- The 4400
-
The 4400 
Title screenFormat Science fiction / drama Created by René Echevarria
Scott PetersStarring Joel Gretsch
Jacqueline McKenzie
Mahershalalhashbaz Ali
Laura Allen
Patrick Flueger
Megalyn Echikunwoke
Chad Faust
Kaj-Erik Eriksen
Samantha Ferris
Jenni Baird
Brooke Nevin
Conchita Campbell
Karina Lombard
Bill Campbell
Peter CoyoteTheme music composer Amanda Abizaid Opening theme "A Place in Time" Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 4 No. of episodes 44 (List of episodes) Production Location(s) Vancouver, British Columbia Running time 42 minutes Broadcast Original channel USA Network Original run July 11, 2004 – September 16, 2007 The 4400 (pronounced "the forty-four hundred") is a science fiction TV series produced by CBS Paramount Network Television[1] in association with Sky Television, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network.[2] The show was created and written by Scott Peters and René Echevarria, and it stars Joel Gretsch and Jacqueline McKenzie. The series ran for four seasons from 2004 until its cancellation in 2007.[3]
In the pilot episode, what was originally thought to be a comet deposits a group of exactly 4400 people at Highland Beach, in the Cascade Range foothills near Mount Rainier, Washington. Each of the 4400 had disappeared at various times starting from 1946[4] in a beam of white light. None of the 4400 have aged from the time of their disappearance. Confused and disoriented, they remember nothing between the time of their disappearance and their return.
Contents
Title
Creator Scott Peters has stated that the series was originally titled "A Light in the Sky", but looking for something more unique he decided to "play around with numbers" instead and arrived at "4400" because it "just sounded cool" and "was a very round number with two 4s and two 0s".[5] Perhaps coincidentally there were also around 4400 working members of the Writers Guild of America West at the time of the series' creation, a guild of which Peters was a member. [6].
Cast and characters
Main article: List of characters in The 4400The season(s) during which each actor has been included in the main cast are marked in black. When a starring actor also has appeared as a guest star during other seasons, this is marked in gray, with the number of guest appearances noted in italics. White square means the actor doesn't appear in that season at all.
Series regulars
Actor(s) Character Appearances S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 Joel Gretsch Tom Baldwin Jacqueline McKenzie Diana Skouris Mahershalalhashbaz Ali Richard Tyler 2 Patrick Flueger Shawn Farrell Conchita Campbell Maia Skouris Chad Faust Kyle Baldwin 3 Laura Allen Lily Tyler 1 Kaj-Erik Eriksen Danny Farrell 7 1 3 Brooke Nevin Nikki Hudson 1 1 Peter Coyote Dennis Ryland 2 5 Samantha Ferris Nina Jarvis Karina Lombard Alana Mareva 5 Megalyn Echikunwoke Isabelle Tyler (8) Billy Campbell Jordan Collier 3 6 4 Jenni Baird Meghan Doyle Recurring guest stars
Actor(s) Character Appearances S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 Richard Kahan Marco Pacella 3 9 9 11 Natasha Gregson Wagner April Skouris 5 3 1 Jeffrey Combs Kevin Burkhoff 5 6 6 Kavan Smith Jed Garrity 7 9 6 Summer Glau Tess Doerner 2 3 4 Jody Thompson Devon Moore 4 10 1 Garret Dillahunt Matthew Ross 6 5 Tristin Leffler Cassie Dunleavy 8 Synopsis
Season three cast of The 4400
The National Threat Assessment Command (NTAC), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, is in charge of dealing with the return of the 4400. The primary agents assigned to the cases of investigating the 4400 are Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris, as well as their immediate superior for season one, Dennis Ryland. In seasons 2–3, Ryland is replaced by Nina Jarvis and theory room consultant Marco Pacella, with Ryland becoming a recurring character. Season 4 sees Jarvis replaced by Meghan Doyle.
Many of the returned people have trouble trying to get their lives back on track after being separated from their world for years. More significantly, a small number of the returnees begins to manifest paranormal abilities, such as telekinesis, telepathy and precognition, as well as other "gifts". For example, in the pilot, Shawn Farrell manifests an ability to bring a dead bird back to life. In addition, one of the 4400, Lily Moore, has become pregnant between her disappearance and return.
The first season finale, "White Light", reveals that the 4400 were abducted not by aliens, but by humans from the Earth's future, that Kyle Baldwin was to be their "messenger", and that they were returned to avert a catastrophe.
