Just wanted to get your ...
The 4400
Question: Just wanted to get your thoughts on
The 4400's second season and see if you knew anything about a third season. I thought the second season was pretty darn good for a sophomore season as well as being the show's first elongated one. Many shows seem to have trouble their second year, including
Roswell,
Felicity,
The O.C. and many others. Do you have any scoop on how the show did in ratings? What are the chances that it will be back next year? If so, when?
Answer: As of this writing, there's no confirmed deal on a third season, but that's just a formality.
The 4400 will be back, probably next June. It wasn't quite the ratings sensation of a year ago, but it's solid. Unlike some USA and Sci Fi series, which split their seasons between summer and winter, this batch of
4400 was (literally) all they wrote, and there won't be new episodes until next summer at the earliest.
As for the season itself, I thought it was hit-or-miss as it went on. In some ways, it was more like a first than a second season, or more accurately a sequel, because the initial six episodes were in effect a miniseries (and that's how they're being regarded at the Emmys this year). The miniseries was gripping in large part because we didn't know the origin of the 4400's abductions. The series itself suffered because that mystery had been revealed, and it took a while for the show to develop interesting plots beyond the freak-of-the-week. Plus, the limitations of much of the core cast became more obvious as the show dragged on. The reaction I got was mixed throughout. Example: Miriam wrote in to say she "only began absolutely loving it after the alternate-life episode in which Karina Lombard's character was introduced." Whereas Jean H. wrote in to ask, "Has The 4400 lost its edge since it became a series rather than the miniseries it was? I find some of the episodes rather inane and this 'alternate reality wife' or whatever of Tom's is downright stupid." I can't say I understand (or care to) when it comes to who's controlling who in the 4400 universe, but I was intrigued by the fact that in the finale many of the 4400 have had their abilities suppressed by the government and only in the third season are they likely to reach their potential. I'm not sure what I think of the final twists — miracle-baby Isabelle grows up suddenly (as a nudist?) and Jordan Collier isn't dead after all (a copout?) — but I imagine I'll be tuning back in next year.
