The 4400

[Grok]

Originally Posted by speedbump

p.s. anyone know how this show did ratings wise?

The finale finished first for basic cable shows.

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By The Associated Press

Rankings for the top 15 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Aug. 2-8. Each ratings point represents 1,084,000 households. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses.

1. "The 4400," (Sunday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.9, 4.2 million homes.

2. "Monk" (Friday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.6, 3.9 million homes.

3. "WWE Raw Zone" (Monday, 10 p.m.), Spike, 3.1, 3.4 million homes.

4. "The Dead Zone" (Sunday, 10 p.m.), USA, 3.0, 3.2 million homes.

5. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), Spike, 2.9, 3.2 million homes.

6. "Law & Order" (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), TNT, 2.8, 2.99 million homes

7. "Futurama" (Thursday, 11:30 .m.), Cartoon Network, 2.7, 2.89 million homes.

8. "Family Guy" (Wednesday, 11 p.m.), Cartoon Network, 2.7, 2.88 million homes.

9. "Fairly Odd Parents (Sunday, 10:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.6, 2.87 million homes.

10. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Sunday, 9:30 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.6, 2.8 million homes.

11. "The 4400" (Sunday, 8 p.m.), USA, 2.5, 2.76 million homes.

12. "Nip/Tuck" (Tuesday, 10 p.m.), FX, 2.5, 2.73 million homes.

13. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 3 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.5, 2.72 million homes.

14. "SpongeBob SquarePants" (Monday, 2:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.5, 2.71 million homes.

15. "Fairly Odd Parents (Sunday, 10 a.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.5, 2.70 million homes.

[Google]

 

[speedbump]

Thanks Grok for the update.

Hopefully this should give a clear signal to USA that they should run a second season.

[Grok]

Yeah, looks like USA was planning to bring it back all along. Just found this article on TV Guide Online. It's by Matt Roush in his Dispatch column.

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August 10, 2004
When is a miniseries not a miniseries? When it's a backdoor pilot, which is clearly what USA Network's six-hour experiment The 4400 was always intended to be. Thankfully, the test run of The 4400 was a significant hit for the cable network, which will almost certainly bring it back in some form — either as a weekly series, or in sequel format as another limited-run batch of episodes.

Ever since the open-ended finale aired on Sunday, I've been getting e-mails from viewers, a number of whom felt burned by USA's misleading marketing. I agree it would have been enormously frustrating to have so many plot points unresolved if this had been the sum total of the story. But almost from the beginning, as the provocative premise unfolded — 4400 human abductees who had been spirited away over the course of more than a half-century have returned all at once to Earth — it was clear this couldn't be contained within a mere six-hour format.

The finale had a great twist, as we learned that the 4400 weren't victims of alien abduction but had been taken into the future and brought back to avoid an impending catastrophe. Where this all leads remains to be seen, to be played out in future chapters. And a baby who was conceived during the 4400's time away is about to be born. What is its role in what's to come? Why were the trees bending toward the car as it sped away to bring the child into the world? We'll have to wait to find out.

Some are accusing USA of having hedged its bets in case the show didn't connect with the audience, feeling The 4400 should have been billed more clearly as the first part of an ongoing epic. I'm just glad the network went for it. Whenever it comes back, we'll be ready.

The situation's a little murkier with TNT's The Grid, which ended its limited run Monday night with suspenseful terrorist manhunts on three continents and plenty of ticking-clock suspense as it built to an alternately tragic and triumphant conclusion. The heroes won some, lost some in a chilling, intelligent espionage thriller with a much less ambiguous finish than The 4400. A Grid II is in development, and could easily return with more stories played out on a multi-episode canvas. The Grid could be TNT's version of HBO's The Wire (set to return next month), just as The 4400 could grow to become USA's X-Files.

Whatever happens, both series were high points of a busy TV summer, proving again that the audience's appetite for provocative scripted entertainment hasn't entirely vanished during this berserk tidal wave of reality.

[Nena902]

I think the whole strategy was ingenius if you ask me.

[LilLisaLou]

Originally Posted by Nena902

I think the whole strategy was ingenius if you ask me.

I don't know. Now that we know the big "secret" it's just the lives left to watch and unfold. I wish they had teased the secret out until a real series began and actually told us that there would be a new season.

[Grok]

USA Network has officially renewed The 4400. It will be a full season series - at least by HBO/FX standards - with 13 episodes to air next Summer. Production will start in March, though original cast is not yet signed. Here's the link: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=6835, with article posted below.

Also, according to TV Tome and Amazon, the Season 1 DVD will be released on December 21, 2004.

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The 4400 Continues Next Summer
Source: Variety, October 20, 2004


USA Network has officially given the greenlight to a second season for top-rated sci-fi drama The 4400, reports Variety. The channel has ordered 13 new episodes that will premiere during the Summer of 2005.

In the series, from Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola's production company, American Zoetrope, thousands of people have gone missing over the last century. Suddenly and inexplicably, 4400 missing people are returned all at once, as they were on the day they vanished. Unclear what this world altering-event means, the government investigates the 4400 to piece together where they've been and why they've been returned. It quickly becomes apparent that their presence will change the human race in ways no one could have ever foreseen.

The first season's premiere delivered 7.4 million viewers in July, setting the record for highest-rated launch among all of basic cable.

USA is in the process of closing deals to bring back most of the original ensemble and that a casting announcement would be forthcoming.

[speedbump]

That's great news Grok! Thirteen episodes: that's even better! Although I wish it would come on sooner, I'm glad I'll have something to fill my summer tv schedule.

[Catt]

Great news!! I really enjoyed this show. Good to know there will be something new to look forward to next summer.

[ToothDoc]

I saw a commercial earlier today for The 4400. The show will be back on June 5th.

wooohooo


toothdoc

[speedbump]

I'm glad you resurrected this thread, toothdoc. I saw one as well. I can't wait. For the Lost fans who will be depressed that their season is over, this is a good alternative.