THE TV GUYDE – It’s no Flash in the pan!

Thursdays @ 8 (ABC)

You should probably know I’m a huge LOST fan. Mondo huge. Not one of those obsessive fans that knows every detail of every scene or anything, more like I enjoy the series and its themes of philosophy, spirituality, and interpersonal connectedness all resonate with me. And the acting is aces – the series has a wonderful array of colourful, messed up characters who, along with the viewer, sloooowly untangle the rich, storied mythology of the mysterious island through their (mis)adventures. Though truth be told, I’ve been known to scour the net for a few hours after an episode for behind-the-scenes info. Okay, so maybe I’m a little more into the series than the average bear.

Joseph Fiennes takes a hard look at the damage caused by the blackout.

So when word got out that ABC was creating a new series that combined all the ways that make LOST so engaging, I shat a brick. I set Thursday evening aside – and even decided Community and Parks and Recreation be damned – pre-preparing for my new TV addiction. More intel came through the wire – Shakespeare in Love’s Joseph Fiennes and LOST’s Sonya Walger would lead a cast that included Star Trek’s John Cho and LOST’s (another one!) Dominic Monaghan. Is it possible to still be awake and dreaming? Then I discovered the plot: people the world over black out for exactly 137 seconds and in that time gain a glimpse of their lives six months into the future. ABC, my heart now belongs to you. Or so I thought …

These two know their time is up sooner than later. Coincidence?

Ironically, my biggest complaint is how familiar FlashForward feels compared to LOST. Substitute a series of brutal fender benders for the island plane crash and FF looks eerily similar to the launch of both shows. For some reason amid the chaos, a kangaroo hops past Fiennes’ Agent Benford as he surveys the bedlam harking back to the survivors of Oceanic 815 and their inexplicable encounter with a polar bear. Having no vision of his fixed future while blacked out, Cho’s Agent Noh struggles with his own mortality, believing he dies in or before six months. In LOST, rock star Charlie (Monaghan) spends more than half of season three with his almost certain death weighing heavily on his shoulders. Is it all a conscious decision to hook LOST fans or mere coincidence?

Getting a taste of their future has really mess up this lot.

I’m definitely on board to see how the series ramps up to D-Day which also happens to be the season one finale, April 29, 2010. The ongoing mystery of the blackout is intriguing but I’d say (thus far) it’s more of a Jericho conspiracy mystery than a LOST epic mystery. Seeing how peeks of the future guide the characters through their arcs is a great handle for the series and deeply fascinating. FF provides quick reveals each episode, spoon-feeding the audience with tasty tidbits that make it seem like we’re getting closer than perhaps we really are to the big reveal. Nice trick, guys … and it’s working. I’m confident exec producers David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) and Marc Guggenheim (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will bring their know-how of penning costumed heroes to the table and keep this series primed and exciting each week.

Stark similarities aside, FlashForward will easily take over the mantel left by LOST when it concludes next year. The mystery may catch your attention, but it’s the characters that will keep you glued to the tube. Not a fan of another network’s “Comedy Done Right?” Finally you have something to look Forward to Thursday night.

See what the future holds in the latest edition of Recessionomics right here:

The TV Guyde