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Although the concept of the series does revolve around a Stephen King novel, the relatively new series "The Dead Zone" does more justice to King's original vision and storytelling elements than most of the theatrical fodder that has borrowed and adapted from the king of written horror's many works. The premiere episode pretty much sticks to introducing the primary basis for the adventures to come, establishing the character of Johnny Smith (Anthony Michael Hall), who in the aftermath of a severe accident is comatose for more than six years. Once awake, his entire life is changed: his mother is dead, and his legal guardian the Rev. Eugene Purdy (David Ogden Stiers). His then-girlfriend Sara (Nicole de Boer), with whom he conceived a child the night of the accident, has since married the town sheriff; and to top it all off, Johnny soon discovers that he has the ability to look into someone's future by touching them. ***

From here, the rest of the first season's episodes pretty much make use of Johnny's gift, making it the focus of several different happenings like his efforts to prevent a young child with a bad heart from playing a hockey game in "Quality of Life." The more intriguing elements of this season are the developments in the wobbly relationship between Johnny and Rev. Purdy, whom Johnny later comes to believe is responsible for the death of his mother. Sadly, this subplot eventually takes a backseat to the futuristic gimmick, but for the most part the show holds its own with some well-written storylines, some better-than-average special effects, and solid acting on the part of its cast. Some may consider it King Lite, but "The Dead Zone" does manage to strike a nerve, and has a good future in store.

Although the show itself is presented in fullframe when on television, the transfers here are 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen! And they look super! Details come alive with the excellent mastering of clarity: edges are sharp with almost no enhancement halos, and small objects are crystal clear. Color saturation is striking and well-rendered, with vivid hues and accurate fleshtones. Contrast levels are terrific, with solid blacks and great shadow detail throughout. Very nice! ***

The sound has also been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1, and for the most part, it's an overall engaging audio experience. It certainly sounds clean and cool enough, with natural dialogue and some noticeable engagement of the surrounds and the low end .1 LFE. But for a new show such as this, and considering all the available opportunities, this set of tracks isn't quite as aggressive as it could have been. They perform admirably, but overall they could use a little boost.