FlashForward

Channel: Seven
Day & time*: Monday, 8.30 p.m.
(*as at October 2009)

 

Visions of sci-fi

I have a confession to make - I like a bit of sci-fi. There, I've said it. I must however add an immediate caveat; sci-fi TV has to have a basis in reality to get me interested. So I'm a sucker for stuff like Lost; but not so much for, say, Stargate. So when I saw Seven's new series FlashForward, I got just a little excited.

I was probably wrong to do that - because I should have been really excited. FlashForward is a brilliantly conceived and slickly executed sci-fi series that's sure to suck in plenty of viewers, just like me. The issue for Seven is whether, in terms of ratings, this series is the next Heroes, or the next Fringe.

The show opens with a fantastic premise. On a particular day, everyone in the whole world 'blacks out' for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. But they're not really blacked-out; it emerges that during those 2-odd minutes, everyone had a 'vision' of the same time but exactly six months into the future. Why? Well, that will be revealed in good time. How? That's probably an even bigger question. And things take a sinister turn when evidence emerges that perhaps not everyone was affected by this phenomenon.

Given that the series is intended to unfold in what is effectively 'real time', it might have a limited shelf life. On the other hand, the fact that the basic conceit has affected (almost) the entire planet gives the writers plenty of scope for multiple characters with multiple plotlines to ensure the series' longevity.

The cast is headlined by Joseph Fiennes (yes, Ralph's little brother) as FBI agent Mark Benford. He's a take-charge kind of guy, and is hot on the trail of a possible terrorist cell when the 'black out' hits. When he comes to, his vision of six months hence involves him being immersed in the case and attempting to chase down those responsible for it. Perhaps he should have paid some more attention to the domestic front, because the vision of his wife Olivia (Sonya Walger) has her bedding down with a new man. Benford's partner at the Bureau is Demetri Noh (John Cho), whose vision is even more frightening - he sees nothing. Does this mean he's destined to be dead in less than 6 months? He thinks so, but there might be other explanations.

Like all good sci-fi, FlashForward asks more questions than it answers. This is, of course, a classic writers' trick to keep audiences engaged - and here it works a treat. Yes, the show does have some similarities to Lost; but hopefully this show won't go down the track of Lost's descent into confusion. The big challenge for the writers will be to ensure that viewers don't have to have seen every episode in order to make sense of the show. It needs to have a little 'elasticity', so that if you happen to miss a week, you can still pick it up.

I started out with a confession, so now at the conclusion of this review, I have another confession to make. I'm pretty much hooked on FlashForward. I'm certainly more than happy to give this show a few more weeks to see where this will take me. I'm hoping it's somewhere wonderful.

Phil James