The 4400
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| The 4400 | |
|---|---|
The 4400 title screen </small> | |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Running time | 42 minutes per episode |
| Creator(s) | René Echevarria Scott Peters |
| Starring | see below |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | USA Network |
| Original run | July 11, 2004–Present |
| No. of episodes | 32 (List of episodes) |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The 4400 is a science fiction program on the USA Network, Space: The Imagination Station, and Sky One. It was created and written by Scott Peters and René Echevarria, starring Joel Gretsch and Jacqueline McKenzie. The 4400 is produced by CBS Paramount Network Television (known as Paramount Network Television during season 2, and Viacom Productions during season 1 until that was folded into Paramount Network Television in 2005) in association with Sky Television for Sky One, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network. The series is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
In the pilot, what is originally thought to be a comet deposits a group of exactly four thousand, four hundred people at Highland Beach, in the Cascade Range foothills near Mount Rainier, Washington. All of the 4400 had disappeared at various points starting from 1946<ref>"USA Network | The 4400 - Character Profile: Maia Skouris" (English). NBC Universal (2006). Retrieved on 2006-06-11. “The first of the known abductees, she disappeared in 1946”</ref> in a beam of white light. After their return, none have aged, all are disoriented, and they remember nothing between the time of their disappearance and their return.
The theme song of the show is "A Place in Time" written by Robert Phillips & Tim Paruskewitz, performed by Amanda Abizaid.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- For a more comprehensive list, see Category:The 4400 actors
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Joel Gretsch | Tom Baldwin |
| Jacqueline McKenzie | Diana Skouris |
| Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | Richard Tyler |
| Laura Allen | Lily Moore Tyler (Season 1-2, portrayed by Tippi Hedren for Season 3 Premiere) |
| Patrick Flueger | Shawn Farrell |
| Megalyn Echikunwoke | Isabelle Tyler (Season 3–, portrayed by Jordan Lasorsa-Simon in Season 2) |
| Chad Faust | Kyle Baldwin (Season 1-2, guest starring Seasons 3) |
| Kaj-Erik Eriksen | Danny Farrell (Season 1, recurring Seasons 2 and 3) |
| Brooke Nevin | Nikki Hudson (Season 1, guest starring Season 2 and 3) |
| Samantha Ferris | Nina Jarvis (Season 2–) |
| Conchita Campbell | Maia Skouris (Guest Starring Season 1, regular Season 2–) |
| Karina Lombard | Alana Mareva (Recurring Season 2, regular Season 3–) |
| Peter Coyote | Dennis Ryland (Season 1, recurring Season 2-3) |
- Note: Billy Campbell, who plays Jordan Collier, has never been listed on the opening credits with the regular characters, instead as a "Special Guest Star;" however, he is generally considered a regular.
[edit] Characters
[edit] National Threat Assessment Command
NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command), a division of the Department of Homeland Security, is in charge of dealing with the return of the 4400. There are a multitude of agents assigned to the case. The series mainly follows two of them, as well as their immediate superior and theory room consultant:
- Agent Tom Baldwin
- Agent Diana Skouris
- Director Dennis Ryland (seasons one and two)
- Director Nina Jarvis
- Agent Marco Pacella
[edit] Returnees (the 4400)
Most 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 begin to manifest paranormal abilities, such as telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, as well as other gifts that are even stranger. In addition, one of the 4400 had become pregnant between her disappearance and return.
At the end of the first season, we learn that the 4400 were abducted, not by aliens, but by people in Earth's future, and that they were returned in order to prevent some sort of catastrophe.
At the end of the second season, it was revealed that all 4400 had a new neurotransmitter called promicin in their brains; it was this which gave them their powers. The government, afraid of what this large group would do with such power, secretly dosed all 4400 with a promicin inhibitor which worked on the majority of the group, but not those who were later seen with powers. The inhibitor caused a potentially fatal immune deficiency as a side effect in the returnees. It was ultimately removed from the 4400 by an antibody developed from the blood of the infant Isabelle, whom 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 went rogue and carried 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, framing Tom Baldwin for murder, and making Shawn go temporarily insane.
[edit] Main 4400 characters
The series follows the lives and stories of a select few of the 4400. The main characters are:
[edit] Minor 4400 characters
Due to the nature of the show, The 4400 includes many minor returnees as guest characters. In many cases, these returnees play a role as a 'problematic 4400 of the week'. <ref name="boldnew"> This terminology is discussed by Ira Steven Behr, a creator of the show at IGN</ref>
Characters who appear once (e.g., Carl Morrisey), or multiple times without significant multiple-episode storylines (e.g., Wendy Paulson), are listed at List of The 4400 minor characters.
Recurring minor characters who have been an integral part of the storyline of two or more episodes (e.g., Nikki Hudson) are listed at List of The 4400 recurring characters.
[edit] Other characters
Other characters that do not belong to NTAC nor are members of the 4400 include:
[edit] The ripple effect
Early in the show, the masterminds at NTAC suspected that the 4400s were placed in the timeline with their enhanced abilities for some purpose, to effect some change that could propagate and change the course of history.
