The 4400
The 4400 | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Amanda Abizaid |
Opening theme | "A Place in Time" (performed by Bosshouse featuring Amanda Abizaid) |
Ending theme | "Salvation" John Van Tongeren |
Composers |
|
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 44 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Production locations | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Running time | 42 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network |
|
Release | July 11, 2004 September 16, 2007 | –
The 4400 (pronounced "the forty-four hundred") is a
Premise
In the series' pilot episode, a ball of light deposits a group of 4400 people in the Cascade Range foothills near Mount Rainier, Washington, in the United States. Each of the 4400 had disappeared in a beam of green light in 1946 or after. None of them have aged from the time of their disappearance. Confused and disoriented, they have no memories of what transpired prior to their return.
Title
Creator Scott Peters has stated that the series was originally titled "A Light in the Sky", but looking for something 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".[4]
Synopsis
The National Threat Assessment Command (NTAC), a division of the
Many of the returnees have trouble getting their lives back on track after being gone from the world for years. More significantly, a small number of the returnees begin to manifest paranormal abilities, such as
The first-season finale, "
By the second season, it is revealed that all 4400 have a fictional
At the beginning of the third season, the Nova Group, a terrorist faction made up of 4400s, emerges. 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
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,
Promicin
In the series, promicin is a fictional neurotransmitter the human body produces that controls and regulates bodily functions. In the 4400, it enables every member to use parts of the cerebellum no human has previously used. This is the cause of the new abilities in each returnee. Promicin's behavior and effects are unpredictable, potentially giving any ability. As part of a government conspiracy, every 4400 is regularly injected with a promicin-inhibitor, suppressing their potential new abilities.[5]
Since the government ceases injecting promicin inhibitor, every 4400 develops an ability.[5]
Dr.
An injection of promicin has a 50% chance of either killing the person taking the injection (by way of an
There exists a substance that can eliminate all traces of promicin in the human body, effectively robbing the injected individual of any 4400 powers and in addition making this person allergic to promicin.[8] The identity and makeup of this substance is not stated, and the only known source of it so far is from the future.[10] A second method also exists for removing promicin from non-4400 humans, through the promicin-neutralizing ability of Jordan Collier.
There also appears to be a substance that can counteract the anti-promicin's effects as
As discovered by Marco in the episode "
The mutation is hereditary, meaning people that got it passed it onto their children. The Starzl mutation is both harmless and conserved in those offspring; they live normal healthy lives. While the offspring of a returnee normally do not retain the ability to generate promicin, a second-hand report from John Shaffner (an ex-special ops soldier) suggested that the offspring of a 4400 and a Starzl mutant will be "promicin-positive", meaning they will have abilities. This is believed by Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris to be the reason why the abductees were returned to the Seattle area – it is the only place they are likely to encounter individuals who possess the Starzl mutation and therefore the only place they are likely to produce children with 4400 abilities.
The promicin-inhibitor "piggybacks on glucose", after entering the brain through facilitated diffusion. It is a binding protein; that is, it binds itself to promicin in the body and neutralizes it. If there is no promicin for it to bind to, it remains in the body. Eventually, it builds up to toxic levels in the lymph nodes, damaging the immune system. The result is a chemically induced immunodeficiency.
To counteract the promicin inhibitor, Dr. Burkhoff develops a serum containing Isabelle's pure promicin. This serum neutralizes the charge so the inhibitor is not able to cross membranes and can be flushed out of the body.[9]
Setting
The 4400 is set in Seattle, Washington, United States,[11] but actually filmed in the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, area. Settings include:
- Promise City: founded by Jordan Collier with the guidance of Kyle Baldwin. It is created as a haven for people who are promicin-positive (P-positives), and also serves as the base of Collier's movement to spread promicin to the world. Collier intends for Promise City to be a model for the future, and the first stage to creating "Heaven on Earth". Though the characters claim that the location is on the Duwamish River delta, the map used and the footage featuring Promise City makes it clear this is impossible. The commentary states that Promise City was shot in Vancouver on the Burrard Inlet below the Second Narrows Bridge.
- Haspel Corporation: a fictional company whose name is also abbreviated as HaspelCorp,Isabelle Tyler. In the book Welcome to Promise City, Haspel Corporation has been banished out of Promise City's limits. The filming location used for HaspelCorp is the Life Sciences Centre at the University of British Columbia. It is home to the university's Life Sciences Institute and one of the medical research facilities on campus.
- The 4400 Center: a fictional building founded by Gone", the fictional location of the center is 6265 Crescent Road, Seattle, Washington. The same street address in Vancouver is the address for the Chan Centre, the real-life building portrayed as the 4400 Center.[18]
- Highland Beach: Shot at Coquitlam, British Columbia.
