''The Dead Zone'', also known as ''Stephen King's The Dead Zone'' (in the USA) is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series starring

Anthony Michael Hall Michael Anthony Hall (born April 14, 1968), known professionally as Anthony Michael Hall, is an American actor best known for his leading role as Johnny Smith in '' The Dead Zone'' from 2002 to 2007. He also rose to fame starring in films with ...

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great D ...

, who discovers he has developed

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...

abilities after a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

. The show, credited as "based on characters" from

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

's 1979 novel of the same name, first aired in 2002, and was produced by

Lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of Lionsgate, which is a Canadian–American entertainment company. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. It acq ...

and

Paramount Network Television The original incarnation of Paramount Television was the name of the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, that was responsible for the production of Viacom television programs, until it changed its na ...

(later

CBS Paramount Network Television CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...

) for the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

. The show was originally commissioned for

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

, but the network dropped the show and it was picked up by USA. The series was filmed in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada for its first five seasons. The sixth and last season was billed as "The season that changes everything" and production was moved to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. ''The Dead Zone'' was expected to be renewed for a seventh season but due to financial concerns and fear of low ratings on the part of the producers, the series was canceled on a major cliffhanger in December 2007 without a series finale. It was rumored

Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

would pick up the series after it was canceled by USA, but no plans came to fruition.

Plot

Small-town teacher

is involved in a car accident that leaves him

tose for approximately six years. After regaining consciousness, Johnny begins having visions of the past and future triggered by touching items or people; doctors attribute the visions to activity in a previously unused "dead zone" of his

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

that is attempting to compensate for the impaired function of the portions injured in the accident. Johnny also learns that his fiancée, Sarah, gave birth to his son in the interim following the accident, but has since married another man. With the help of Sarah, her husband (and town sheriff) Walt Bannerman, and physical therapist Bruce, Johnny begins using his abilities to help solve crimes. However, his attempts to do good are complicated by intermittent visions of apocalyptic events brought about following the future election of congressional candidate Greg Stillson.

Cast and characters

Main

— John Robert "Johnny" Smith *

Nicole de Boer Nicole de Boer is a Canadian actress. She is best known for starring in the cult film '' Cube'' as Joan Leaven, playing Ezri Dax on the final season of '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1998–1999), and as Sarah Bannerman on the series '' T ...

—Sarah Anne Bracknell-Bannerman * John L. Adams—Bruce Lewis (season 1–5, main; guest star season 6) *

Chris Bruno Chris Bruno is an American film and television actor, director, and producer best known for his role as Sheriff Walt Bannerman on the USA Network television series ''The Dead Zone (TV series), The Dead Zone''. Early life Bruno was born in New H ...

—Sheriff Walter T. "Walt" Bannerman (seasons 1–5, main; guest star season 6) *

Connor Price Connor Price (born November 11, 1994) is a Canadian-American actor and hip hop artist. Beginning his career as a child actor, he is best known for his roles in the films ''Cinderella Man'' (2005) and '' Good Luck Chuck'' (2007). Career Price's ...

—John "Johnny"/"JJ" Bannerman/Smith (season 6)

Recurring

David Ogden Stiers David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in '' The Magic Show'', in which he appeared for fou ...

—Rev. Eugene "Gene" Purdy *

Bill Mondy Bill Mondy, sometimes credited as Bill Monday, is an American film and television actor. Career He is best known for his appearances in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (in the episode " Armageddon Game") and '' The Dead Zone''. He also made gu ...

—Deputy Roscoe *

Sean Patrick Flanery Sean Patrick Flanery (born October 11, 1965) is an American actor, author, and martial artist. He is known for playing Connor MacManus in ''The Boondock Saints'' (1999) and its sequel ''The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day'' (2009), Greg Still ...

— Gregory Ammas Stillson *

Garry Chalk Garry Chalk is a British-born Canadian actor. He has provided the voices for Optimus Primal of '' Beast Wars: Transformers'' and ''Beast Machines'', as well as Optimus Prime in the anime English dubs of '' Transformers: Armada'', ''Transformer ...

