The 4400 was a one-hour television series that aired on the USA network for 4 seasons. The show is primarily a character-driven drama with science fiction elements. The 4400 takes place in modern day Seattle, although it was primarily filmed in Vancouver. The plot is as follows: Over the past 50 years, exactly 4400 people have gone missing, vanished into thin air with no clue as to their whereabouts. These 4400 abductees are of various ages and ethnicities, from different places and time periods. In the present day, a large comet is on a collision course with Earth, projected to crash in the Pacific Northwest. Just as the comet is about to land, it slows down and explodes into a ball of light. As the light dissipates, the comet is gone and in its place are thousands of people- 4400 to be exact. The returnees to Earth have not aged a day since their abductions and they have no memory of what happened while they were gone.
It is soon discovered that some of the 4400 returnees have special abilities, each of them unique and manifesting themselves in different ways. The first season introduces the main characters and their relationships with each other, while setting up the overall plot for the second season and beyond. The two primary protagonists are Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris, partners and special agents of NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command), a division of the Department of Homeland Security. The role of NTAC is to deal with the return of the 4400. Agents Baldwin and Skouris are tasked with tracking down returnees, now commonly known as “4400s” and solving cases involving them. Most of the other main characters are the returnees themselves. Shawn Farrell, nephew of Tom Baldwin, returned with the ability to heal another person from whatever ailment they suffer, simply by placing his hands on them for a few moments. The very first of The 4400 to be abducted, a nine year-old named Maia, returns with the ability to predict the future. As Maia was abducted back in the 1940’s, she has no living family members to take her in when she returns and is later adopted by Agent Skouris, who has no children of her own. Jordan Collier, a wealthy real estate mogul, returns with no apparent special powers yet he becomes a leader and visionary of the 4400. Using his wealth and influence, he creates The 4400 Center, a place where 4400s could take sanctuary and learn to harness their abilities, and where non-4400s (normal people) could seek out the "inner" 4400 in themselves.
Each episode introduces the viewer to at least one new member of the 4400 and their special ability, usually from the perspective of Agents Baldwin and Skouris. Tom and Diana usually have to track down these 4400s and resolve whatever conflict may have arisen because of their special powers. Some of the 4400 use their abilities for good, while others use theirs for crime or personal gain. Others may be unintentionally harming people or wreaking havoc on society because they cannot control their abilities. Even though each episode deals with a specific conflict, there is an over-arching plot line to the series that changes in each of the four seasons of the show. In the first season, the main motives of NTAC are to re-integrate the 4400 into society and find out who abducted them and gave them the special abilities.
It is later revealed that the 4400 were not abducted by aliens, but by humans from the future. They were given special abilities and returned to present-day Seattle not at random, but with a very important purpose. The 4400 were returned to Earth to take actions in the present that will have positive effects on the future of mankind. Apparently in the future, there is an impending disaster that can only be prevented by making changes in the past. Most of the major conflicts on the show arise between NTAC and the 4400, with Agents Baldwin and Skouris caught in the middle due to their personal ties to members of the 4400. Other reoccurring conflicts involve Baldwin and Skouris disagreeing with their bosses at NTAC and having to defy direct orders, getting relieved of duty and later re-instated several times throughout the series. NTAC’s stance toward the 4400 changes during the series, sometimes in response to the current threat being faced. The general public also has a rocky relationship with the 4400, mostly due to paranoia and fear of those with special abilities.
After four successful seasons, The 4400 was cancelled in late 2007. Reasons given by writer and co-creator Scott Peters included budgetary problems and lower than anticipated ratings, along with the then-currently-ongoing strike by the Writer’s Guild of America. This was especially upsetting to fans, because the 4th season had ended in a cliffhanger, likely to be resolved in the upcoming 5th season. Fans of the show mounted an unsuccessful campaign to resurrect the series, sending petitions, letters, and sunflower seeds to USA Network president Bonnie Hammer. The sunflower seeds were sent as a reference to the show- they were the favorite snack of a recurring character, Dr. Burkhoff. Creator Scott Peters left this message for the fans, “We've had a great time bringing you this story and submersing you in the lives of all these incredible characters. Let me raise my metaphorical glass to you all and thank you for being so loyal and so dedicated. I wish we could go on forever, but the party has come to an end.”
Analysis
The 4400 is a compelling series with complex and well-developed relationships between the central characters. Each episode is very structured in the way that it introduces, explores, and resolves the central conflict. The over-arching storyline is fairly cohesive and doesn’t meander too much, which serves the show well since there are only 13 one-hour episodes per season. I came up with a few ideas that could be explored in further depth: the relationship between this show and other current sci-fi influenced serial dramas (e.g. Lost and Heroes) and influences taken from earlier sci-fi television (X-Files, 90’s Star Trek). Also I found the fan campaign to save the show very interesting. This has happened quite frequently in the past few years. Other cancelled series such as Jericho, Veronica Mars, and Firefly have all had spirited campaigns to “save the show” after they were initially cancelled. Out of those examples, only Jericho was renewed for a brief seven-episode season, after which it was cancelled once again.
