Loving the sound of this! Really hope its picked up :D

 

Every year, hundreds of ideas for new TV series are pitched to the US networks. Of these, only a small proportion are picked up for pilots - and of these, fewer still then go on to become fully-fledged series. (Of course, only the fittest of these survive and become enduring TV hits). Over the next week Tube Talk is getting out its crystal ball, sifting through this year's many pilots and predicting which shows we could all be hooked on in six months' time.

 

First up on our list is the most promising proposition of all. Hype is building quickly around sci-fi thriller Flash Forward: ABC has already made the unprecedented step of airing short teasers during ad breaks, despite the pilot not yet being picked up to series. There are more than several Lost comparisons, and indeed, the show is being eyed as a long-term replacement for the JJ Abrams megaweight when it concludes next year.

 

What's it all about?

Simplified, Flash Forward focuses on the choas which ensues after everyone on the planet blacks out for two minutes and seventeen seconds. The blackout itself causes mass disaster: airplanes fall from the sky, cars are involved in collisions, etc. In total, 40 million or so people don't survive the mysterious event.

 

So, people are unconscious for the entire time?

Not quite. Here's where it gets interesting: during the blackout, survivors experience a flash forward in time, revealing a snippet of their own future or fate during the time loss. And the moment they witness is not random (as you might have guessed) - it's five months in the future, at 8pm on April 20, 2010.

 

Why that specific date?

Good question! And that very question is one of the pilot's central mysteries - along with what caused the blackout, of course. Was it a natural disaster? A man-made event? Or something much more sinister?

 

What happens to the survivors?

Naturally, they're somewhat disturbed by the experience. The FBI and other agencies begin to investigate the visions, attempting to link stories together by similar visions. The plot will then follow and explore the lives of the survivors.

 

Who came up with the idea for the show?

It's written by David S. Groyer, the man behind Batman Begins and Blade, and Brannon Braga (Enterprise, Threshold). Flash Forward is also loosely based on Robert J. Sawyer's 1999 novel of the same name.

 

Who's in it?

Sonya Walger, who has a key recurring role on Lost as Penny Widmore, will take the female lead. Christine Woods, Jack Davenport and Law & Order: CI's Courtney B. Vance have also been given roles.

 

Why should I watch it?

Billed as the new Lost (have we made that point already?), Flash Forward should fill any sci-fi drama shaped holes you may have in your life. Who wouldn't be at least a little intrigued by a show tackling fate vs. free will and destiny vs. chaos?

I would say its 99% likely to be picked up for next season. Strong cast list, strong premise, good internet backing already and more importantly ABC need to start thinking about life after Lost. They'll milk the final season of Lost for all its worth next year, but they definitely need a new sci-fi show to keep their demographic ratings in order.

 

Should hear pretty soon whether its been offically picked up. NBC have already picked up 4 new shows for next year and i'd expect the rest of the bigger networks to announce the same soon...

looks like a fail version of Lost's time useage.

13 episode pick-up already just off the basis of the inital screening.

 

 

SO EXCITED!

looks good, wont be anything on Lost though... and is that the person who plays Penny in Lost? she looks hot in that.

Really liking the look of the trailer.

 

Apparently Dominic Mongahon(sp?) is gonna be in this...

Threshold was okay actually, but never really got the viewers it deserved... It was always a bit strange to me that nobody really liked Threshold, but then turn around and actually watch Fringe, there are certain similarities to both shows.... I have to say that describing David Goyer as the "man behind Batman Begins" is a grossly over-exaggerated statement making out like he's some kind of Auteur, he merely CO-WROTE the screenplay with Johnathan Nolan, and the film was directed by Chris Nolan, it is fair to say he was significantly involved in the Blade sequels and TV show though.....

 

This might turn out to be okay, it's never gonna be a serious contender for the "next Lost" though, that show is truly a unique TV experience....

Lost is an absolute mess. It's crap. I am excited for this; I just hope it doesn't do what a lot of the US fantasy-style shows do and turn into a ridicule after the first series.

I found Threshold and Fringe completely different. I could never get into Threshold, I watched the first 3 episodes and I didn't really like it. ABC sort of marketed it poorly as well. Can't remember exactly but I think its timeslot was 8pm before Lost, it would have worked better at 10pm with the lead-in from Lost. But hey hum. I love Fringe though. I think they've got the casting pretty much perfect with it.

 

Flash Forward definitely has potential. Irrc it's getting a very good time slot. And the cast list is well, pretty impressive to be honest. ABC are gonna market it to be the next Lost because they're gonna miss Lost a lot when it finishes and they need a show to bring the same audience Lost brought to the network. Only time will tell.

Lost is an absolute mess. It's crap. I am excited for this; I just hope it doesn't do what a lot of the US fantasy-style shows do and turn into a ridicule after the first series.

