Amazon.com: The 4400: The Complete Series: Joel Gretsch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Mahershala Ali, Laura Allen, Patrick John Flueger, Chad Faust, Samantha Ferris, Conchita Campbell, Billy Campbell, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Lindy Booth, Aaron Lipstadt, Allison Liddi-Brown, Colin Bucksey, Craig Ross Jr., David Straiton, Douglas Petrie, Ernest R. Dickerson, Fred Toye: Movies & TV

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Season One

The 4400, which began as a five-week miniseries on the USA Network, is built around a deceptively simple, dramatically rich premise. What if all the people, who had ever been abducted by aliens, were suddenly returned to Earth? What would happen? Although they look exactly as they did when they left, they have no knowledge of where they were or why they were taken. Now some even have special powers, like clairvoyance. As with ABC's Lost, which centers on the survivors of a plane crash, The 4400 features a large cast of characters and a host of mysteries to be solved. If the special effects, which are kept to a minimum, can be a little cheesy at times, the concept--and the skillful execution of the concept--easily makes up for it. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope and created by Scott Peters (The Outer Limits), The 4400 is set in Seattle, where the 4400 are returned. The principal characters include Dennis Ryland (Peter Coyote of E.T.), the local supervisor of Homeland Security. He's joined by agents Tom Baldwin (Joel Gretsch of Taken), whose nephew was one of the returnees, and Diana Skouris (Jacqueline McKenzie of Romper Stomper), who takes in one of the youngest returnees.

Guest stars include Michael Moriarty (Law and Order) in "Pilot" and Lee Tergeson (Oz) in "Becoming." Billy Campbell (Once and Again) also appears in several episodes as Jordan Collier, a real-estate magnate and returnee who becomes an advocate for others like himself, many of whom are having problems adjusting to a changed world. Like Lost, one of the biggest success stories of 2004, The 4400 debuted to strong ratings and was renewed for a full season. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Season Two

A year has passed since 4400 abductees were returned to Earth (and six months since the original series ended). Richard (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), Lily (Laura Allen), and Isabelle are on the run from Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell) and others who would attempt to harm their child. Shawn (Patrick Flueger) has moved into Collier's cult-like 4400 Center. Then there are NTAC (National Threat Assessment Command) agents Diana (Jacqueline McKenzie) and Tom (Joel Gretsch). The former has officially adopted Maia (Conchita Campbell), while the latter is reunited with formerly comatose son Kyle (Chad Faust), Shawn's best friend. Almost everyone, returnees and otherwise, is changing. Jordan, for instance, is having more seizures (as a result of his first encounter with the eerie Isabelle), while Kyle is having blackouts. Along the way, new characters are introduced, like mute mental patient Kevin (Jeffrey Combs, Re-Animator), who regains the ability to talk, thanks to Tess (Summer Glau, Serenity), the only returnee who can recall what happened to her. Others include Diana's sister April (Natasha Gregson Wagner), Jordan’s pal Matthew (Garret Dillahunt, Deadwood), and former NTAC supervisor Dennis Ryland (Peter Coyote), who returns to the fold. Guest stars include E.R.'s Sharif Atkins ("Voices Carry"), Star Trek: Voyager's Robert Picardo ("Weight of the World"), and Twin Peaks' Sherilyn Fenn ("Carrier"). The season will end much as the miniseries began, with the 4400 being released from another quarantine, setting the scene for the next year. Although the first set was a barebones release, the second features commentary from McKenzie, Gretsch, writer Craig Sweeny, and writer/producer Ira Steven Behr. --Kathleen C Fennessy

