A hugely entertaining series!
I came pretty late to this series. My wife and I were looking for something to watch in the evenings of summer, when regular TV REALLY stinks. Not having cable, we've often resorted to picking up box sets, and have thoroughly enjoyed binging on shows as varied as SIX FEET UNDER and THE 4400. So we gave THE DEAD ZONE a try, and have really loved it. We're both huge fans of the original book and the terrific movie with Christopher Walken. But this Dead Zone is not really THAT Dead Zone...and that's okay. Many of the events (particularly in the Pilot) are from King's version...but they are not building to the tragic ending of the book...they are used to setup the ONGOING story of Johnny Smith the "Reluctant Psychic." In many ways, the show reminds me of X-FILES. It deals with supernatural (or at least unusual) happenings, with most episodes pretty much serving as stand-alone stories. Yet we also see the main characters evolve, and there is also an underlying "Mythology" of sorts that comes back from time to time. The ongoing story is hardly as complex as X-FILES...but it does give the series an underlying feeling of dread. I'm speaking the story line involving Smith and his relationship with an ultra-conservative church run by a minister who may or may not have Johnny's best interests in mind and a candidate for congress (Greg Stillson, also a character in King's book, but more fleshed out here). Season 1 just begins to touch on the Stillson story, but Johnny and the minister (David Ogden Stiers) have a lot of business. Anyway, there are lots of interpersonal dynamics that get played out during the course of the psychic visions Johnny has and feels compelled to act upon. What I really like is that the show never got predicatable. I would say EVERY episode had us saying..."Wow, that was a different spin" or "that was creative." The show never seems to coast or rest on any laurels. (This continues at least through the end of Season 2 as well...that's as far as we've watched so far.) The creativity is boundless. Anthony Michael Hall plays Johnny, and while he is not an obvious choice for the role, he makes it his own. His Johnny is quiet and just a touch unfriendly at times. But he never shirks his responsibility, and he has a sly sense of humor which lightens his dark demeanor just enough. Hall doesn't exactly give an Emmy-caliber performance...but he's solid and likeable and BELIEVABLE. That's so important. Everyone else in the cast is adequate. The actor who plays Smith's therapist and friend Bruce is the best...with good energy and a light touch. Johnny's former girlfriend (and mother of his child) Sarah tends to be a slightly annoying character and the actress playing her doesn't dig deep enough to show us the pain we should be seeing. The actor playing Sarah's husband, Sheriff Walt Bannerman is sometimes not quite up to the emotional work he's asked to do...but he is very likeable and comes across convincingly as a solid, upright, trustworthy guy. It makes me realize how we often don't see folks like this in TV shows. He's also torn by jealousy over what Sarah and Johnny once had...but also realizes that Johnny deserves a part in the lives of his family and that Johnny has also helped make his job a lot easier. He's Johnny's #1 advocate whenever the inevitable doubter comes in...first to stick up for the guy who is causing him a lot of emotional anguish. Anyway, I hope you get the idea that this is a rich show. Good, inventive stories and solid characters. It's made for cable, so the special effects aren't flashy (and the show almost never pushes for more than it can do convincingly...that makes me so happy!). For the most part, this is a family friendly show...except for one episode where Johnny has a particularly funny but mildly graphic one-night stand. If you're letting younger kids watch...just read the episode descriptions beforehand, and you'll easily spot the one I'm talking about. It's a good show, and quite simply, I highly recommend it. Read more