 

LMAO, i bet you have seen like one episode, like those many people who are like 'gomg lost is $h!t coz my mind is too simple to understand it and also i only saw one episode and i was reading a book at the same time' :rolleyes:

Lost is one of the best TV shows ever imo. When I try and tell people what has happened since they stopped watching it they just laugh and say its stupid. Well yes it does sound stupid if you've not seen it, but it is utterly brilliant. And you've got to watch it to understand it. The visuals, the casting, the acting, the writing... it's all just top notch. When it finishes next year it'll sweep up at the Emmys and Golden Globes and be remembered as a gem.

Lost is an absolute mess. It's crap. I am excited for this; I just hope it doesn't do what a lot of the US fantasy-style shows do and turn into a ridicule after the first series.

 

You have to have watched it right from the start, otherwise it's just going to make absolutely no sense at all..... Stuff like The Wire, Battlestar Galactica and Dexter are exactly the same.... I almost lost patience with Lost roundabout series 4, but I stuck with it, and now think it's absolutely brilliant and well thought out..... The final double episode of series 5 was utterly brilliant.... You begin to discover just who Jacob actually is.... If they do this right, series 6 will be one of the best endings to a series ever... Perhaps even better than the conclusion of Battlestar Galactica which was frankly gobsmacking and understated at the same time.....

 

Lost actually restored my faith in TV dramas.....

 

Begins its 13 ep run on the 24th September.

 

I'm just wondering if this will be a one-season show now as the events they see in the 'flash forward' take place just 6 months later, so its either going to be wrapped up fast or dragged out terribly.

Begins its 13 ep run on the 24th September.

 

I'm just wondering if this will be a one-season show now as the events they see in the 'flash forward' take place just 6 months later, so its either going to be wrapped up fast or dragged out terribly.

 

I think there'll be potential for it to go further. Shows like Prison Break managed to (although not very well after the 2nd series). In the promo, in 2 months time the lead character is trying to solve why this happened. And there must be a reason for why it happened, and I don't expect that to be explained until the end. I would definitely say it'll get a 22-24 season pick-up for the first series even if ratings are mediocre.

Yea that sounds possible. Just read this:

 

Producers of ABC's upcoming sci-fi series Flash Forward say that the series will offer a complete plot in its first season and will reveal answers in the first season finale. "We know exactly ... what season one is, with great specificity, because at ... the outset, we had to plan the entire season," showrunner/executive producer Marc Guggenheim told SCI FI Wire. "The first season ends with our characters' catching up to their futures. So you can't do that on the fly. I mean, I suppose you could, but I don't think it would be a very satisfying viewing experience for anybody. We made the commitment at the outset [to]plan out the entire first season before we start breaking episode two. So the very first thing we did, apart from ... figuring out character backstories and [all] that—when the time came ... to actually start breaking story, it was, 'OK, how are we going to move the characters from where they are in episode one to where they are at the end of the season?'"

This looks pretty good, it probably be a replacement for Lost on Sky1

Shows like Prison Break managed to (although not very well after the 2nd series).

 

Absolutely... Series 3 of PB was frankly awful, I never even bothered with series 4..... 1 and 2 were both great though... It made perfect dramatic sense to structure it the way they did with those seasons.... Season 3 was just so utterly contrived and just seemed like they were merely doing it to extend the life of the show..... Otherwise, you'd've had two perfect seasons of shows had it been allowed to end naturally and not just be dragged out for the sake of it.....

 

Absolutely... Series 3 of PB was frankly awful, I never even bothered with series 4..... 1 and 2 were both great though... It made perfect dramatic sense to structure it the way they did with those seasons.... Season 3 was just so utterly contrived and just seemed like they were merely doing it to extend the life of the show..... Otherwise, you'd've had two perfect seasons of shows had it been allowed to end naturally and not just be dragged out for the sake of it.....

 

That's how popularity sometimes kills the show. And the networks all play a large part in that as well. If Prison Break had have ended after 2 seasons then it would have been remembered a masterpiece imo. Shame they thought they could go on with the show, and they just ran out of ideas unfortunately. SarahWC leaving in series 3 didn't help much either.

 

This is where Lost could have gone down unfortunately as well. I trust the writers a lot, but as they didn't know how far the show was going to go on they had to add a certain amount of filler, and extra characters. I think a lot of the hardcore fans are going to disappointed (additedly I will be too) when there will be quite a few loose ends at the end of the show, but you've just gotta take that as $h!t happens basically. But if season 6 of Lost is as good as I think it will be then it will surely be remembered as one of the best sci-fi shows ever...

Channel 5 have picked it up.

 

Disappointed as I hope BBC2 or even C4 would get it.