FlashForward – Fall TV Preview

Premiering Thursday, September 24th at 8:00 est, FlashForward is one of ABC's big push shows. Joseph Fiennes stars as main focus FBI agent Mark Benford in a story about a uniquely bizarre event. At exactly the same time, and for exactly the same 2 minute 17 second duration, every person on the planet blacks out. Once the world starts regaining its composure from the catastrophic results, it turns out that what actually happened is that everyone got a glimpse of the future, the exact same point in the future, six months from now.

ABC/BOB D'AMICO

The grand production and storyline make FlashForward feel a bit more like something that is taking shape as a really long movie, rather than something that makes sense as truly a series, but the fact hasn't slowed down several shows from recent years. It has a definite Lost feel, and appeal, to it, but as things play out in the pilot it seems as though we may be headed too far toward the dramatic.

We're obviously going to work myriad angles on the subject of knowing the future, especially when we play hard on the theme that where you will end up six months from now can really be unimaginable, but a truly outlandish, global mystery series may not mix all that well with the most soap opera of dramatic spins.

(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN) JOSEPH FIENNES

There are wonderful possibilities to explore as the FBI, and those who surround Mark Benford explore the craziest event in human history, and we do get hints that some of those will unfold for us as well. Taking the hypothetical for a ride, we can probably all imagine points in our lives where we might have to admit that if you told us six months before where we would end up, there wouldn't be any way to make us believe it were possible.

There are also spins worth wondering about when it comes to the general idea of, "how do I stop that future from happening?" Most stories with one person seeing the future are bad enough, but what does happen when the whole world begins wrestling with knowing its fate? Can you prevent those events? Can you make sure those events aren't prevented?

But, there are fun, interesting, and clever jaunts along the knowing the future highway, and there are rather tedious ones that tell us from the initial knowing that we don't care how they unfold... and now we're stuck knowing that they're going to unfold at us anyway.

(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN) SONYA WALGER

In the end, FlashForward has a lot of things going for it. The acting is solid all the way around, with some big names and solid performers who aren't quite big names as well. The writing in the most general sense is above-average at worst, and the show certainly gives the appearance of sparing no expense (for good or ill, I suppose). But, I have some serious reservations about some of the things it tells me are going to happen, and my potential interest at now watching them happen for a full season.

Some things are surprising, and it might be fun to see how the heck we get from point A to point B in only six months, especially given our understanding about our characters position at point A. Some things smack of being rather stupid, and figuring out the necessarily odd and extreme events that lead between the two points doesn't make the result any less stupid. That's a dangerous game.

I'm on the fence as far as a recommendation, because there is a lot about the show that might turn out rather interesting, but I'm uninspired overall. I can't help thinking of Lost (because there is a very definite vibe about the thing), and wondering if the second episode of Lost had been a two-hour preview that summarized the events of the last few episodes... would anyone watch all those episodes that come between?

Check out the press release for more info and some clips below.

(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN) JOHN CHO

What would you do if you were given a glimpse of the future? Would you accept what you saw and live life to its fullest, or would you do everything in your power to change your destiny? When the world's population is given a glimpse of their future, it forces everyone to come to grips with whether their destinies can be fulfilled or avoided, in ABC's exciting new drama, "FlashForward."

It's just another normal day in Los Angeles. FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes, "Shakespeare in Love") and his partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho, "Star Trek," the "Harold & Kumar" film series), are in the midst of a car chase monitored by their boss, Stanford Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent") and colleague Janis Hawk (Christine Woods); Mark's wife, Dr. Olivia Benford (Sonya Walger, "Lost"), is in the middle of surgery; Dr. Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton) is weighing a potentially life-ending decision; Mark's friend, Aaron Stark (Brían F. O'Byrne, "The International"), is working high above the ground on power lines; and Nicole (Peyton List) -- baby-sitter to Mark and Olivia's daughter, Charlie -- is in the throes of passion with her boyfriend when suddenly and without warning, every person on Earth blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds and sees a series of events from their own future, taking place on April 29, 2010 at 10:00 p.m., Pacific Time. For some the future will be joyous and hopeful; for others, shockingly unexpected; and for a few, it simply doesn't seem to exist.

Everyone in the world will eventually begin chronicling what they saw in their flashforwards on a worldwide website -- the Mosaic Collective -- that will further draw people together. And some of the flashforwards just might help Mark and his colleagues piece together the cause of the blackout.

Knowing their fate will alter each person's life in one way or another and poses the questions: Can destiny be changed? And by changing just one destiny, what effect would that have on those of others?

"FlashForward" stars Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley, Peyton List as Nicole Kirby, Dominic Monaghan as Simon, Brían F. O'Byrne as Aaron Stark, Courtney B. Vance as Stanford Wedeck, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford and Christine Woods as Janis Hawk.

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• FlashForward: 2009 Fall TV Preview (cinemablend.com)

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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