—James Stillson (seasons 1–4) * Spencer Achtymichuk—John "Johnny"/"JJ" Bannerman (seasons 1–5) * Kristen Dalton—Dana Bright (seasons 1–2, 5) *

Frank Whaley Frank Joseph Whaley (born July 20, 1963) is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and comedian. His roles include Brett in ''Pulp Fiction'', Robby Krieger in ''The Doors'', young Archie "Moonlight" Graham in ''Field of Dreams'', and Guy ...

—Christopher Wey (seasons 2–3) *

Sarah Wynter Sarah Wynter (born 15 February 1973)
movies2.nytimes.com; accessed 13 January 2016. is an Australian actr ...

—Rebecca Caldwell (seasons 3–4) *

Martin Donovan Martin Donovan (born Martin Paul Smith; August 19, 1957) is an American actor. He has had a long collaboration with director Hal Hartley, appearing in many of his films, such as ''Trust'' (1990), '' Surviving Desire'' (1991), '' Simple Men'' (199 ...

—Malcolm Janus (seasons 4–6) *

Laura Harris Laura Harris is a Canadian actress. Early life Harris is the daughter of schoolteachers. She began acting in radio dramas and animation series when she was five years old. As a child Harris was educated at Crofton House School and attended c ...

—Miranda Ellis (seasons 4–5) *

Jennifer Finnigan Jennifer Christina Finnigan (born August 22, 1979) is a Canadians, Canadian actress, best known for her role as Bridget Forrester in the American soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' from 2000 to 2004, for which she won three Daytime Emmy Aw ...

—Alexandra "Alex" Sinclair (seasons 4 and 6) *

Cara Buono Cara Buono (born 1973/1974) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dr. Faye Miller in the fourth season of the AMC drama series ''Mad Men''; Kelli Moltisanti in the sixth season of ''The Sopranos''; Linda Salvo in the 200 ...

—Acting Sheriff Anna Turner (season 6) *

Grant L Roberts Grant Roberts is a former Mr. World Canada bodybuilding champion, and is a personal trainer, nutritionist, lifestyle coach, actor, author and philanthropist. Roberts was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is also a citizen of Ireland. He curr ...

—Acting - Big Man (season 6)

Characters

* Johnny Smith (played by

)—A retired schoolteacher who, as a result of a car accident, has developed

abilities. An encounter with a carnival trickster in the first episode (before the car accident) makes it clear Johnny already has some psychic abilities. However, after the coma, their nature changes from ''

intuition Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without recourse to conscious reasoning. Different fields use the word "intuition" in very different ways, including but not limited to: direct access to unconscious knowledge; unconscious cognition; ...

'' to ''

visions Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...

'', the latter requiring urgent action, even when personally inconvenient, whereas earlier Johnny only uses his ability on a carnival trickster to amuse his fiancée Sarah. Whenever he undergoes one of his visions in his eye, Johnny has shown to be capable of manipulating the time localized around the vision, allowing him to stop, slow, reverse, or forward the time relative to himself within the vision, leaving him as the only one aware of his temporal alterations within it and thus allowing him to further examine the details from the past, future, and occasionally the present. * Sarah Bracknell Bannerman (played by

)—Johnny's former fiancée, and the mother of his son, J.J. Sarah married Walt Bannerman during Johnny's coma, and the two are raising J.J. together. Sarah knew Johnny when they were children, and later taught at the same school as him. Sarah's mother died when she was a teenager, which strained her relationship with her father. At the end of season 5, Sarah was pregnant with Walt's child. At the beginning of season 6, she gives birth to Walt's daughter and names her "Hope". * Sheriff Walt Bannerman (played by

)—The relationship between Johnny and Walt is initially very rocky, as Johnny often feels that Walt stole Sarah from him. However, since then as Johnny displays his powers more and more often in law enforcement situations, Johnny becomes an asset to Walt, and the two become friends. The name Walt Bannerman is a combination of the names George Bannerman and Walt Hazlett; in the

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

, George Bannerman was the sheriff, and Walt Hazlett was the man Sarah married. At the beginning of season 6, Walt is killed in a fire at the Faith Heritage Chapel. However, he continued to pop up throughout the season in visions, flashbacks, and even briefly as a ghost. * Bruce Lewis (played by John L. Adams)—A

physiotherapist Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...

