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Dead Zone Cancelled
Just what I was afraid of. Now the series is left incomplete, the Stillson/Armageddon story line unresolved. >:(
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Lilja
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After months of speculation, USA has officially canceled veteran sci-fi dramas "The Dead Zone" and "The 4400."
Although things didn't look good for the two series because they are older and expensive to make, during the past several months the cable network looked for ways to bring them back. But it ultimately opted to end their run.
"We wish we could keep all our great shows alive forever," said Jeff Wachtel, executive vp original programming at USA. "But we feel we need to give some of our new shows a platform to grow, and it's with great sadness that we say goodbye to two shows that had a great run and helped create the resurgence of original programming on our network and on all of cable."
"Dead Zone," which ran for six seasons, and "4400," which was on for four, had aired as a sci-fi-themed block Sunday night.
"4400" creator/exec producer Scott Peters broke the cancellation news on the show's fan message board.
"We've had a great time bringing you this story and submersing you in the lives of all these incredible characters," he wrote. "I wish we could go on forever, but the party has come to an end."
"Dead Zone," along with "Monk," put USA on the original programming map when they launched in summer 2002.
Based on Stephen King's characters, "Dead Zone," was created by the late Michael Piller and his son Shawn. Its premiere set a record for a series debut on basic cable with 6.4 million viewers.
The record was broken two years later by the opening of "4400" (7.4 million), which launched as a limited series.
In addition to "Monk," USA's slate of original series includes "Psych," "Burn Notice" and the upcoming "In Plain Sight" and "To Love and Die."
"There's talk about it," Hall said during an interview to promote the just-released DVD set The Dead Zone: The Final Season. "I don't think we had the size of a cult following that, let's say, The X-Files did. You look at Sex and the City or The X-Files, these movies were done long after the shows pumped out their last episodes."
Interestingly, The Dead Zone had a previous incarnation as a 1983 feature film, which starred Christopher Walken as Smith. Some shots of the Dead Zone TV pilot appear to have been borrowed from that film, though the TV show introduced new characters and departed greatly from the movie's premise. Both TV show and movie were based on Stephen King's book of the same name.
In any case, Hall said that he remains grateful for his chance to do the show. "I would certainly be open to the potential for [a reunion feature]," he said. "I would never turn my back on what [the show's late producer] Michael Piller did for me. He gave me this incredible opportunity. When I look back at [my] career, I view him and John Hughes as almost guardian angels of my career."
Piller handpicked Hall to play Smith after watching him play Bill Gates in the cable-television movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. "He and his son, Shawn, were great partners, along with [co-executive producer] Lloyd Segan," Hall said. "These guys, we made it a family affair. ... So I was grateful for the experience, and I would certainly entertain it if they wanted to pursue a film. Am I optimistic about it? Not really, but I certainly wouldn't turn my back on the opportunity." (USA Network is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.) --Ian Spelling