The Dead Zone

It is absolutely riveting. And Anthony Michael Hall has grown up to be not only a terrific actor, but a hunk and a half.

What is clear, is that series stars Anthony Michael Hall and Nicole de Boer are fun to watch and that the powers of Hall's character, Johnny Smith, can give rise to any number of imaginative stories. [12 June 2002]

Humor is woven throughout The Dead Zone, particularly in scenes between Smith and his physical therapist, Bruce Lewis (John L. Adams), who helps update him on what happened during his long sleep. [16 June 2002, p.TV-5]

USA's The Dead Zone takes its concept and characters seriously, without any playful subtext or comic relief. So does Hall, who plays his character as David Janssen played "The Fugitive": rarely smiling, always nervous, and only occasionally believed by those around him. There is reason to believe, though, that this Dead Zone may be the real thing.

Hall lacks Walken's natural aura of strangeness, and he looks a little too well-fed for a guy who has been vegetating for half a decade. But he does manage to make Smith credible and sympathetic. [14 June 2002, p.B51]

So far, the plot's in place, but Dead Zone's good old gotcha is minimal. And in anything claiming to trace its roots to Stephen King, minimal chill factor could be risky - maybe even the kiss of death. [15 June 2002, p.9]

It's just not that suspenseful. [14 June 2002, p.55]