Ball of Light Flickers Out: USA Cancels "The 4400" and "The Dead Zone"

Following a post made yesterday by The 4400 creator Scott Peters on a USA message board, the cabler has confirmed that it has officially canceled sci-fi dramas The 4400 and The Dead Zone.

The move comes after months of speculation about the fates of both long-lived series; the season finale of The 4400 wrapped up several seasons' worth of storylines while leaving its plot somewhat open-ended. However, this writer clearly felt that USA had seen the writing on the wall (along with the giant mural of Jordan Collier) and was putting the genre series out to pasture.

"We wish we could keep all our great shows alive forever," said USA's Jeff Wachtel, EVP of original programming. "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."

The Dead Zone, which wrapped its sixth season, and The 4400, which ended its fourth, aired on USA as part of a sci-fi themed Sunday night block of programming that did seem conspicuously different from its mystery dramedies like Monk, Burn Notice, and Psych.

"We've had a great time bringing you this story and submersing you in the lives of all these incredible characters," creator Scott Peters wrote in a post on USA's message board. "I wish we could go on forever, but the party has come to an end."

To the cast and crew of this underrated gem, thanks for the gripping plots, memorable characters, and unexpected twists over the last four seasons. While I might be the minority, I will definitely miss The 4400. Dare I wish that one day we'll get a two-hour telepic to wrap up the saga completely?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(CBS); Clash of the Choirs (NBC); Smallville (CW); Duel (ABC); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS); My Name is Earl/30 Rock (NBC); Supernatural (CW); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); Don't Forget the Lyrics (FOX)

10 pm: Without a Trace (CBS); The Office (NBC); Private Practice (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9:30 pm: 30 Rock.

On tonight's repeat episode ("SeinfeldVision"), Liz returns from hiatus and continues to do battle with Jack, whose latest scheme involves insert clips from Seinfeld into new NBC programming; Liz deals with her feelings about breaking up with Floyd; Jenna's weight gain shocks the staff of TGS.

10 pm: The Office.

On tonight's repeat episode ("Fun Run"), Michael believes the Dunder-Mifflin Scranton offices are cursed after a freak accident in the parking lot and hosts a charity 5K run to draw attention to Meredith's rabies.