-
The 4400 Center)
-
HaspelCorp)
Cast and characters
Series regulars
Actor | Character | Season | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
Joel Gretsch | Tom Baldwin
|
Main | |||
Jacqueline McKenzie | Diana Skouris
|
Main | |||
Mahershala Ali | Richard Tyler
|
Main | Guest | ||
Patrick Flueger | Shawn Farrell
|
Main | |||
Conchita Campbell | Maia Skouris
|
Main | |||
Chad Faust | Kyle Baldwin
|
Main | Guest | Main | |
Laura Allen | Lily Tyler
|
Main | [a] | Guest | |
Kaj-Erik Eriksen | Danny Farrell
|
Main | Recurring | Guest | |
Brooke Nevin | Nikki Hudson
|
Main | Guest | ||
Peter Coyote | Dennis Ryland
|
Main | Guest | Recurring | |
Samantha Ferris | Nina Jarvis
|
Main | |||
Karina Lombard | Alana Mareva
|
Recurring | Main | ||
Megalyn Echikunwoke | Isabelle Tyler
|
[b] | Main | ||
Billy Campbell | Jordan Collier
|
Guest | Recurring | Main | |
Jenni Baird | Meghan Doyle
|
Main |
- ^ An older version of Lily is played by Tippi Hedren in one episode of the third season.
- ^ Isabelle is portrayed at various ages in eight episodes of the second season, by Jordan Lasorsa-Simon as a toddler, by Madison Pettis as a child, and by Christie Laing as an adult.
Recurring guest stars
In order of first appearance:
Actor | Character | Season | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
Richard Kahan | Marco Pacella
|
Guest | Recurring | ||
Jeffrey Combs | Kevin Burkhoff
|
Recurring | |||
Kavan Smith | Jed Garrity
|
Recurring | |||
Summer Glau | Tess Doerner
|
Guest | Recurring | ||
Jody Thompson | Devon Moore
|
Recurring | Guest | ||
Natasha Gregson Wagner | April Skouris
|
Recurring | Guest | ||
Sharif Atkins | Gary Navarro
|
Guest | |||
Kathryn Gordon | Heather Tobey
|
Guest | |||
Garret Dillahunt | Matthew Ross
|
Recurring | |||
Tristin Leffler | Cassie Dunleavy
|
Recurring |
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
1 | 5 | July 11, 2004 | August 8, 2004 | |
2 | 13 | June 5, 2005 | August 28, 2005 | |
3 | 13 | June 11, 2006 | August 27, 2006 | |
4 | 13 | June 17, 2007 | September 16, 2007 |
The 4400 ran for four seasons. The first season is presented as a miniseries of five episodes, which aired weekly from July 11, 2004, to August 8, 2004, with a two-hour premiere. The second, third and fourth seasons are each 13-episode seasons (counting the two-hour premieres in the second and third seasons as two episodes). A special episode, "The 4400: Unlocking the Secrets", aired between the second and third seasons, on June 3, 2006, originally on NBC.[19]
Production of the third season was shot in Vancouver until July 26, 2006. The third season premiered June 11, 2006, with 4.2 million viewers tuning in.[20] Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr described the third season as "bigger and more mythic. It feels like 26 episodes instead of 13 because we're cramming so much stuff in". Billy Campbell, the actor who plays Collier, took most of the third season off to sail around the world, returning in the final four episodes.[21]
Production of the fourth and final season began in early 2007 for a mid-year premiere, returning with the episode "
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 Mount Rainier.[23]
- 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.[24]
- 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.[25]
- Promises Broken, by David Mack, is the fourth book based on the series and the second set after the end of the show. It concludes most of the saga of the 4400, but it too ends on a cliffhanger. It was published on October 27, 2009.[26]
Production
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2010) |
On September 14, 2000,
The theme song of the show is "A Place in Time", written by Robert Phillips and Tim Paruskewitz and performed by Amanda Abizaid. All seasons are filmed in high-definition with closed captioning. USA Network broadcast episodes after the first season in fullscreen format; the DVD releases contain the episodes in their native widescreen format.
NBC/Universal created several sites targeted at fictional members of the 4400 universe:[28]
Subsequent to the cancellation of the series, these web sites were allowed to lapse and none of them are active any further. Most of them have now been parked.