who helps Johnny regain his strength after his coma. Bruce is an open-minded spiritual junkie as a result of a religious upbringing by his pastor father. He is Johnny's best friend and frequently his voice of reason, and may very well be the reason for the divergence in this series when compared to the novel or 1983 movie (Johnny never tried to kill Greg Stillson before the election). An episode in season 2 even featured a vision of an alternate reality where instead of being a physical therapist, Bruce was a reverend who never met Johnny after waking up from his coma. And thus, with the absence of his guidance, this version of Johnny became unstable, deranged, and driven mad by his abilities. * Rev. Gene Purdy (played by

)—Another original character in the series, a religious leader and head of a prestigious university and foundations funded by Vera Smith, Johnny's mother. Johnny always speculated that Purdy's interest in Vera was for financial gain; however, his powers allowed him to discover that Purdy had been in love with Vera for more than 35 years. Upon Vera's

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

over the grief of the loss of her son, Purdy covered up the incident and made everyone believe she died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, thus preserving her dignity in the public eye. Purdy has long been involved with somewhat shady dealings, but is always in the constant service of

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

. His devotion sometimes clouds his judgment, and he has even gone as far as to cover up a murder to protect better interests. At the end of the season 6 premiere "Heritage", Purdy leaves Cleaves Mills after being involved in a fire that kills Walt Bannerman and Malcolm Janus at the Faith Heritage Chapel. * Dana Bright (played by Kristen Dalton)—A journalist for the ''

Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig and ...

''. Dana covered much of Johnny's early work, and later became romantically linked with him; she was also in a relationship with Gene Purdy. She left the show for some time, and her absence was not explained until the season 5 episode "Articles of Faith." Because of her coverage of Johnny, Dana was able to move on up to reporting for a

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

television station, choosing her career ambitions above her increasingly complex relationship with Johnny. At the end of that episode when she leaves, it is shown that both harbor, to some degree, feelings for each other. * Greg Stillson (played by

)—A mentally unstable politician who has taken many illegal steps to secure an election. Upon meeting with Johnny Smith, it became clear that Stillson would become responsible for an apocalyptic event that Johnny has seen in his visions and is trying to prevent. After the death of Malcolm Janus (see below), Johnny's visions of a Stillson-created apocalypse ceased, but after some further revelations, they returned at the end of the season. * Deputy Roscoe (played by

)—A deputy who works for Walt. Roscoe is usually first on the scene and very dependable. * Johnny "J.J." Bannerman (played by Spencer Achtymichuk (seasons 1–5) and

(season 6))—The biological son of Johnny and Sarah. Sarah was pregnant when Johnny had his accident, and she ultimately married Walt, who raised J.J. as his own son. As of the third season, Walt and Sarah have told J.J. that Johnny is his real father, and Johnny has taken on more fatherly duties. In the season six episode " Big Top", Johnny starts to believe that J.J. has inherited his powers, but J.J. appears to be covering up his innate abilities. In the series finale, J.J. has his first actual vision when he sees

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

in his eye sharing it within Johnny's eye during a scuffle with Greg Stillson. * Malcolm Janus (played by

)—A power-broker who believes that Greg Stillson is "destined for great things". His ultimate goal is to place Stillson in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. He also gave Reverend Purdy a global sphere of influence, in return for financial support of Stillson's campaigns. Janus is apparently a member of the

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

, as he wears a ring with their symbol. At the beginning of season 6 episode "Heritage", Janus is killed in self-defense by Purdy at the Faith Heritage Chapel. * Christopher Wey (played by

)—A man from the future who has been comatose since 2003. He wakes after the apocalypse to discover that he has a "dead zone" similar to Johnny's, and that he can communicate with the present-day Johnny when both are in contact with the head of his cane. Wey is revealed to be in league with a future Johnny Smith and J.J. * Rebecca Caldwell (played by

Sarah Wynter Sarah Wynter (born 15 February 1973)
movies2.nytimes.com; accessed 13 January 2016. is an Australian actr ...

