MovieChat Forums > The Dead Zone (2002) Discussion > Shame it never lived up to its start

Shame it never lived up to its start

posted 16 years ago by p.greenwood
15 replies | jump to latest

I thought the dead zone had a fantastic first season and I feel sad that it never really built on what it had created. The stories in the later episodes were a bit too, for want of a better word 'schmaltzy' and the Greg Stillson stroy that cropped up every now and again never went anywhere.
When the series was good it was superb and I often felt it could have been one of the greatest tv shows with its stylish flashbacks and often ingenius storytelling. I dont think it was helped by the fact that each season was filmed and split in two to create 2 seasons. The cast never saw each other for a year and were always unsure if they were coming back. Criticism of the show could never really change anything beacause the mistakes were already filmed and couldnt be rectified like Heroes has done after its poor 2nd season. While I still think it was a great show I will always see it as a near miss.

[–] paganbaby 15 years ago

I thought the show really got bogged down by the Stillson storyline.

[–] farzhan 15 years ago

schmaltzy isn't bad for describing the Dead Zone. It's unfortunate that the writers chose to make the tiresome, tiresome love triangle with the horribly paired Walt & Sara (the elf) + Johnny the centerpiece for the show. If they had stuck to the interesting paranormal stories, the life-saving drama even, and cut out the attempts to pull heart-strings the show would have been better for it. Some of the episodes belong on the hallmark channel and certainly should not be linked to any Steven King story. The last couple seasons of the x-files were similarly overwrought with main-character melodrama but at least there is the strong beginning to look back on fondly. The Dead-Zone couldn't hold things together nearly so long or well.

I must admit I've only seen the first 3 seasons. Checked them from the library out of boredom. I did find much of the paranormal aspects interesting though the inconsistency in Johnny's abilities to manipulate his visions is frustrating. The interpersonal romantic stuff is just tiresome to me in a show like this. If I want that I'll watch six feet under, well the first two seasons anyway.

[–] yorba711 15 years ago

I agree whole heartily. The series started off awesome and I loved the first couple of seasons. However it jumped-the-shark big time somewhere around season 4 or 5. I tried to watch those seasons but it seemed the writing and story lines all the sudden got real bad. The whole Stillson thing never really went anywhere. Plus the general story line just got insulting! Everywhere Johnny went some huge catastrophe just magically happened. If Johnny went to a bank it got robbed. Johnny went camping, someone got murdered. If Johnny went to the Mall, it was about to be blown up. Hell, all the police needed to do was just follow Johnny around with a patty wagon and an EMT! I gave up and didn't even watch season 6. I am a AMH fan though! The weak plot lines and writing that plagued the series in the later seasons was not his fault.

[–] audiovideogirl 15 years ago

I agree with almost all the users on this message board.

I've been watching re-runs of the show from all different seasons not consecutively and just by watching the first season first episode and comparing that to a third season and then possibly fifth? Wow, what a shame it really has trouble living up to it's beginnings!

I have to admit a guilty pleasure to having watched Charmed as a young teenager and ultimately hating the show after two seasons because it became very formulaic like you described. Everywhere Johnny went something happens! Coincidence? NOT!! Realistic? Not!

haha And i agree with another comment that was brought up that most shows that are based off of the science of things or the fact of things, ie. C.S.I. become boring, but at the same time if it's all drama and it doesn't help the plot but create but sub-division plots in the season, ayyy!

The user, Farzhan mentioned "x-files were similarly overwrought with main-character melodrama" in the latter seasons and I have to add something to this comparable insight they made with The Dead Zone and it's out-of-the-genre specific theme.

At first when I saw the Dead Zone, I thought to myself,'augh~ not another stupid cop or paranormal show.' Then as I kept watching, it turned out to be something I didn't expect. I have to say liking C.S.I. in the beginning stages I grew weary of it after stupid romantic plots. And then even more so as I used the episodes to dull me to sleep after realizing the pattern of repeated use of forensic science and bad cop/good cop role play.

With the Dead Zone, it actually keeps me awake! It's not too sci-fi like some X Files or too full of character drama like with Charmed and it not soo NYPD Blue that you think here we go again on some stupid case I might want the criminal to actually get away for the first time!

It's really too bad that all the seasons after the fourth or fifth one veered off the primrose path. I'm sure I'll end up seeing where it's gone off too soon on ABC weekend nights. They say when writing for primetime t.v. the fourth or fifth year is the hardest and when everything changes.

Reminder: Friends Season 5 and on, kla-plotz! Everyone character became marginalized and too animated or simplistically self-referencing. Frasier Season 9 and on, or was it the end of 8, anytime after Niles and Daphne hooked up, everything became blah. He got the girl, move on! And even god forbid, Seinfeld, there were some episodes in seasons where it was the same thing used over and over but in a different context, ex. Kramer temporarily moving to California, Elaine spending some time on the west coast or some beachy resort place, Kramer having a bad reaction to things, etc.

A lot of t.v. is what it is, something to dispose of on a regular basis with no need for memory or mindless numbing same thing over and over and over and over with slight variation.

[–] KiwiAcklesFan 15 years ago

I'm really enjoying this show, it's only had 2 seasons over here so after reading these comments it sounds like I've scene the best already. Are they still making anymore or has it been axed like everything else good?