By the second season, it is revealed that all 4400 have a fictional neurotransmitter, promicin, in their brains, which gives them their powers. The government, afraid of what this large group would do with such power, had secretly been dosing all of the 4400 with a promicin inhibitor, which had worked on most, but not all, of the 4400. One of the inhibitor's side effects is a potentially fatal immune deficiency. The inhibitor is ultimately removed from the 4400 by a dose of promicin extracted by Kevin Burkhoff from the blood of the infant Isabelle, who was never given the inhibitor.
At the beginning of the third season, the Nova Group, a terrorist faction made up of 4400s, has made itself known. Originally formed as a "defensive" group in the aftermath of the promicin-inhibitor scandal, the Nova Group eventually carries out numerous terrorist attacks against the government and NTAC. The group is responsible for many terrorist attacks including the assassination of the men involved with the promicin-inhibitor conspiracy; the attempted assassination of Ryland; the framing of Baldwin for murder; and the driving of another person to insanity.
During the third and fourth season, it is revealed that only a certain faction from the future wants to see history changed. Another faction, which prefers the status quo, opposes the 4400, and has sent their own operatives, including Isabelle Tyler and "the Marked", into the past. The exact motives of both factions have not yet been revealed.
Eventually, Jordan Collier, a returnee who declares himself the savior of humanity, makes promicin shots available to the general public. However, only half of the human population can actually tolerate promicin, and thus develop superhuman abilities, while the other half die upon taking the shot. Although the government outlaws promicin use, thousands of previously ordinary people have developed superhuman abilities, severely complicating NTAC's task. Collier later annexes a part of Seattle and transforms it into "Promise City", a self-proclaimed paradise open to all people with superhuman abilities. The US government attempts to reclaim Promise City but meets with little success.
At the conclusion of the series, Danny Farell's uncontrolled ability exposed some of the residents of Seattle to promicin, resulting in about 9,000 deaths and as many newly-empowered humans, while at the same time forcing the remains of NTAC (now themselves mostly promicin-positive) to ask Jordan Collier and his followers (as the only group immune to the 50% chance of death from exposure) to become the de facto government of Seattle. The series ended with a cliff-hanger, with Collier pledging to build the future he had promised, while the government watches uneasily as Collier's militia remains in control of Seattle, now known as Promise City.
Ripple effect
Early in the second season, theorists at NTAC suspect that the 4400s have been placed in the timeline with their enhanced abilities for a purpose, to effect some change that could propagate and redirect the course of history. An example of this was when a 4400 named Carl Morrissey attempted to use his enhanced strength to become a vigilante and prevent crime in his neighborhood park. Morrissey was killed by a group of thugs, but his death inspired others to become involved in various neighborhood clean up projects.[7]
Another example of this effect at work came during the season two episode "Wake up Call". In that episode a mentally ill returnee uses mind control powers to force the other residents of her mental hospital to build an unusual machine. When the machine is activated it cures fellow patient Kevin Burkhoff of his crippling schizophrenia. When NTAC looks into Burkhoff's background they discover that prior to falling ill he was a brilliant biologist who was working on gene therapies which could end up being the basis of the technology which created the 4400.
Episodes
Main article: List of The 4400 episodesSeason Start date End date Season 1 July 11, 2004 August 8, 2004 Season 2 June 5, 2005 August 28, 2005 Season 3 June 11, 2006 August 27, 2006 Season 4[8] June 17, 2007[9] September 16, 2007[9] The 4400 ran for four seasons. The first season is presented as a miniseries of five episodes,[10] which aired weekly from July 11, 2004 to August 8, 2004. Seasons two, three and four are each 13-episode seasons.[8][10]
A special episode, "The 4400: Unlocking the Secrets", aired between seasons two and three, on June 3, 2006, originally on NBC.[11]
Production of the third season was shot in Vancouver until July 26, 2006.[12] The third season premiered June 11, 2006, with 4.2 million viewers tuning in.[13] Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr described season three as "bigger and more mythic. It feels like 26 episodes instead of 13 because we're cramming so much stuff in".
Production of the fourth and final season began in early 2007 for a mid-year premiere,[8] returning with the episode "The Wrath of Graham".[9] Billy Campbell, the actor who plays Collier, took most of season three off to sail around the world,.[14] The show was rewritten to explain the character's absence, making him the victim of an assassination attempt. In the fourth season, Campbell returned to the series as a regular, rather than a guest star as in the previous three seasons,[15] with the revelation that the character had been alive after all, but had wandered as an amnesiac for two years until he reappeared to assume his role as the leader of the 4400.
