FLASH FORWARD gets series pickup at ABC

JosephFiennes

I’m so excited this morning – why? Because after a weekend away that featured next to no TV-related business, I come back to find out that my favorite pilot I’ve read so far was picked up for series by ABC. It should come as no surprise, considering they’ve been running “underground” campaigns for the series during LOST for the last few weeks, but I am happy to hear that officially, FLASH FORWARD (no, not the series from last decade starring Ben Foster) is coming to a TV screen near you.

Here is how ABC describes it in their official press release about the show:

“What if you were shown a glimpse of your future, but didn’t like what you saw? How hard would you fight and what would you sacrifice to keep it from coming true? When an unexplained, cataclysmic event knocks out the entire population of the world at the exact same moment, for two minutes and 17 seconds, everyone will see a glimpse of their own future. Then they will wake up to chaos. From his flash forward, LA FBI Agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) is able to piece together the ‘when’ April 29, 2010, but he’s desperate to figure out the ‘why’ and stop what’s coming because it’s a future he doesn’t want to see. In the future, Mark’s beloved wife has left him for the father of one of her patients. He’s started drinking again, his loyal partner’s been murdered and masked operatives are hunting him down. Before long, everyone starts asking themselves and each other, “What did you see?” As Mark and his team struggle to figure out what caused this bizarre event and wonder will it happen again, the only thing they have to go on is a huge mosaic of people’s flash forwards. Adapting award-winning science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer’s revolutionary novel, executive producers David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) and Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise) invite us to flash forward into a thrilling vision of a world held captive by events that have not yet taken place. No one knows for certain what the future holds, but everyone will have their theories.”

You guys, I am SO excited for this show.  Along with Joseph Fiennes, some of my favorites in the business are in this one – LOST’s Penny (Sonya Walger) plays Fiennes’ “beloved wife”.  John Cho (Harold to Kal Penn’s Kumar) plays a fellow FBI agent.  Jack Davenport, Peyton List, and Courtney B Vance are also stars, as well as Brian O’Byrne, Christine Woods, and Zachary Knighton.

What do you think?  Are you into it?  More importantly, “what did you see?”

FLASH FORWARD joins the already picked up MODERN FAMILY and COPPER as shows for ABC next season – they’ll officially announce their schedule on May 19, with CASTLE, SCRUBS, and BETTER OFF TED expected to all get spots!