Season Three

Season two of The 4400 ended not with one, but two shockers. First, baby Isabelle turned into a 20-year-old overnight (now played by Megalyn Echikunwoke). Then, it was revealed that Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell), who was believed dead, is still alive. The third year begins with more surprises. While Isabelle was aging, so was her mother, Lily (Tippi Hedren, replacing Laura Allen), who fast-forwards several decades. Suffice to say, her husband, Richard (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), is not pleased. Also, the Nova Group, a splinter organization within the 4400, has started to eliminate those they perceive as their enemies—including their own. The 4400's third season was widely considered its weakest, but solid ratings justified a fourth. The pace doesn't pick up until Jordan's return--in real life, Campbell took off 13 months to sail the world--but the concept and the characters remain intriguing. For instance, Shawn (Patrick Flueger), head of the 4400 Center, embarks on a relationship with Isabelle, while his uncle, NTAC agent Tom (Joel Gretsch), gets bad news about wife Alana (Karina Lombard) and good news about son Kyle (Chad Faust). Dennis Ryland (Peter Coyote), meanwhile, moves from the NTAC into the private sector where he continues to micro-manage the 4400.

Recurring characters include Gary Navarro (Sharif Atkins), who joins the Nova Group, Dr. Burkoff (Jeffrey Combs), who injects himself with promicin--the mysterious substance associated with the 4400--and the sympathetic Tess (Summer Glau), who assists in his attempt to see if he can develop similar powers. Guest stars include Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact) as a woman with a special interest in Diana's adopted daughter Maia ("Gone") and Brian Dennehy (Cocoon) as Tom's father ("Blink"). As with season two, three features commentary from the cast and crew plus a trio of featurettes. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Season Four

There's nothing like a psych-out to shake things up. In The 4400's fourth season opener, everyone has taken the medicine Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell) distributed in year three, and all's right with the world. Then he wakes up from his dream. In truth, promicin helps some and harms others. Soon, Shawn (Patrick Flueger) emerges from his coma and Isabelle (Megalyn Echikunwoke), who tried to kill him, escapes from prison. As for NTAC, agents Tom (Joel Gretsch) still mourns the missing Alana, while Diana (Jacqueline McKenzie) returns to work when she finds out her sister, April (Natasha Gregson Wagner), has taken the shot. As the season continues, promicin-related strangeness accelerates, like the outcast (Cameron Bright) who becomes a messiah--and insists his followers only listen to TV on the radio--or the librarian (Constance Towers) who can astral project. An attractive new NTAC supervisor, Meghan Doyle (Jenni Baird), joins Tom and Diana to monitor the positives and those they affect, including Tom's son, Kyle (Chad Faust), who helps Collier establish Seattle's Promise City, an all-positive community. As ever, shades of grey dominate, and anyone can change at any time. Even an NTAC agent can become one of the Marked.

The fourth year ends with a viral outbreak, followed by the death of a key character. For the most part, though, the conclusion holds out hope for relations between the positives and the rest of the population--if they can stop the Marked in time. Because the USA Network chose not to renew the show, some questions may never be answered. Fortunately, The 4400 went out with both humor and heart. Extra features include deleted scenes, featurettes, a blooper reel, and commentary from creator Scott Peters on "Till We Have Built Jerusalem" and the director's cut of finalé "The Great Leap Forward." --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Product Description

When 4400 alien abductees return to earth just as mysteriously as they vanished, the Department of Homeland Security demands answers. But even more pressing than the concerns of the government are the experiences of the victims as they readjust to life on earth. Upon their return, these formerly missing persons lose all memory of what happened to them. Though they can't remember where they've been, they are haunted by the knowledge that their experiences have changed them. Operating in a cloud of unknowns, the victims start to go through mysterious changes, gaining powers that they can't always control. This collection presents all four seasons of the sci-fi series.

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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful

An Unforgetable Show January 20, 2009

By M. Stanley

A/N: I will not critique "Heroes", nor try to compare that show with this one!

That said, "The 4400." is one of those rare sci-fi shows that not only grabs you with it's cool mythology, but also keeps you interested by investing in the charaters and how they are adapting to the near impossible experience of 4400 people being abducted over the eriod of 60 years and all of the sudden reappearing on a beach one fateful night.

