This Forgotten Sci-Fi Series That Was Once “One of the Best Shows on TV” Is Now Streaming Free

A forgotten sci-fi series that was once called “one of the best things on television” by many fans more than two decades ago has returned to thrill audiences on free streaming. Released in 2004, the show in question was produced in part by Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, and created by Scott Peters and René Echevarria. Airing on the USA Network, it started off strong thanks to its compelling hook and excellent performances, but was unfortunately the victim of circumstance four seasons into its run, which led to its early cancellation.

Titled The 4400, the sci-fi series focuses on a group of 4,400 people who went missing at different points in the 20th century, and mysteriously reappear all at once unchanged, and with no memory of where they’ve been. Viewers hungry for long story arcs and deep mythology were instantly hooked on The 4400 thanks to its unique premise, which blended science fiction with emotional drama to create something that felt fresh. It also helped that the series came just three years after 9/11 and managed to tap into society’s fears about terrorism and government overreach; two themes that were prevalent through much of the show.

Starring the likes of Joel Gretsch, Jacqueline McKenzie, Mahershala Ali, Patrick Flueger, Chad Faust, Laura Allen, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Brroke Nevin, and Peter Coyote, The 4400 was, sadly, one of those shows that viewers never got closure on. After four seasons, it was canceled mainly due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, but its declining ratings certainly didn’t help matters much either. As such, it ended on a major cliffhanger, and left many plot points unresolved. The official synopsis for the series reads:

“What appears to be a comet slows, hovers and stops, then bursts forth to reveal 4,400 people who were presumed dead or missing over the past 50 years. They look exactly the same as the moment they disappeared, but some of the returnees now have special powers. After one of the 4,400 commits a murder, a special division of the Homeland Security Department is formed to monitor them.”

Fans and Critics Had Nothing But Praise for ‘The 4400’

Peter Coyote in The 4400

USA Network

Now streaming for free on Tubi, The 4400 is definitely worth your time even knowing that it ends with many of its questions unanswered. For a cable series, it wasn’t groundbreaking by any means, but it definitely helped push the wave of serialized, mythology-heavy shows like LOST and Battlestar Galactica into the spotlight. Critics thought so, too, as The 4400 holds a commanding 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “Shows about alien abduction are an acquired taste,” wrote Alessandra Stanley from the New York Times in their review, adding:

“The 4400 has the good sense to keep aliens and abduction abstract and concentrate on ordinary people struggling to understand the unexplainable.”

Fans also had nothing but good things to say about the show, as is evident by its respectable Popcornmeter score of 86%. In addition to being called “one of the best things on television” back in the day, others deemed The 4400 “intriguing,” “strong,” and “enjoyable.”

Release Date: 2004 – 2007
Network: USA Network
Directors: Vincent Misiano, Leslie Libman, Nick Copus, Colin Bucksey, Allison Liddi-Brown, Nick Gomez, Morgan Beggs, Aaron Lipstadt, Craig Ross Jr., David Straiton, Douglas Petrie, Ernest R. Dickerson, Fred Toye, Helen Shaver, John Behring, Michael W. Watkins, Milan Cheylov, Oz Scott, Tim Hunter, Tony Westman
Writers: Amy Berg, Bruce Miller, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Andrew Colville, Michael Narducci, Darcy Meyers, Mark Kruger, Nick Wauters, René Echevarria