The CW ~ 4400 ~ Tonight

SERIES PREMIERE

9/8c

Not the first sci-fi/fantasy show that comes to mind when you think “reboot,” USA’s cult series from 2004-07 returns with a new contemporary feel and a more diverse cast. The set-up is somewhat the same: 4400 people of all backgrounds who suddenly vanished over the last century inexplicably return en masse in 2021 Detroit, falling from the sky like so much space debris. For them, no time has passed (shades of Manifest), whether they’re an activist from the civil-rights era or a doctor from 1920s Harlem—or a budding lawyer and new mom who vanished just 16 years earlier. As the government tries to figure out just what’s up with these time refugees, they’re kept in captivity by not-always-friendly guards. What they all have in common is they’re from disenfranchised or marginalized groups, and they seem to have developed strange gifts like automatic healing during their absence. Too bad the thuddingly mediocre execution doesn’t live up to the provocative high concept. The CW will likely keep it around for multiple seasons anyway