Who are the 4400?

A better question would be, "How come I didn't start watching this earlier?"

This show made a tiny blip on my radar last year, but didn't really stick (it also didn't help that I had a very changing schedule last summer, and couldn't regularly watch TV). But this summer I decided that I would start watching it, and this weekend I did.

Basically, this show has everything that I love in TV. Compelling characters, writers and producers who aren't afraid to kill of main characters (making any suspense they create more real), and (most importantly) philosophical issues in every episode. Let me tell you a little about it:

The premise of the show is that since about 1940, people have been disappearing from all over the globe. Then, all of a sudden, they all reappeared in a big ball of light at the base of Mt. Reiner. None of them have aged a day, and they can't remember a thing that happened while they were gone.

So obviously, the first idea (since the ball of light came from space) is aliens. And this isn't put to rest any when some of them start to develop pretty awesome powers. The great thing, though, is that the show isn't technically about the 4400, it's about two NTAC (National Threat Assesment Center, part of Homeland Security) agents who have to investigate these people. Of course, it's not that simple, and these two agents find themselves tied up pretty tightly into the lives of many 4400. So there's action (they're basically the equivalent of FBI agents), Sci-Fi elements, philosophy (especially later they get into matter of ethics - or I could just be reading into it), and interesting characters who have to learn to deal with all sorts of new situations. And because of the nature of the people taken, it's not all about adults learning to deal, there's also teenagers and even kids. And did I mention that the writers aren't afraid to mess people up (emotionally, physically, relationshiply) and even kill them.

I think this might be taking the place of Alias. Too bad it's only on during the summer and has really short seasons. But oh well, I suppose it's a start.