Take 4 TV: 4400 Home Movies
The 4400: Season One (2004)
The Premise: Over the course of the past 70 years or so, people from all over the world have been vanishing under mysterious circumstances. One evening, on the shores of a secluded mountain lake outside modern-day Seattle, 4400 of these missing people reappear in a burst of light from the sky, not having aged a year since their respective disappearances and with no memory of where they've been...some having been gone decades, some having been gone only a year or two. As "The 4400" (a name given them by the media) adjust to life in today's world, they must fight fear and discrimination...while trying to understand the newfound powers that some of them seem to be developing.
Familiar Faces: The cast is led by two government investigators, played by Jacqueline McKenzie and Joel Gretsch...neither of whom I've seen in anything before. Their boss, however, is played by Peter Coyote, who you'd likely recognize (he was in both E.T. and Erin Brockovich). The only other person I recognized was Mark Valley (of Boston Legal and FOX's short-lived Keen Eddie), who has a small role in Season One.
Random Trivia: When the producers were conceiving the series, the secret of who had abducted the 4400 was supposed to be revealed during the fifth season. USA had picked the show up as a miniseries and wanted it to have some resolution, so the secret was instead revealed in the fifth episode.
And I Quote: Shawn Farrell: [Revisiting the mountain lake with a friend] "Me and 4,399 of my closest friends popped out of a ball of light right about here."
Curt's Take: Must See - I wasn't completely sure what to expect with this series, but had heard good things, so was looking forward to it. First off, I was surprised that the first season was only five episodes long, but with a LOT explained in the final episode of the first season (see above), it got me hooked and ready to watch Season Two. Because of this, Season One almost felt like more of a prologue, setting up what is likely to happen and be explored in the next season, and it was a great decision not to drag out the mystery (are you readinig this, J.J. Abrams?) of what happened to the missing 4400 people. It's so rare to have a TV series deliver you answers (rather than more questions), that this was a welcome change of pace...and it still left lots of room for story development. I don't want to give too much away, but just recommend at least checking out Season One (again, it's only five episodes)...it's enough sci-fi to satisfy everyone's inner geek, but not so much that it'll turn you off if that's not your cup of tea. Hell, even the opening credits are catchy. The storytelling is great, and the way Season One ends just leaves your mind swimming with what Season Two holds in store.
The Premise: Over the course of the past 70 years or so, people from all over the world have been vanishing under mysterious circumstances. One evening, on the shores of a secluded mountain lake outside modern-day Seattle, 4400 of these missing people reappear in a burst of light from the sky, not having aged a year since their respective disappearances and with no memory of where they've been...some having been gone decades, some having been gone only a year or two. As "The 4400" (a name given them by the media) adjust to life in today's world, they must fight fear and discrimination...while trying to understand the newfound powers that some of them seem to be developing.
Familiar Faces: The cast is led by two government investigators, played by Jacqueline McKenzie and Joel Gretsch...neither of whom I've seen in anything before. Their boss, however, is played by Peter Coyote, who you'd likely recognize (he was in both E.T. and Erin Brockovich). The only other person I recognized was Mark Valley (of Boston Legal and FOX's short-lived Keen Eddie), who has a small role in Season One.
Top Plot Keywords: Teen; Police; Supernatural Powers; Suburbia; Seattle, WA
Random Trivia: When the producers were conceiving the series, the secret of who had abducted the 4400 was supposed to be revealed during the fifth season. USA had picked the show up as a miniseries and wanted it to have some resolution, so the secret was instead revealed in the fifth episode.
And I Quote: Shawn Farrell: [Revisiting the mountain lake with a friend] "Me and 4,399 of my closest friends popped out of a ball of light right about here." Curt's Take: Must See - I wasn't completely sure what to expect with this series, but had heard good things, so was looking forward to it. First off, I was surprised that the first season was only five episodes long, but with a LOT explained in the final episode of the first season (see above), it got me hooked and ready to watch Season Two. Because of this, Season One almost felt like more of a prologue, setting up what is likely to happen and be explored in the next season, and it was a great decision not to drag out the mystery (are you readinig this, J.J. Abrams?) of what happened to the missing 4400 people. It's so rare to have a TV series deliver you answers (rather than more questions), that this was a welcome change of pace...and it still left lots of room for story development. I don't want to give too much away, but just recommend at least checking out Season One (again, it's only five episodes)...it's enough sci-fi to satisfy everyone's inner geek, but not so much that it'll turn you off if that's not your cup of tea. Hell, even the opening credits are catchy. The storytelling is great, and the way Season One ends just leaves your mind swimming with what Season Two holds in store.
