It’s been said that the new upcoming ABC series called FlashForward won’t be a rehash of the novel of the same name by Robert Sawyer. In fact it’s being said that it may not be what you expect at all.
FlashForward is about a moment in time when everyone on Earth blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. During that time, people experience visions of where they’ll be on April 29th, 2010, or 6 months into their future (That could be creepy.)
The mass black out does have its tragic side effects – People are doing everyday things when the black out happens and this creates what is described as a semi-apocalyptic moment as planes, trains and automobiles crash with unconscious people at the controls. It’s here that the FlashForward pilot kicks in, introducing the main characters of the show.
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Impressions And Thoughts
Reported first impressions of a preview of the pilot says that the series has tremendous potential but it seems a bit lacking in fleshing out the characters. This to me, can go either way. Are characters rushed or are they properly developed and we learn about them as the story advances from episode to episode?
The first season itself is going to be self-contained. In that I mean that there will be a complete story and the season finale will answer the question of what that first black out was all about with no loose ends left dangling. More specifically, we’ll see the characters catching up to the futures that they’ve envisioned.
Oddly, because of the FlashForward premise, the show is getting compared to Lost.
Sure, everyone on Earth has visions of their own future, but Lost has a whole different methodology of using time jumps. They usually used past moments (and future moments) to develop the characters and the direction their destinies will take them. To me, the premise from FlashForward seems completely different. Of course, I could be wrong.
Producers are saying that as you watch the show, you may develop an idea that leads you to think you know where the story is leading us and they’re promising us that we won’t. Meh… I’ve been told that before. I’m tough on sales pitches and we’ll see how things pan out and if this can be believed or not. Unfortunately, by the time we’ve invested our time into the show, it will either be too late or we’ll be in for a pleasant surprise.
Bits And Notes
First on my list of incidentals is the title – It used to be 2 words: “Flash” & “Forward.” The space has been surgically removed and the title of the show is now one big word: FlashForward. I guess that makes the marketing sufficiently unique so it doesn’t get confused with regular day-to-day references of the same phrase.
Second on my list of bits is a curious item indeed: actor Dominic Monaghan. He played the ill-fated Charlie on Lost and if you’ve been paying attention to ABC’s commercials, he’s in an ad with other stars from other ABC shows. This got the internet all abuzz about his possible return to Lost. Subsequent reports then said that he was not returning to Lost but will be showing up in another ABC show. That show has been surmised to be FastForward. But others are taking a guess that this might be a double cross to keep us guessing and that he just might be returning to the confused time line show, Lost. Me, I am fantasizing that it’s a wicked crossover between shows, if even but for a moment. Maybe someone is watching Lost in FastForward and ABC sneak peaks something to us in a vision.
FlashForward will star Joseph Fiennes, John Cho (Abrams Star Trek), Seth McFarlane (Yes, the man of many voices), Jack Davenport (Swingtown, Pirates of the Caribbean movies), Sonya Walger (Who played Penny from Lost), Courtney B. Vance (ER, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Alex Kingston (ER), Brian O’Byrne (The Brotherhood), Christine Woods, Zachary Knighton and Peyton List (Big Shots, Windfall).
The show will be executive produced by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) and Brannon Braga (Threshold, 24). Goyer is one of two showrunners, along with Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone)
Don’t fret if you noticed that Brannon Braga is on board this project. He is still going to co-executive produce 24.
Below is a quick flash of a preview from FlashForward. No, I really did not intend for that to be a pun, but I’ll take the credit.
Is The Premise Sustainable?
The premise of the show initially does not appeal greatly to me.
But if you dwell on the aspect of what to do if you get a glimpse of your future, that gets me wondering. If you see your future, can you change it or is it set? Do you do things differently and still end up there, or not do anything and still end up at your envisioned future? Either choice of action or non-action will create its own set of questions that are hard to avoid. This kind of thinking has me wondering how the writers will handle this premise and now I am curious. Add to this the disasters that seem to come about from everyone blacking out and just maybe we’ll have some interesting angles to fill the voids that the theme of the show might otherwise leave dangling.
What do we think as a group, gang? Action or non-action? Does the story look promising or does the creative team make you more interested than the story itself?
FlashForward will premiere on Thursday, September 24th.
Sources: LA Times, TIME Tuned In, Sci Fi Wire, Sci Fi Wire, E Online
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16 Comments
Holy crap, this show looks Epic!
The cast and creative team alone sell me, but I’m loving the trailer.
It’s a must watch for me
damn, looks interesting, since i love the guy (i forgot his name but) whos playing the lead role , who was also in Luther which was a great movie, and Enemy at the Gates which was awesome…. i might check it out.
I’ve been skeptical about this premise, but this trailer sells it very, very well. Yes, I can now see how they might sustain the concept for a season. What I remain uncertain about is how they can turn this into an ongoing series beyond this. Somehow, having everyone experience a second flashfoward seems like a copout. After all, they’ve got to eventually deliver answers to explain part of what’s going on and make those answers something that leads the characters to take action. What will those answers be??? I’m willing to give this show a shot.
I could see a 2nd season possibly focus on unrealized futures that folks saw that never happened.
Or possibly, they could pull it off again if they come up with a reasonable explanation… real reasonable.
Hey, if they can keep LOST going, they can do anything. Maybe they’ll end up on the island for a 2nd season!
Trailer looked good, I’m liking the premise, I might check it out.
I feel like while the end of the first season would likely give us answers to why this all happened, it was also open the door to new possibilities and potential that would be explored in a second season.
Hmm. Hmm. The only thing the trailer tells us: everybody blacks out for 2.17 minutes, and some people see a glimpse of their future. It feels rather thin, and also reminds me of the (cancelled) series The Nine, only this time it’s a blackout instead of a bank robbery. That series was quite boring, apart from the flashbacks from that robbery that lasted (I think) about 4,5 days.
FlashForward seems to focus more on the (relationships)drama after an interesting event than on the event itself. Don’t think ABC has got their new Lost with this.
Looks promising. I just need a new show since Lost is ending and Heroes started to suck a long time ago. I really hope it’s good.
I’m always the optimist when a new sci-fi/drama show gets launched. I just hope we don’t get bogged down with too many romance turns. Braga is a plus with the Star Trek/Threshold/24 pedigree.
I know McFarlane is an actor but I get queasy thinking of him in this.
I’ll give it a shot. Looks interesting.
I’ll be checking this out. I’m with you Huggybear, gonna need a new show to replace my Lost fix. Interesting story and it seems well done.
This sounds like it would be better as a movie but I’ll check it out.
This looks as if it will lean more towards the drama side rather than explore the sci-fi aspects of it. I think it’s just going to explore how this event will affect peoples lives from this day forward. But if it does get into things like why it happened; will it happen again; is it something supernatural, spiritual, or extraterrestrial, that could make for a really interesting show.
Ok who here’s watching “Jon & Kate plus 8 ????”
Come out with it!!!
I have watched every episode of your new show “fastforward”, but I immediately turned the station when 2 woman proceeded to kiss. It was repulsive, and I will no longer be watching. Why did you have to ruin a good show with such filth.
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