PASADENA, Calif. -- ABC finally showed us "Flash Forward," a new serialized Thursday night drama (premieres Sept. 24) that's been dubbed "the next 'Lost,'" which it may or may not be. My first reaction to it was the same as my initial reaction to "Lost": Maybe this should be a movie instead of a TV show. Obviously I was wrong about "Lost" but I've had the same reaction to many other serialized shows in recent years that have all gone down in flames (e.g. "The Nine," "Daybreak," etc.). I hope I'm wrong but we'll see. In an interviewe after the press conference, executive producer Marc Guggenheim ("Eli Stone") made a pretty persuasive argument for why "Flash Forward" will work better as a TV show than as a movie. I'm sure I'll include that interview in a future "FF" story.
In "FF," everyone on the planet blanks out for a little more than two minutes. During that time they flash forward to a specific time on a specific date: 10 p.m. PT on April 29, 2010. Some characters like what they see in the future, others do not. And can they change the future? These are all questions raised in the pilot that introduces a large, international cast of characters.
Dominic Monaghan ("Lost") will appear in the series beginning sometime in the first six episodes. Details of his character, Simon, remain under wraps.
When Monaghan read the script, he didn't see a part for himself, saying he didn't want to take work away from anyone who is American. British co-stars Joseph Fiennes and Sonya Walger, who are playing Americans, stood up and feigned leaving the stage before returning to their seats amid laughs.
Oh, and for viewers who complain ot me about not being able to distinguish dialogue from background music/noise, I have finally had your experience! I've heard this complaint for years but never experienced it until ABC screened "Flash Forward" on large screens with a muti-channel sound system. It was near-impossible to understand dialpgue in some scenes and it wasn't just me. I ran to the back of the room and asked the sound guy if he could turn down the background sound on his large, expensive audio board. He did and the sound instantly improved.
I still think in some instances the issue can be with the viewer's hearing but I also think other times it's an issue with settings on individual TVs and not a problem we can blame on the networks or cable companies.
Posted
Aug 08 2009, 04:10 PM
by
Rob Owen