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The Premise: Eight-year-old Brendan Small lives with his single mom and baby sister, deals with the daily trials of elementary school and soccer practice, and is otherwise like any other young kid you might run into in your neighborhood...except for his obsession with making movies using homemade props, his close friends Melissas and Jason, and his handy-dandy camcorder.
Familiar Faces: Well, this is an animated series, so what voices might you recognize? The big one for me was comedienne Paula Poundstone, who plays Brendon's mom in the opening six episodes (but who is later replaced by another voice actress). As for the regular voices, didn't really recognize any of them.
Top Plot Keywords: Single Mother; Soccer; Home Movie; Soccer Coach; Squiggle Vision
Random Trivia: Only aired six episodes in its original UPN run. When it was picked up by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in 2001, seven more "squigglevision" episodes from the original season were aired before transferring to Flash for the new seasons.
And I Quote: Melissa Robbins: "Coach McGuirk, what's the matter? You don't look so good. Are you on another bender?" Coach McGuirk: "Where'd you learn that word, Melissa?" Melissa Robbins: "From you." Coach McGuirk: "Oh, right."
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - This got a lot of acclaim, and was on in 1999 on UPN and from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. As for me...I just couldn't get into it. I've got a new rule of thumb where I'll give any television series a chance to impress me over the course of four episodes...and if I'm not hooked by then, I'm gone. American Gothic violated the "four strikes" rule when I reviewed, and (sadly) Home Movies also struck out. I'd seen this type of animation before ("squigglevision"), and it is somewhat painful to watch, and I didn't find the writing (some of it improvised, if I understand correctly) that compelling or entertaining. Maybe it was all in the presentation...hard to say. Regardless, there are folks out there who rave about this, but I just couldn't get into it. It wasn't so bad that it would earn a Run in Fear rating, and the only thing I somewhat enjoyed about it was Paula Poundstone's presence...and from reading about the show, I found that she only was on for the first six episodes. So...skip it, I say.
Home Movies: Season One (1999)
The Premise: Eight-year-old Brendan Small lives with his single mom and baby sister, deals with the daily trials of elementary school and soccer practice, and is otherwise like any other young kid you might run into in your neighborhood...except for his obsession with making movies using homemade props, his close friends Melissas and Jason, and his handy-dandy camcorder.
Familiar Faces: Well, this is an animated series, so what voices might you recognize? The big one for me was comedienne Paula Poundstone, who plays Brendon's mom in the opening six episodes (but who is later replaced by another voice actress). As for the regular voices, didn't really recognize any of them.
Top Plot Keywords: Single Mother; Soccer; Home Movie; Soccer Coach; Squiggle Vision
Random Trivia: Only aired six episodes in its original UPN run. When it was picked up by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in 2001, seven more "squigglevision" episodes from the original season were aired before transferring to Flash for the new seasons.
And I Quote: Melissa Robbins: "Coach McGuirk, what's the matter? You don't look so good. Are you on another bender?" Coach McGuirk: "Where'd you learn that word, Melissa?" Melissa Robbins: "From you." Coach McGuirk: "Oh, right."
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - This got a lot of acclaim, and was on in 1999 on UPN and from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. As for me...I just couldn't get into it. I've got a new rule of thumb where I'll give any television series a chance to impress me over the course of four episodes...and if I'm not hooked by then, I'm gone. American Gothic violated the "four strikes" rule when I reviewed, and (sadly) Home Movies also struck out. I'd seen this type of animation before ("squigglevision"), and it is somewhat painful to watch, and I didn't find the writing (some of it improvised, if I understand correctly) that compelling or entertaining. Maybe it was all in the presentation...hard to say. Regardless, there are folks out there who rave about this, but I just couldn't get into it. It wasn't so bad that it would earn a Run in Fear rating, and the only thing I somewhat enjoyed about it was Paula Poundstone's presence...and from reading about the show, I found that she only was on for the first six episodes. So...skip it, I say.
posted by Curt at 10:21 PM
1 Comments:
I've been watching the 4400 since it started. It's definitely a good summer TV filler show. The current season is drifting a little bit, but it's still a good show, with some interesting stuff going on.
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