USA Network’s “The Dead Zone” sixth season keeps intriguing

By Stone Martindale Jul 15, 2007, 3:32 GMT

Anthony Michael Hall - © Scott Alan / Photorazzi

The hit series “The Dead Zone” continues USA Network’s excellence in programming. 

The series stars Anthony Michael Hall as it launched its sixth broadcast season on USA Network Sunday, June 17 at 10:00PM/9:00 Central.

The show is based on characters from the eponymous Stephen King novel, the powerful drama returns with intriguing stories and surprising new twists.

Equal parts psychological thriller, action, romance, with paranormal tinged adventure features Anthony Michael Hall as as Johnny Smith, who continues his quest for justice after being injured in a near-fatal car crash.

Smith emerged from a six-year coma with psychic powers that allow him to see into the past and future through visions triggered by touch.

The ensemble cast includes Nicole deBoer (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) as Johnny’s former fiancée, Sarah; Chris Bruno (“Another World”) as Sarah’s husband, Sheriff Walt Bannerman; Connor Price (“Cinderella Man”) as Sarah and Walt’s son, J.J. Bannerman; John L. Adams (“Pacific Blue”) as Johnny’s best friend Bruce; Sean Patrick Flanery (“Dead Lawyers”) as Johnny’s archenemy, Greg Stillson; Martin Donovan (“Weeds”) as Malcolm Janus, the mastermind behind Stillson’s rise to national power; and David Ogden Stiers (“Curse of the Jade Scorpion”) as ambitious televangelist Reverend Purdy. Cara Buono (“The Sopranos”) joins the cast as Anna Turner, Cleaves Mills’ newest law enforcement officer.

The season premiere featured Johnny enjoying the company of his extended family when he was rocked by the first in a series of visions involving friends in peril.

Walt (Bruno) is preoccupied with an investigation he’s been concealing from everyone including Sarah (deBoer), who is now six months pregnant and very concerned about her husband’s secretive behavior.

Greg Stillson (Flanery), has been launched onto the national scene by Malcolm Janus (Donovan) and is now Vice President of the United States. Janus is trying to keep a tight rein on Stillson and Reverend Gene Purdy (Stiers), who is chafing against the demands of the Stillson camp to continue promoting their agenda through his ministry.

Purdy’s open defiance of Janus’ orders leads to a shocking tragedy and dramatic changes in all aspects of Johnny’s life.  His personal relationships are shaken up by unexpected circumstances, including the arrival of Anna Turner (Buono), a law enforcement officer who dismissed his psychic abilities.

He is also faced with the prospect of losing his best friend Bruce (Adams), who is considering a job offer in another state. Most importantly, Johnny stops seeing visions of Armageddon when he shakes Stillson’s hand. Questioning his own abilities but still convinced that Stillson is dangerous, Johnny struggles to deal with an uncertain future.

Production notes: Johnny’s visions are rendered through fast motion, slow motion and freeze frame photography, enhanced by cutting-edge post-productiondigital effects and masterful editing. These powerful visual sequences propel the stories, adding mystery, suspense and emotional impact.

The series’ visual effects are produced by Stargate Digital Studios. Joe Lomba is visual effects producer and Jaison Stritch is visual effects supervisor.

Created for television by acclaimed writer-producer Michael Piller (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “Star Trek: Voyager”) and his son, Shawn Piller (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Wildfire,” “Greek”).

DVD side note:  On June 5, Lionsgate will release all 11 episodes from the fifth season of THE DEAD ZONE on DVD in “The Dead Zone: The Complete Fifth Season.” The 3-disc set is packed with special features including deleted scenes as well as audio commentaries on “Independence Day,” “Articles of Faith,” “Revelations” and the season finale, “The Hunting Party.”

The set also contains exclusively produced featurettes, including “A Day with JLA," a guided tour of a typical day on set with series star John L. Adams, and “The Other Side of the Camera," which explores the directorial debuts of Chris Bruno and John L. Adams on the show.

Fans of the show get an in-depth look at the entire series run with detailed episode guides, character profiles and downloadable show scripts.

Behind the scenes interviews with the actors and weekly blogs by the writers and producers allow fans a glimpse into the creative process, while the site's active community forum houses detailed discussions of the on- and off-screen doings at http://www.usanetwork.com/thedeadzone/.