Is FlashForward the Next Lost?

That is what ABC is counting on

BY COLIN ENQUIST

With ABC ending the cult phenomenon Lost in its 6th season this upcoming year, they will need to fill the void left from Lost's enormous ratings every week. ABC is hoping that FlashForward does just that. The show is based off of the Canadian science fiction writer’s 1999 Prix-Aurora Award winning novel of the same name written by Robert J. Sawyer. Starting on September 24th in the Thursday evening time slot, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern / 7:00 p.m. Central.

The cast is large and quite good, Joseph Fiennes (The Escapists), John Cho (Star Trek), Jack Davenport (Swingtown), Zachary Knighton (The Hitcher), Peyton List (Big Shots), Brían F. O'Byrne (Doubt), Gabrielle Union (Deliver Us From Eva), Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) , Christine Woods and Adam Tsekhman, round out the stellar ensemble cast. Sonya Walger and Dominic Monaghan seemed to have been poached directly from Lost to bring some familiarity with the cast to new viewers, I am sure ABC is hoping that these familiar faces bring in a good chunk of the Lost crowd. The pilot was written by David S. Goyer (The Unborn) (who also directed) and Brannon Braga (24).

A mysterious global event causes everyone to simultaneously experience, for two minutes and seventeen seconds, his or her life six months in the future. When it is over, many are dead in accidents involving vehicles, aircraft, and any other device needing human control. Everyone who survived is left wondering if what they saw will actually happen. A Los Angeles FBI agent named Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) tries to figure out what exactly happened and why it happened. Along with his team, he creates a database of people's flash forwards from around the world called the Mosaic Collective (for which a website has been launched).

Looks and sounds interesting. It really feels like it could fill the empty space that will be in my TV schedule when Lost finally departs. Unlike Lost though, I will be watching this show from the start, not having to cram 5 seasons in one summer will be a big relief! Tune in on September 24th, 2009 and watch FlashForward, maybe you will be watching the next hit TV series. Maybe not though, only time will tell.