It is soon discovered that some of the 4400 returnees have special abilities, each of them unique and manifesting themselves in different ways. The first season introduces the main characters and their relationships with each other, while setting up the overall plot for the second season and beyond. The two primary protagonists are Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris, partners and special agents of NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command), a division of the Department of Homeland Security. The role of NTAC is to deal with the return of the 4400. Agents Baldwin and Skouris are tasked with tracking down returnees, now commonly known as “4400s” and solving cases involving them. Most of the other main characters are the returnees themselves. Shawn Farrell, nephew of Tom Baldwin, returned with the ability to heal another person from whatever ailment they suffer, simply by placing his hands on them for a few moments. The very first of The 4400 to be abducted, a nine year-old named Maia, returns with the ability to predict the future. As Maia was abducted back in the 1940’s, she has no living family members to take her in when she returns and is later adopted by Agent Skouris, who has no children of her own. Jordan Collier, a wealthy real estate mogul, returns with no apparent special powers yet he becomes a leader and visionary of the 4400. Using his wealth and influence, he creates The 4400 Center, a place where 4400s could take sanctuary and learn to harness their abilities, and where non-4400s (normal people) could seek out the "inner" 4400 in themselves.
Each episode introduces the viewer to at least one new member of the 4400 and their special ability, usually from the perspective of Agents Baldwin and Skouris. Tom and Diana usually have to track down these 4400s and resolve whatever conflict may have arisen because of their special powers. Some of the 4400 use their abilities for good, while others use theirs for crime or personal gain. Others may be unintentionally harming people or wreaking havoc on society because they cannot control their abilities. Even though each episode deals with a specific conflict, there is an over-arching plot line to the series that changes in each of the four seasons of the show. In the first season, the main motives of NTAC are to re-integrate the 4400 into society and find out who abducted them and gave them the special abilities.
It is later revealed that the 4400 were not abducted by aliens, but by humans from the future. They were given special abilities and returned to present-day Seattle not at random, but with a very important purpose. The 4400 were returned to Earth to take actions in the present that will have positive effects on the future of mankind. Apparently in the future, there is an impending disaster that can only be prevented by making changes in the past. Most of the major conflicts on the show arise between NTAC and the 4400, with Agents Baldwin and Skouris caught in the middle due to their personal ties to members of the 4400. Other reoccurring conflicts involve Baldwin and Skouris disagreeing with their bosses at NTAC and having to defy direct orders, getting relieved of duty and later re-instated several times throughout the series. NTAC’s stance toward the 4400 changes during the series, sometimes in response to the current threat being faced. The general public also has a rocky relationship with the 4400, mostly due to paranoia and fear of those with special abilities.
After four successful seasons, The 4400 was cancelled in late 2007. Reasons given by writer and co-creator Scott Peters included budgetary problems and lower than anticipated ratings, along with the then-currently-ongoing strike by the Writer’s Guild of America. This was especially upsetting to fans, because the 4th season had ended in a cliffhanger, likely to be resolved in the upcoming 5th season. Fans of the show mounted an unsuccessful campaign to resurrect the series, sending petitions, letters, and sunflower seeds to USA Network president Bonnie Hammer. The sunflower seeds were sent as a reference to the show- they were the favorite snack of a recurring character, Dr. Burkhoff. Creator Scott Peters left this message for the fans, “We've had a great time bringing you this story and submersing you in the lives of all these incredible characters. Let me raise my metaphorical glass to you all and thank you for being so loyal and so dedicated. I wish we could go on forever, but the party has come to an end.”
Analysis
The 4400 is a compelling series with complex and well-developed relationships between the central characters. Each episode is very structured in the way that it introduces, explores, and resolves the central conflict. The over-arching storyline is fairly cohesive and doesn’t meander too much, which serves the show well since there are only 13 one-hour episodes per season. I came up with a few ideas that could be explored in further depth: the relationship between this show and other current sci-fi influenced serial dramas (e.g. Lost and Heroes) and influences taken from earlier sci-fi television (X-Files, 90’s Star Trek). Also I found the fan campaign to save the show very interesting. This has happened quite frequently in the past few years. Other cancelled series such as Jericho, Veronica Mars, and Firefly have all had spirited campaigns to “save the show” after they were initially cancelled. Out of those examples, only Jericho was renewed for a brief seven-episode season, after which it was cancelled once again.
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