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USA Offs "Dead Zone," "4400"

Two of USA Network's original series, "The 4400" and "Dead Zone," are off the schedule for 2008, ignominious ends for shows that broke viewership records with their debuts. When it premiered in 2002, "Dead Zone" quickly became basic cable's most-viewed series ever, with 6.4 million viewers, but has been on the downswing ever since.

In its final season, the dram was pulling just 2.3 million viewers -- about half the average of its rookie year. "The 4400" broke Dead Zone's earlier record, with 7.4 million viewers for the first of its limited season in 2004. That year, it averaged 6.1 million viewers, a number that had cratered to 2.4 million viewers by this summer. "We wish we could keep all our great shows alive forever, but we feel we need to give some of our new shows a platform to grow," says Jeff Wachtel, USA executive vice president of original programming.

USA's other series, assuming the writers strike eventually ends, will include new runs of "Monk," "Psych" and "Burn Notice," along with new shows "In Plain Sight" and "To Love and Die."

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