
The penultimate episode last week attracted 6.5 million viewers. That's more viewers than the network's other hits Monk and The Dead Zone draw. The two-hour premiere on July 11 was the most-watched new series premiere on basic cable.
Although there's no word yet, with success like this, even conspiracy theorists can be certain that The 4400 will return in some form.
Viewers who missed an episode or two can catch up with a 4400 marathon beginning today at 4 p.m.
The title refers to the number of people who disappeared during the last 50 years and have returned en masse and sans explanation. In their minds, the returnees have lost no time. They have not aged and have no memory of what happened to them while they were gone. But they were sent back with some special, often frightening powers. [Some] can see the future, brainwash others to do their bidding and bring people back to life.
The series has rabid viewers asking all sorts of questions. Why were the 4,400 abducted? Who took them? Why were they returned? Are these so-called returnees still people or something else?
The finale, titled ``White Light,'' should answer some but probably not all of these burning questions.
Here's a quick recap on why the show is such a hit.
The cast: The series is populated with relatively unknown actors (Peter Coyote is the only immediately recognizable face), allowing viewers to accept the otherworldly premise. The federal agents assigned to the case, Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch) and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie), are a less beautiful, more mundane version of The X-Files' Mulder and Scully. Breakout stars include cutie Patrick Flueger as Tom's adolescent nephew Shawn and Mahershala Karin-Ali (Crossing Jordan) as Richard, an African-American Korean War veteran who is adjusting to a post-Civil Rights movement world.
The guest stars: Each week, The 4400 has focused on one returnee struggling to catch up with his or her life. First up was Michael Moriarty as insurance salesman Orson Bailey, who returned to find his wife in a rundown nursing home and his business run by a man who patronized him. Moriarty was simultaneously heart-breaking and terrifying. Billy Campbell (Once & Again) turned in a convincing and unsettling performance as wealthy returnee Jordan Collier.
The multiple story lines: This is a show with something for everyone. Teens who love WB can get engrossed in Shawn's falling for Nikki (Brooke Nevin), who just happens to be the girlfriend of his brother Danny (Kaj-Erik Eriksen). Sci-fi fans who have been abandoned by TV since the demise of The X-Files can enjoy the intrigue and mythology. For viewers who like classic drama Law & Order style, there's government agency in-fighting. For Lifetime network fans, there's the classic love story of Richard and his girlfriend's granddaughter Lily (Laura Allen). They have a connection that spans the decades - and probably a sequel or two.
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