I was initially intrigued by the premise of “The 4400” when some of the early promos started up on the USA Network back in early 2004. It was sold as being be a five week mini-series that delved into the idea of what would happen if all the people who have disappeared, presumably abducted by aliens, were to return Earth. Having somewhat of a passing interest in the subject of UFOs, I thought I’d give it a shot. I caught all five episodes when they originally aired and was quite taken in by it. Along the way, I had learned that the plan was to turn it into a full fledged series if it was well enough received. By the fifth episode, I was crossing my fingers that it would get picked up, (by the Network, not by aliens…), especially since it ended on kind of a cliffhanger.

“The 4400” refers to the number of people who come back. It is what they are called, at first by the government… then by the media… and eventually the populace at large. Needless to say their return causes quite stir. They all come from different eras, yet none of them have aged a bit; nor can they remember what happened to them. To make matters worse, some begin to demonstrate unusual powers and limited abilities to control them. All of these add up to trouble for “The 4400” as a group, eliciting mistrust and alienation (so to speak) from just about everyone.

As it worked in the five episodes that originally aired, it came across as somewhat of an anthology series focusing on different ‘returnees’ in each. There are a few crossover characters, whose link to the mystery as a whole appeared to be stronger than most, so they would show up in each episode bringing more and more pieces of the puzzle to light. They are aided by two Federal Agents, Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch) and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie).

The series offered some great storylines, which were punctuated by some really nice looking special effects. These effects were kept to a minimum, so it seems in order maximize the budget and deliver quality over quantity. This also served to make the series more character driven, than effects driven.

Once it was announced that there was going to be a 2nd season, there was a little bit of a celebration going on in our house because my wife had also loved those first five episodes and we were so used to quality programming equaling cancellation. "The 4400" became one of those few shows that we actually made the point to watch without waiting for an eventual DVD release. We tuned in to every episode of the 2nd season, in spite to the occasional airings of episodes out of order.

The 2nd season wisely continued with its approach to focus on different members of the returnees with each episode, mixing them in with a couple of continued plotlines that involved the more recognizable characters. In one of them, Agent Skouris decided (and was allowed) to adopt Maia (Conchita Campbell), a young returnee who has some extremely powerful precognitive powers. We also follow Richard (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali) and Lily (Laura Allen), who are on the run with their baby, Isabelle. You see, Lily became pregnant while she was an abductee and baby Isabelle appears to have some unusual powers of her own.

This week Paramount is releasing the full 12 episode run of “The 4400” on DVD in a 4-disc set. The first thing I noticed about this release while we were re-watching the episodes was how much better they looked on DVD than they did during their initial run on TV. The image is incredibly sharp and clear, and since the audio is re-mastered in 5.1 they sound better as well. (I did a little comparison between my TIVO'd versions the DVD and the difference is startling.)

Another plus to this set is that unlike the release of the 1st 'season', which had no extra features at all, this one has several features. As a matter of fact, three of the episodes ("As Fate Would Have It," "The Fifth Page" and "Mommy's Bosses") include commentaries by actors Gretsch, McKenzie and writer Craig Sweeney. They are joined by the show's executive producer and writer Ira Steven Behr. You'll also find a featurette ("Creating a Ball of Light"), where executive producers Scott Peters, Maira Suro, Perry Simon and (again) Ira Steven Behr talk in-depth about the initial creation of the series. This is followed by a slightly longer look at how the 2nd season came about, and what challenges had to be met by the writers and actors. Finally, there is a bit of a documentary that focuses on various theories of time travel.

“The 4400” is one of those underrated shows that deserve the opportunity to run long to allow the creators to tell the whole story. Too often great shows are canceled way too soon, leaving fans hanging. Let's hope this isn’t the fate set for this one. “The 4400” begins its 3rd season on USA on June 11th, so you still have time to pick up the DVD sets and catch up.

Episodes:
Wake-Up Call
Voices Carry
Weight of the World
Suffer the Children
As Fate Would Have It
Life Interrupted
Carrier
Rebirth
Hidden
Lockdown
The Fifth Page
Mommy's Bosses

Starring: Joel Gretsch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Peter Coyote
Extras: "Creating the Ball of Light" featurette, "Return of The 4400" featurette, A Stitch in Time" featurette, Commentary on select episodes by Jacqueline McKenzie, Joel Gretch, Craig Sweeny and Ira Steven Behr
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 5/30/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give The 4400: Season 2 a B+.