Cancellation
Writer and co-creator Scott Peters announced on December 18, 2007, that due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, budgetary problems, and lower-than-anticipated ratings, The 4400 had been cancelled and would not be returning for a fifth season, despite the fourth season's cliff-hanger.[3] Fans of the show mounted an unsuccessful campaign to resurrect the series, sending petitions and sunflower seeds to SciFi and USA Network president Bonnie Hammer.[16] In April 2008, the campaign shifted to target Jeff Zucker,[17] president and chief executive officer of the NBC/Universal TV group, again without success.
Books
- The Vesuvius Prophecy, by Greg Cox, is the first book based on the series. It was released in June 2008. Set during the show's third season, the plot revolves around Maia's prophecy of the eruption of Mt. Rainier.[18]
- Wet Work, by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore, is the second original novel based on the series. Published in October 2008, it is set during the show's second season. Its plot concerns Tom and Diana's hunt for a rogue government assassin who uses her promicin powers to kill people.[19]
- Welcome to Promise City, by Greg Cox, is the third book based on the series, and the first set after the events of the end of the series. It was published on July 28, 2009.[20]
- Promises Broken, by David Mack, is the fourth book based on the series, and the second set after the end of the show. It was published on October 27, 2009.[21]
Production
The theme song of the show is "A Place in Time", written by Robert Phillips and Tim Paruskewitz and performed by Amanda Abizaid.[22] All seasons are filmed in high-definition with closed captioning. USA Network broadcast episodes after season one in fullscreen 480i; the DVD releases contain the episodes in their native widescreen format.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to The 4400 was released on May 8, 2007 by Milan Records and includes music from the first three seasons, as follows:[23]
- Bosshouse feat. Amanda Abizaid - "A Place In Time" (Theme From The 4400)
- Switchfoot - "This Is Your Life"
- People In Planes - "Falling By The Wayside"
- Thirteen Senses - "Into The Fire"
- Ivy - "Worry About You"
- Engineers - "How Do You Say Goodbye?"
- Maroon 5 - "She Will Be Loved"
- Jacqueline McKenzie - "Shy Baby"
- Bedroom Walls - "Do the Buildings and Cops Make You Smile?"
- Billie Holiday - "Cheek to Cheek"
- John Van Tongeren - "Salvation"
- The Landau Orchestra - "A Place In Time" (Instrumental Arrangement)
Note: The last track does not appear in the series. Although not in the soundtrack, Life for Rent was used in the episode The Starzl Mutation. The song Where Is My Mind was later used in the series finale.
Filming locations
The 4400 is set in Seattle,[24] but actually filmed in the Vancouver area.[25] All the cars shown in the series have fake Washington license plates,[citation needed] with other street signs and identifying markers altered to eliminate any British Columbia references.[citation needed] The high-tech, glass-walled 4400 Center is actually the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia,[26] and Capilano Lake stands in for Highland Beach.[citation needed] One episode of season 4 has a few scenes set in Vancouver.[citation needed] Other cable science-fiction series, such as Kyle XY, Fringe, Stargate Atlantis,[27] and Battlestar Galactica[28] have also used the Chan Centre as a filming location.[29]
-
The Chan Centre
(The 4400 Center) -
UBC Life Sciences Centre
(HaspelCorp)
DVD releases
Season Episodes Discs DVD release date Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 1 5 2 December 21, 2004 January 10, 2005 June 10, 2005 The DVD contains no bonus features. The DVD is presented in a dual DVD case with a green-on-black cover showing the characters Tom, Diana and Dennis.[30] 2 13 4 May 23, 2006 June 5, 2006 May 23, 2006 Bonus features include featurettes and commentary from Jacqueline McKenzie, Joel Gretsch, Craig Sweeny and Ira Steven Behr. 3 13 4 May 8, 2007 July 23, 2007 June 7, 2007 Bonus features include an introduction by the series creator, four featurettes, six audio commentaries and a gag reel.[31] 4 13 4 May 6, 2008 June 30, 2008 July 10, 2008 Bonus features include 2 featurettes, blooper reel, deleted scenes, audio commentaries and The Great Leap Forward (Director's cut). The Complete Series 44 15 October 28, 2008 October 6, 2008 August 6, 2009 Bonus features include video introduction by creator Scott Peters, pilot episode commentary by Scott Peters and Joel Gretsch, The 4400: Ghost Season, and deleted scenes (seasons 1, 2, and 3) See also
- List of The 4400 minor characters
- List of The 4400 recurring characters
- List of characters in The 4400
References
- ^ "The 4400 - Production information". http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/behindthescenes/productioninfo/index.html. The show was produced by Viacom Productions during season one and by Paramount Network Television during season two, after the former was absorbed by the latter in 2005. The main production company changed again in 2006 with the CBS/Viacom split, though Paramount still owns home entertainment distribution rights to The 4400, along with the rest of the CBS library.