In a brief overvew, the shows focuses on two government agents (Tom and Diana) and how they must handle the above mentioned event, from "freak of the week" events to harboring 4400's themselves. The show, like many other reviewers have noted, flew too low under the radar and never got the audience it deserved.

With that sid, here's an oveview of the seasons:
Season 1: a little short b/c the show was supposed to be a mini-series. It sets up the basic mythology of the show, and gets the audience ready for the task of living with these 4400 abductees/returnees. 4/5 (becuase its short)

Season 2: The show really takes off with this season. The storyline is et up nicely, with some significant plot development (ripple effects, government conspiracies, and future predictions, too wet your curiosity). The cast is amazing, and you really get to see each main character's lives fleshed out. 5/5

Season 3: This season falls a little short from the awesome dynamics of S2. The main stroyline is drawn on, and the progression of the overall story is slowed. The big issue: promicin! But, still the season is worth a watch. 3/5

Season 4: This season goes back to the characterization and plot development of S2, and really begins to discuss the effects of promicin and how it will affect the lives of 4400's and on-4400s. The cast is exceptional this season, and all the development we've seen from some characters for the last 3 seasons really reaches it peak. 5/5

The show was unfortunately cancelled, and for those who watch the show i couldn't have come at a worse time, as the S4 cliffhanger will leave you wondering "what next?"

The show is definately worth your while if you ahve not seen the show previously, or wrote it off as another "sci-fi show"

p.s.--no comment on the extras, as they are the same from the individual dvd seasons, except for the "ghost" season disc, which is a nice present to loyal fans!

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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful

A MUST HAVE October 28, 2008

By Matt

The 4400 was, in my opinion, one of the best shows ever on television. It had a fantastic cast and wonderful plot lines and plot twists. If you don't know anything about the series, it's basically about 4400 who went missing and returned (all at once) with new and interesting abilities. From there, the story changes SO much. Each season always ends with a huge reveal and a big game changer for the next season and overall scope of the series.

In my opinion, the second and fourth seasons were the strongest, followed by the first season (which was only a mini-series) and then the third season, which was my least favorite. With this set, every season is included and I suggest you watch them all in order because each episode builds on the last.

Although some of the plot lines in the third season were not my favorite, it was still much stronger than many other shows out there. The 4400 may be rooted in science-fiction, but it's so much deeper and more character oriented.

If you haven't seen this series, or are just hearing about it, please give it a try and buy this set. I promise you it will not disappoint. Some of the reviews say that the finale is a let down because it ends with a cliff-hanger. While that may be true in part, the series finale was actually one of the most exciting and interesting episodes of the whole series and really summed things up nicely, while still leaving questions open to the imagination.

If you already have the seasons on DVD and are wondering about getting this for the extras, it's really up to you. The only disappointment is that the discs are exactly the same as the ones from the previous sets. There is nothing altered about them- the menus, and even disc graphics have not changed at all. It's in a nice box and the bonus disc has some nice extras, but it comes down to if the extras are worth the price of the whole series. While different disc graphics and menus would have been nice, I cannot take off a 1/2 a star because the series itself is far too good. Give it a try!

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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

A Show Not Given the Audience It Deserved September 30, 2008

By Rebecca H. Parker

Being one of those (unfortunately) rare viewers of "The 4400", I was struck with a sense of deja vu when watching this series - I had seen something very similar before. But the odd thing was, as I had caught the series on DVD, that I had seen it before on something that had come after - "Heroes". While that show was a huge hit, "The 4400" lingered in somewhat obscurity. Both dealt with ordinary humans with extraordinary abilities. But where genetics came into play with "Heroes", it was abduction that gave "The 4400" their powers. This was a great series with fun ideas - some, unfortunately never truly realized - whether the "ripples" of season one, or the series cliffhanger where the powers go further than ever before. This is one of those shows that, if you're a fan, it's kind of like you're in on a secret, because it never got the attention it deserved.

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