What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! January 16 - 22, 2022 TV FEATURE BY KYLA BREWER TV Media A s the trend of reboot- ing hit TV shows for modern audiences continues, one series stands out as more than just a re- hash of the same idea. Its fresh perspective captivated viewers before the holidays, and it's re- turning early in the new year to continue the saga. Thousands of marginalized and undervalued people who had gone missing over the past 100 years have suddenly reap- peared in Detroit showing no signs of aging in "4400," which returns to CW with a midseason premiere on Monday, Jan. 17. With no memory of what hap- pened to them while they were gone, many of them struggle to adjust to modern life, which is even harder when they discover they have newfound abilities such as telekinesis and healing powers. The original "The 4400," cre- ated by Scott Peters ("V") and René Echevarria ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"), pre- miered on USA Network in 2004 with a similar premise and ran for four acclaimed seasons. In 2018, it was announced that CW was working on a new version of the series with "Limitless's" pro- ducer Taylor Elmore and series writer Craig Sweeny. While the new show was pushed ahead, Ariana Jackson ("Riverdale") and Anna Fricke ("Everwood") eventually took over development of the project, which dropped the "The" from its title and is now known simply as "4400." Jackson and Fricke serve as executive producers for the CW show alongside Sunil Nayar ("CSI: Miami") and Laura Terry ("Relationship Status"). Viewers met the new group affected by the unexplained phe- nomenon when CW's "4400" premiered this past October. The new characters represent a wide range of economic and so- cial classes, but they all have one thing in common. CW's new it- eration of the cult hit sci-fi series looks at the world through a spe- cific lens, which is what piqued the interest of executive Jackson. "They wanted to do this re- boot from a Black perspective, which is part of why I was so ex- cited about it," Jackson told En- tertainment Weekly's Sydney Bucksbaum in an October inter- view. While the original show fo- cused on the science fiction el- ements of the story, CW's "4400" concentrates on the characters. The ensemble cast offers viewers representation from various points in the past 100 years, highlighting the ex- periences of Black people through generations. There is lawyer Shanice (Brittany Adebumola, "Grand Army"), who went missing shortly after giving birth to a baby girl and returns to find out her daughter is now a teenager; World War I-era surgeon Dr. Andre Davis (T.L. Thompson, "The Hunted: NYCSS"), who was once part of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and is fascinated by modern medi- cine; Claudette (Jaye Lady- more, "Empire"), who was a 1950s housewife and influential Mississippi civil rights advo- cate; Rev. Isaiah Johnston (Der- rick A. King, "Call Your Moth- Bentonville Acupuncture 5 x 5 continued on page T10 T.L. Thompson and Jaye Ladymore star in "4400" Sci-fi evolution Not a subscriber? No problem, subscribe today and receive an iPad with your subscription*. *iPad must be returned within 30 days of termination of account. now available on the digital replica! NEW INTERACTIVE PUZZLE PAGES Get the new puzzle pages on the digital replica, featuring puzzles daily! CROSSWORDS KIDS' GAMES SUDOKU WORD GAMES STRATEGY & MEMORY NUMBERS Call 479-684-5509 or visit nwaonline.com/nwaipad