"People say that you're going the wrong way when it's simply a way of your own"

[–] dax333 15 years ago

Beyond season 1 and 2 it's still good imo, maybe not as good as season 1 and 2 but that is almost always the case with any series that almost nothing can beat the first couple of seasons.

I loved the entire series, maybe season 4 and 5 weren't as good as the first three but there were still some beauties of episodes among them.

I never gave a hoot about the entire armageddon thing anyway, they could have left that out entirely where I'm concerned.

Unfortunately USA canceled the series after season 6.

[–] forever_yellowcard 14 years ago

Other than wanting to kill Fonzie for originating that term, I generally agree with you. On the whole though, my biggest issue is with Season 6's non-cast. No Bruce, no Walt, very limited Purdy (I think), and a new JJ (who imo, didn't have the same chemistry with AMH that the other one did)...welcome to the Johnny and Sarah show! Is Sarah freaking jinxed? Get pregnant with kid #1, bf goes into 6-yr coma, get pregnant with kid #2, husband gets killed. If I'm Johnny, I'm not liking the odds of getting back together with her! Oh yeah, and that new sheriff whose biggest storyline was whether her investigation of Walt made her Johnny's enemy. I sound like such a hater, but I really did love the first couple of seasons!!

"They made their own choice. They chose family. And, well, isn’t that kinda the whole point?"

[–] mccalvi 9 years ago

I agree. The first season was the best. The second and third were pretty good, even the fourth wasn't that bad. The fifth, it really did go down hill. I am getting through the sixth season now, mostly because I made it this far, I may as well finish.

[–] L0GAN5 15 years ago

The show was strong for the first three series but lost its impetus in the fourth. The Armageddon storyline seemed to come to its natural conclusion at the start of series 4 when Rebecca Caldwell attempted to assassinate Stillson. The show should have finished when he chucked his cane into the river to stop the visions of the future. It would have been a good scene to end the show with.

[–] fiatlux-1 14 years ago

I agree with the OP. I LOVED the first season, and the second. It began to dip after that sadly. Not only did it get bogged down by the going-nowhere repetitive Stillson storyline, but the characters seemed to wander around the screen not knowing what to do! And the characters' moods also got darker.
I loved AMH as Johnny, but he began to look quite haggard by Season 3. I wondered if a weekly series was too much strain on him. After all, he seemed used to films only which is a different ballgame altogether.

The bottom line is, this show would have been MUCH better off as a mini-series.
Now that would have been enjoyable. Awesome even. I wonder if its too late to do that.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] T-eschberger 14 years ago

God, its like people can never be happy with a show ever. No matter what show it is there is always gonna be people bitching about how it went "downhill" after such ans such season. Its like when the series doesn't go the way you WANT it to go, you flip.

[–] Bishop_of_Battle 14 years ago

Haven't seen much of the later seasons, outside of a few episodes, but I remember really enjoying the first season or two. Lot of memorable episodes there like "Unreasonable Doubt"(the one where Johnny is called to serve jury duty). Really fun stuff. It's too bad the show didn't maintain that level of quality as I'm always drawn back to watch some of those earlier shows.

[–] Mark_Graisons_Moustache 14 years ago

I gotta say I'm surprised by this thread because I'm only in the first season and I think this show just sucks. I know there's no way I'm collecting anymore of the seasons because I'm eight episodes in and seriously don't know if I'm gonna finish the season. I am a big fan of King's book and the incredible movie starring Christopher Walken, but this show just seems cheap to me. An earlier post said how it seems like everywhere Johnny goes, something bad happens. The thing is, though, this starts immediately, and all the examples that poster used (bank getting robbed, mall blowing up) come from the FIRST season. If Johnny walks into a room, some catastrophe happens. I also dislike how Johnny's visions can just be whatever. He touches a coin and he can see everything. It's too easy, it gives him infinite power. Plus, I find the "chemistry" between him and his girl to be a snooze and the attempted humor and banter of the characters is just gag inducing. When they introduced that reporter lady and she's like, "I come here for the donuts!" I almost died. The writing is awful. It amazes me to see posts saying that "Seasons 1 and 2 were great." How effing bad can the later seasons be to make this season look good? Ugh.

"I've flown this route before."
"When was that?"
"IT WAS ON THE WINGS OF A DEMON!"

[–] pope_snarky 10 years ago

Hail Eris!

The show suffered from Piller's reliance on the Roddenberry Formula, which is useful for creating decent standalone episodes (about 78 or so separate movies, in Star Trek's case, not even counting the actual films), but is absolutely terrible, even modified by the Next Generation version, for writing stories with any grander vision (such as the source material for TDZ, in this case, and particularly the larger story (note the blackened Washington Monument's resemblance to a <cough> dark tower -- Stillson is so clearly the hand of either Flagg or the CK)). I'd like to see it rebooted, with the same cast of characters, albeit completely different actors (some originals could return, though that'd only work if they appeared in different roles, frex), but using the JMS Formula...

Snarky, currently watching Season 5
I've never met one single artist in my life who makes art to get rich. They want money in order to buy the time to make more art.

[–] serenity159 9 years ago

Considering how long it went, I think it was great.