Cancellation
Writer and co-creator Scott Peters announced on December 18, 2007, that due to the ongoing
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:
- Bosshouse featuring 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)
The last track does not appear in the series. Although not included on the soundtrack, "
Home media
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 Dennis.[34]
| |||||
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.[35] | |||||
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) |
The first season was released on Blu-ray in Germany during August 2017,[36] with the remaining seasons releasing in the subsequent months.[37][38][39]
Via Vision Entertainment released the complete series on Blu-ray in Australia on November 25, 2020.[40]
Reception
The 4400 received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 95% approval rating.[41]
Reboot
In November 2018, it was announced that a
In February 2019, it was reported that the project would roll over to the next development cycle to allow Elmore and Sweeny to finish the
See also
- The Refugees – Three billion people from the future have traveled to the present to escape from an imminent global disaster.
- The Crossing – Refugees fleeing a war seek asylum in an American town—but they claim to be from America, 180 years in the future.
- Beforeigners – A "time migration" occurs all over the world, with people from the Stone Age, Viking Age, and the 19th century. Set in Oslo.
- Manifest – Flight 828 carrying 191 passengers and crew goes missing in 2013 then mysteriously lands over 5 years later, with everyone still the same age.
References
- ^ a b Deans, Jason (June 30, 2004). "Sky snatches alien abduction drama". The Guardian.
- ^ "The 4400: Behind the Scenes News". USA Network. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
- ^ a b "Veteran USA sci-fi shows vaporized". Reuters. December 20, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- ^ "Scott Peters Explains Why 4400 Should be Abducted". io9.com. October 27, 2008. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ Mommy's Bosses". The 4400.
- The New World". The 4400.
- Being Tom Baldwin". The 4400.
- ^ Fifty-Fifty". The 4400.
- ^ Terrible Swift Sword". The 4400.
- Gone". The 4400.
- ^ "Pilot". The 4400.
- ^ USA Network: The Starzl Mutation
- ^ USA Network: The Ballad of Kevin and Tess
- ^ USA Network: Marco Pacella
- Graduation Day". The 4400. Season 3. Episode 6. 45 minutes in.
- ^ USA Network: Dennis Ryland
- ^ "As Fate Would Have It". The 4400.
- ^ Tickets for Vancouver Performances of Classical, Opera, Symphony, New Music, Folk, World Music & more | Chan Centre Archived October 5, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "4,400, The: Unlocking the Secrets". The Futon Critic.
- ^ "Development Update: June 12–16 (Weekly Round-Up)". The Futon Critic. June 13, 2006.
- ^ "'The 4400's' power-hungry tycoon returns". Today.com. July 25, 2006.
- ^ "4,400, THE (USA)". The Futon Critic. May 26, 2006.
- ^
Cox, Greg (2008). The Vesuvius Prophecy. Pocket Star. ISBN 978-1-4165-4317-6.
- ^
Ward, Dayton; Dilmore, Kevin (2008). Wet Work. Pocket Star. ISBN 978-1-4165-4321-3.
- ^
Cox, Greg (2009). Welcome to Promise City. Pocket Star. ISBN 978-1-4165-4322-0.
- ^
Mack, David (2009). Promises Broken. Pocket Star. ISBN 978-1416543237.
- ^ Michael Schneider (September 14, 2000). "Coppola banner adds pair of TV prod'n pacts". variety.com. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "The 4400: Welcome to Their World". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
- ^ PromicinTerror.com
- ^ PromicinInfo.com
- ^ PromicinPower.com
- ^ PromicinPassion.com
- ^ PromicinDance.com
- ^ "Season 1 DVD". Amazon. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- ^ "The 4400, Season 3 Date & Extras". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- ^ "4400 – Die Rückkehrer – Staffel 1 [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ "4400 – Die Rückkehrer – Staffel 2 [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ "4400 – Die Rückkehrer – Staffel 3 [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ "4400 – Die Rückkehrer – Staffel 4 [Blu-ray]". Amazon. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
- ^ "4400, The – Complete Series". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "The 4400". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (November 7, 2018). "'The 4400' Reboot in Development at CW". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 7, 2018). "'The 4400' Reboot In the Works at The CW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 8, 2019). "'The 4400' & 'The L.A. Complex' Reboots And 'Good Christian Bitches' Rolled To Next Season At the CW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- SuperHeroHype. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 30, 2021). "'4400': Joseph David-Jones & Khailah Johnson Join The CW Series Reboot". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 7, 2021). "'4400': Brittany Adebumola, Jaye Ladymore & Amarr Wooten Join CW Series". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Petski, Denise (May 24, 2021). "'4400': TL Thompson, Cory Jeacoma, Ireon Roach, Derrick A. King, Autumn Best Join the CW Series Reboot". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (June 15, 2021). "The CW Fall Premiere Dates: 'Riverdale', 'The Flash', 'Batwoman', 'All American', 'Walker', 'Nancy Drew' & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- The 4400 at IMDb
- The 4400 at AllMovie