USA Renews THE DEAD ZONE, PSYCH

By: Karl Schneider
Date: Monday, September 18, 2006
Source: Variety

According to Variety, USA Network has given THE DEAD ZONE, starring Anthony Michael Hall, a sixth-season pickup of 13 episodes. Also, PSYCH has chalked up a second-season renewal of 16 episodes.

USA previously renewed MONK for its sixth season of 16 episodes and THE 4400 for its fourth season of 13. The network schedules more successful scripted programs than any other cable channel.

"We have two solid blocks of original programming," said Jeff Wachtel, executive VP of original programming. "Monk" and "Psych" air Friday; "The 4400" and "The Dead Zone" air Sunday.

Wachtel said a fifth original scripted hour will emerge out of three projects in development. The most far advanced, with a completed pilot, is "In Plain Sight," starring Mary McCormack as a federal marshal who supervises people in the witness-protection program while pretending to her mother, sister and boyfriend that she's a run-of-the-mill government employee.

The two others are in script development, still to be cast: "To Love & Die in L.A.," about a daughter who discovers her long-lost father is a contract killer, and "Burn Notice," about a maverick ex-CIA man who becomes a private investigator, using his special-ops training to help people in trouble.