- ^ "4,400, THE (USA)". http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=4400.
- ^ a b "Veteran USA sci-fi shows vaporized". Reuters.com. December 20, 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN1964292420071220. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ "USA Network | The 4400 - Character Profile: Maia Skouris". NBC Universal. http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/theshow/characterprofiles/maia/index.html. "The first of the known abductees had disappeared in 1946"
- ^ "Scott Peters Explains Why 4400 Should be Abducted". io9.com. October 27, 2008. http://io9.com/5069055/scott-peters-explains-why-4400-people-should-be-abducted. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
- ^ Writers Guild of America West Financial Report 2011, Writers Guild of America West, Inc., 2011
- ^ "Becoming". The 4400.
- ^ a b c ""The 4400" returns for season four". USA Network. 2006-08-22. http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/behindthescenes/news/news082206.html.
- ^ a b c "4,400, THE (USA)". The Futon Critic. 2006-05-26. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=4400&view=listings.
- ^ a b Scott Peters (2005). Return of The 4000 (DVD special feature).
- ^ "4,400, The: Unlocking the Secrets". The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings.aspx?id=20060526nbc22.
- ^ Lee, Patrick (2006-03-07). "4400 Changes Unveiled". Sci Fi Wire. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=34884.
- ^ "Development Update: June 12–16 (Weekly Round-Up)". The Futon Critic. 2006-06-13. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7174.
- ^ "‘The 4400's’ power-hungry tycoon returns". MSNBC. 2006-07-25. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14025568/.
- ^ "Billy Campbell Set To Return as Series Regular in Emmy-Nominated Hit Series "The 4400"". http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070112usa02.
- ^ "4400 Fans Plan Mass Mailing". SciFi.com. 2008-01-14. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=47250.[dead link] See also, "SaveThe4400.net". http://www.savethe4400.net/.[dead link]
- ^ "4400 Fans Plan Mass Mailing". forums.usanetwork.com/. 2008-04-17. http://forums.usanetwork.com/index.php?s=c1f3de86f49f87acbd128bb8fc86f8dd&showtopic=395922&st=940. See also, "SaveThe4400.net". http://www.savethe4400.net/.[dead link]
- ^ Cox, Greg (2008). The Vesuvius Prophecy. Pocket Star. ISBN 1416543171.
- ^ Dilmore, Kevin (2008). Wet Work. Pocket Star. ISBN 141654321X.
- ^ Cox, Greg (2009). Welcome to Promise City. Pocket Star. ISBN 1416543228.
- ^ Mack, David (2009). Promises Broken. Pocket Star. http://www.amazon.com/4400-Promises-Broken-David-Mack/dp/1416543236/ref=pd_cp_b_2.
- ^ Lurie, Elliot. "Song List from The 4400". http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/theshow/songlist.html.
- ^ "The 4400 Soundtrack". USA Network. http://www.usanetwork.com/series/the4400/theshow/dvd/soundtrack.html.
- ^ "Pilot". The 4400.
- ^ Stevens, Michael (2006-03-29). "The 4400 Starts Up Vancouver Shooting". Hollywood North Report. http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2791.
- ^ "Sightseeing with Google Satellite Maps - The 4400 Centre". http://www.satellite-sightseer.com/id/15285/Canada/British_Columbia/Vancouver/The_Chan_Centre_The_400_Center. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ "IMDB - Stargate Atlantis Filming Locations". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374455/locations. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ Suwalski, Pat. "BSG - Season 1 Locations". http://pat.suwalski.net/film/bsg-locations/. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ "BookRags - UBC". http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/University_of_British_Columbia. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ^ "Season 1 DVD". Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00062IDEW/. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- ^ "The 4400, Season 3 Date & Extras". tvshowsondvd.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6855. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
External links
- Official website
- The 4400 at the Internet Movie Database
- The 4400 at TV.com
- The 4400 at AllRovi
The 4400 4400 returnees NTAC agents Other characters Kyle Baldwin · Kevin Burkhoff · Isabelle Tyler · Characters · Recurring characters · Minor charactersRelated Articles Episodes · Promicin · Haspel Corp · 4400 Center · Highland Beach · Promise City · Quotes · Official WebsiteCategories:- The 4400
- 2000s American television series
- 2004 American television series debuts
- 2007 American television series endings
- Alien abduction in popular culture
- American television miniseries
- American science fiction television series
- English-language television series
- Serial drama television series
- Television miniseries as pilots
- Television series produced in Vancouver
- Television shows set in Washington (state)
- USA Network shows
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