An example of this effect at work came during the third season episode "Gone, Part II" in which five 4400 children were once again abducted by the future and "seeded" back into history at different time periods. Some of the "advances" accomplished by this feat included the development of artificial petroleum and composite materials used in the first lunar colonies, according to background conversations "overheard" at NTAC. These advances were negated (restoring the original timeline) in exchange for Tom Baldwin agreeing to do whatever the future asked him to do to help prevent the "disaster" to come — which he learned was an order to kill Isabelle.
[edit] Episodes
| Season | 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<ref name="usanetwork">""The 4400" returns for season four", USA Network, 2006-08-22. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.</ref> | Mid 2007 | — |
The first season was a miniseries of six episodes, which aired weekly from July 11 to August 8, 2004; future seasons were made up of thirteen one-hour episodes.
A special episode, "The 4400: Unlocking the Secrets," was aired between seasons two and three, originally on NBC.
Production of a third season was shot in Vancouver until 26 July 2006.<ref>Lee, Patrick. "4400 Changes Unveiled", Sci Fi, 2006-03-07. Retrieved on 2006-07-21.</ref> The Third Season premiered 11 June 2006, with 4.2 million viewers tuning in.
In season three, Megalyn Echikunwoke joined the cast as "the newly grown-up Isabelle."
Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr said that season three "is going to be bigger and more mythic. It feels like 26 episodes instead of 13 because we're cramming so much stuff in." He also stated that Billy Campbell will return as Jordan Collier in the second half of the season, and "the initials in his name" have to do with his mysterious resurrection. Campbell's first appearance of the season was at the end of episode 10.
Production on season 4, with a 13 episode order, is scheduled to begin early 2007 for a mid-year premiere.<ref name="usanetwork" />
[edit] Filming locations
Even though the series is set in Seattle, it is filmed in the Vancouver metropolitan area in British Columbia. All the cars have fake Washington license plates, the 4400 Center is actually the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia, and Capilano Lake stands in for Highland Beach.
There is a nod to the filming location in the opening credits – the vintage car in the opening video has "Beautiful British Columbia" license plates.
Capilano Lake (Highland Beach) |
[edit] International distribution
[edit] DVD releases
| Photo | Title and description | Release |
|---|---|---|
| Image:DVD Cover - The 4400 S01.jpg | The 4400: The Complete First Season | Image:Flag of the United States.svg December 21, 2004 |
| A two disc DVD containing the six episodes of season one. | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg January 10, 2005 | |
| Image:Flag of Australia.svg June 10, 2005 | ||
| Image:Flag of France.svg June 16, 2006 | ||
| Image:DVD Cover - The 4400 S02.jpg | The 4400: The Complete Second Season | Image:Flag of the United States.svg May 23, 2006 |
| A four disc set containing featurettes and commentary from cast members. | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg June 5, 2006 | |
| Image:Flag of Australia.svg May 23, 2006 | ||
| Image:Flag of France.svg June 8, 2006 | ||
| Image:Temporary.jpg | The 4400: The Complete Third Season | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Unknown |
| Unknown | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg June 4, 2007 | |
| Image:Flag of Australia.svg — | ||
| Image:Flag of France.svg — |
[edit] Soundtrack
Elliot Lurie, the music producer for The 4400, has announced that a soundtrack for the series will be released by the beginning of the fourth season.<ref>Elliot Lurie. Might there be a 4400 soundtrack?. USA Network. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.</ref><ref>Elliot Lurie. Help create The 4400 soundtrack. USA Network. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.</ref>
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Network websites
- Official website at USA Network.
- The 4400 at Space.
- The 4400 at Sky One.
- Unofficial websites
- The 4400 Wiki
- Episode List at EpGuides
- The 4400 on TV Squad
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4400 Returnees | NTAC Agents | |||||
| Richard Tyler | Lily Tyler | Shawn Farrell | Jordan Collier Alana Mareva | Maia Skouris | Tess Doerner | Tom Baldwin | Diana Skouris | Dennis Ryland Nina Jarvis | Marco Pacella | |||||
| Other Characters | General | |||||
| Kyle Baldwin | Kevin Burkhoff | Isabelle Tyler Minor Characters | Recurring Characters | Episodes | Promicin | Official Website | Quotes Haspel Corp | 4400 Center | Highland Beach | |||||
de:4400 – Die Rückkehrer es:The 4400 fr:Les 4 400 it:4400 (serie televisiva) he:ה- 4400 ja:4400 未知からの生還者 pt:The 4400 ru:4400 (телесериал) fi:4400 (televisiosarja) sv:The 4400 tr:The 4400 (dizi)
Categories: The 4400 | 2004 television program debuts | Serial drama television series | 2000s TV shows in the United States | Science fiction television series | American television miniseries | USA Network shows | Sky One programmes | Television series by CBS Paramount Television | Television shows set in Washington