)—A child

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

who met Johnny during his investigation of the murder of her sister Rachel. Rebecca became Johnny's girlfriend, and at one point in time, found out that Greg Stillson may have been responsible for her sister's murder and will be responsible for the upcoming apocalypse. As of the third-season finale, she has purchased a gun in an attempt to assassinate Stillson. Rebecca was stopped by Johnny and discovered that Stillson did not kill Rachel. She left Johnny, seeking to sort things out for herself. * Alex Sinclair (played by

)—A female psychic who discovered her "dead zone" when she was stung by a swarm of bees (presumably " killer bees") as a child and became hyper-allergic to bee stings and products. Alex first appears in the fourth-season episode "Double Vision" where she and Johnny track down a sniper together. At the end of the episode, it's clear that she and Johnny have developed feelings for each other, but she decides that she's not ready to pursue the relationship. Alex does later appear in the fourth season

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

episode "A Very Dead Zone Christmas" where the idea of her and Johnny getting together is further explored. * Anna Turner (played by

)—The "sheriff ''pro tem'' of Penobscot County, Anna investigated the final unofficial case of the recently deceased Sheriff Walt Bannerman.

Music

* In the pilot episode, the music class practices the song " Mr. Sandman." In the same episode, Johnny and Sarah make out in his car to "

Sleep Walk Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness. It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. It occurs during slow wave stage of sleep, in a state of low ...

", a song by Santo & Johnny, which also featured in the

movie '' Sleepwalkers''. * The theme song from seasons 1-3 is " New Year's Prayer" by

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

. * The new theme song since season 4 is "Dead Zone Epic" by

Blues Saraceno Blues Saraceno (born October 17, 1971) is an American rock guitarist, composer and music producer, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. He was discovered by '' Guitar for the Practicing Musician'' magazine at the age of 16, which assi ...

. * The promos for season 4 featured the song " Brace Yourself" by

Howie Day Howard Kern Day is an American singer-songwriter. Beginning his career as a solo artist in the late 1990s, Day became known for his extensive touring and in-concert use of samplers and effects pedals to accompany himself. He self-financed and s ...

. * The promos for season 5 featured the song " By My Side" by

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

. * The promos for season 6 featured the song " Touch Me" by

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

Home media

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered in ...

has released all 6 seasons of ''The Dead Zone'' on DVD in Region 1, while

CBS Home Entertainment CBS Home Entertainment (formerly CBS Video Enterprises, Inc., MGM/CBS Home Video, CBS/Fox Video and CBS Video, currently branded as CBS DVD for DVD releases and CBS Blu-ray for Blu-ray releases) is a home entertainment company owned by Paramoun ...

(distributed by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

) has also released all 6 seasons in Region 2. On June 26, 2012, Lionsgate Home Entertainment released a complete series set on DVD in Canada only, while Paramount also released it in Europe. In Australia, all 6 seasons have been released on DVD from 2006 to 2009. Madman Entertainment/Via Vision Entertainment has obtained the rights to the series and released a complete series box set on January 6, 2021. The entire series is available on demand on the

Pluto TV Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United Sta ...

app. The series on DVD has the episode order based on the production order rather than the order in which the episodes were aired on tv.

Ratings

The first season averaged 6.4 million viewers while season four averaged 3.4 million and season six averaged 2.1 million. The series premiere scored 6.4 million viewers, holding the record for highest premiere on USA Network, until bested by ''

The 4400 ''The 4400'' (pronounced "the forty-four hundred") is a science fiction television series produced by CBS Paramount Network Television in association with BSkyB, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network in the United States and Sky ...

'' premiere which drew 7.4 million viewers.

References

External links

*
Archived
from the original on May 11, 2003.) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dead Zone 2000s American horror television series 2002 American television series debuts 2007 American television series endings 2000s American science fiction television series 2002 Canadian television series debuts 2007 Canadian television series endings 2000s Canadian science fiction television series USA Network original programming Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Lionsgate Television Television shows set in Maine Television shows based on works by Stephen King Serial drama television series Television shows based on American novels Canadian horror fiction television series Television shows about precognition Television shows filmed in Vancouver