The Dead Zone was developed for UPN by Michael Pillar, co-creator of Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Something happened over at UPN and the show ended up being picked up by the USA Network. The show, based on a Stephen King novel, was an instant hit, becomming the USA Network's most watched premiere.
I didn't really know what to expect with this show. Surprisingly, I don't know a single person that watches it, and I hadn't heard much about the show. I knew it was based on a Stephen King book, but I hadn't read it, or seen the 1983 movie starring Christopher Walken. I sat down to watch the first episode of the show before meeting some friends on a Friday night and I was completely sucked in. Nearly 5 hours later I had finished watching the first two discs and was about to start on the third when I realized it was almost 2 am; time for bed. The next day I quickly made it through the remaining episodes. Ron Lieberman (director) had some things to say in the writing featurette which I found quite true:
"...every moment you're watching it, I, as the film director, say to myself, "Am I hooked? Is it holding my interest? do I want to stay here? Am I waiting for the next moment?"
Yes Ron, I'm hooked!
I have to tell you, this is one of the coolest shows I've seen in awhile. I was a tad worried that it would turn into a "freak helps cop" show, much like John Doe, but it's so much more. There seems to be two sides to the show; the sci-fi "I see things" side, but also the complex relationships between Johnny and Sarah and Sheriff Walt Bannerman (Sarah's husband). There's also the developing relationship between Johnny and his son, concieved on the night of the accident which left him in the coma. It was interesting to see how people treat Johnny; most residents of Cleaves Mills, Maine are scared of him. They don't want him teaching their kids, or want him living on their block. Besides Sarah and Walt, his only friends are Bruce Lewis (John L. Adams), his physical therapist, and Dana Bright (Kristen Dalton), a local reporter who uses him for stories.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the spectacular special effects used in the series. The best has to be the "frozen time" effect which allows Johnny to walk through a scene and examine it in detail. Rain drops will hang in the air as the camera passes them by, and people are frozen in mid-step. I found myself watching these shots over and over because they were so cool. Can you tell I'm impressed?
Video
Very, very nice! While the show is broadcast in the regular 1.33:1 ratio of television, the DVDs contain a beautiful anamorphic widescreen print (1.78:1). With the exception of a bit of grain, and a small encoding blip on "The Siege," this video is perfect. This looks more like a movie than a TV show. There's even a "Play All" feature, which is extremely rare for an hour long show to have.
Audio
It's great when the audio and video compliment each other so nicely. As with the video, the audio on this release has that movie feel to it. The release makes full use of the 5.1 track; the sub gets a workout, as do the rear speakers. I'd have to say that 90% of the TV shows I've watched don't suck me in with the audio, but The Dead Zone does just that. The rear speakers are used to create ambiance, whether it's the rumble of thunder, the chirping of birds, or laughter in the school halls, I felt as though I was part of the scene, not just watching it.
Commentaries
Wow! The commentary tracks are so hidden, I almost missed them! To turn the commentary on, you must go into "Episode Guide" and then select "Chapters" for the episode. This really should have been put into the "Special Features" section.
There's tons of information about the show contained in these commentary tracks (like David Ogden Stiers wasn't the first actor to play Reverend Purdy). It's nice to have guest stars featured on some of the tracks.
"Wheel of Fortune" - Michael Pillar, Rob Lieberman, Anthony Michael Hall and Nicole deBoer.
"What it Seems" - Michael Pillar, Rob Lieberman, Anthony Michael Hall and Chris Bruno.
"Quality of Life" - Anthony Michael Hall & Chris Masterson (Todd Paley).
"Enigma" - Anthony Michael Hall & Elizabeth Ann Bennett.
"Netherworld" - Shawn Pillar & John L. Adams (Bruce Lewis).
"The House" - Jaison Stritch (Visual FX Supervisor) & Robert Chynoweth.
"Unreasonable Doubt" - Anthony Michael Hall & Michael Taylor (Producer/Writer).
"The Seige" - Shawn Pillar, Stephen McNutt (Director of Photography) and Stephen E. Miller (Conrad).
"Enemy Mind" - Julie Patzwald (Jill) & John L. Adams (Bruce Lewis).
"Here There Be Monsters" - Shawn Pillar, John L. Adams and Stephen McNutt.
"Dinner With Dana" - Anthony Michael Hall, Kristen Dalton (Dana Bright) and Michael Taylor.
"Shaman" - Lloyd Segan (Executive Producer) & Rachel Talalay (Director).
"Destiny" - Shawn Pillar & Craig Silverstein (Supervising Producer & Writer).
Storyboards (6:36)
Storyboards for some shots in a couple of episodes. These can be found in the "Episode Guide" menu on the first 3 discs.
Disc 1 - The Quality of Life (1:08)
Disc 2 - Netherworld (3:14), The House (0:20)
Disc 3 - The Siege (1:54)
Behind the Scenes: Genesis (16:51)
Michael Pillar, Shawn Pillar and Lloyd Segan talk about the creation of the show. All the featurettes on the set are subtitled. I've received numerous emails from hearing impaired people upset that they can't enjoy the bonus features of DVDs because they aren't subtitled. My hat goes off to Lions Gate for going the extra mile.
Behind the Scenes: Writing (14:00)
Michael Pillar and Shawn Pillar talk about the writing process while others discuss the high level of writing on the show.
First/Second Season Promos (2:09)
Some short promos for the show.
Behind the Scenes: Music (9:58)
Shawn Pillar (co-creator/writer) and composer Roy Hay (from Culture Club) talk about creating the music for the show.
Behind the Scenes: Special Effects (17:08)
Robert Lieberman (Director/Executive Producer) and Sam Nicholson (Co-Owner of Stargate FX & Visual Effects Producer) discuss some of the effects used in the show. The effects are amazing for this show, so it was nice to get a glimpse at how they are done.
Second Season Preview (2:23)
Michael Pillar teases us with bits of information about the second season of the show. He does a nice job of not giving much away.
Behind the Scenes: Guest Stars (15:17)
Interviews with guest stars: Chris Masterson (Todd Paley), Elizabeth Ann Bennett (Abby), Stephen E. Miller (Conrad) and Sean Patrick Flannery (Greg Stillson).
Easter Eggs (9:45)
Select the Lions Gate logo on the discs main screen
Disc 1 - The Dead Zone Promo, Rose Red & Storm of the Century (5:34)
Disc 2 - Rose Red (2:10)
Disc 3 - Storm of the Century trailer (2:01)
Summary
Lions Gate has put together one awesome DVD set, their first season set ever. The show is spectacular, and the DVD set is packed with quality extras (almost 1.5 hours worth, not including commentary tracks). DVD Executive Producer Peter Block, and DVD Producer Robert Chynoweth pulled out all the stops for this DVD, and I thank them. There's also a place for a fifth disc in the packaging; the pilot which was never aired can be obtained using the mail-in coupon found inside the set. Unfortunately for Canadians, this appears to be a US only offer (which is odd considering Lions Gate is a Canadian company).
This is going to be a strong contender for "Season Set of 2003" when it comes time for us to decide. You can't go wrong by purchasing this set.
