The high-budget ABC sci-fi less-than-thriller known as Flashforward has been canceled, and by a few accounts, it’s a tragedy. By many more accounts, however it’s a good thing, and here are just five of the biggest reasons why that’s actually the case.
Read the followup to this article, Thirteen More Reasons I’m Glad FlashForward Was Cancelled.
» Discuss this story on Reddit!
Reason 1 – Still reeling from the massive disappointment that was Lost with all its years of creating threads that could never be tied back in, viewers can’t be expected to sign on to another multi-year quasi-drama with a non-existent storyline, and we can’t be expected to so quickly forget it when so many of the cast members are the same.
Reason 2 – Story arc was weak, weak, weak. Some of the biggest mysteries from the first four episodes were wholly dismissed by the end of the first season in favor of new, more exciting plot twists… This assures us viewers that the writers honestly have no idea what the hell they’re doing.
Reason 3 – We all survived 9/11, so get real. The whole “oh honey, why are you working so much” nonsense when the subject is on the task force to unravel the global mystery rings so hollow it’s absurd. Even in the wake of 9/11, which was infinitely smaller, no spouse asked why they were gone from home so long, or where they’d been all day. We knew where they were, they were trying to solve the damn mystery.
Further, why didn’t 90% of people just quit their jobs? This logic-gap is perhaps better exemplified by putting a gun to your own head, which made exactly no sense at all. If he knew he was going to die, why would he try to take his own life? That could have been his moment of death (and should have), according to prophesy. Only those with a FlashForward would have taken that risk, not those who knew they were already dead.
The plot holes are one thing, but the absurd gaps in logic are quite another.
Why was it that everyone had a fascinating, plot-relevant FlashForward? Most of ours would just be us sitting on the couch watching TV, or more accurately, since we knew it was coming, sitting in groups looking around at our friends like it was Super Bowl Sunday.
Reason 4 – Religion simultaneously underplayed, overplayed and non-played. If a global blackout ever happened, every religion would claim it as their own, and a hundred thousand new cults would spring up claiming it was theirs. They touched on it early, saying attendance at mass had risen, but never really addressed it. If the world really is 90% faithful, as the radical Christians love to say it is, the groundswell in favor of faith would be second to none.
Reason 5 – Budget to Vision ratio imbalance. If you’re going to try to tackle something as big as this, you just have to dedicate the budget to bring it to reality. Otherwise, what’s the point? It just falls flat. The real bummer is that the show had a budget on par with most Hollywood action flicks, but they chose to pocket the surplus rather than reinvesting it to make television history.
I could add to this list lesser complaints like the fact that almost all principal cast members were non-Americans, and they played it fairly poorly, or that that it took a federal agency weeks to create MOSAIC, when it would have already been running in minutes thanks to Blogger, Wikipedia, or any number of other organic entities. I can even complain that Gough’s suicide would have already been executed by a thousand others, or that the discrepancies between FlashForwards would have been noticed within a single day.
I won’t go in to any of that. I’ll just say that a strong, solid storyline is critical to telling a story, and that trying to supplant it with a smoke and mirror routine was ruined by, well, a smoke monster. I think his name was Locke, but I could be mistaken. Hollywood writers have either gotten so lazy that they think we’re all suffering from head injuries, or, more likely, they are themselves suffering from them.
FlashForward was officially cancelled, and I say good riddance. If you want to tell a story, have the whole thing figured out from the beginning. That’s why the last Lord of the Rings installation made more money than the first, and why the last Matrix made less money than the second (despite a higher budget and rabid following).
This tale doesn’t spell the end of television as we know it, it just hopefully spells the end of terrible television, and that’s a good thing.
All of you who did, actually, find this show brilliant, are amazingly simple-minded people. There ARE huge plot holes, ask ANYONE you ever considered brighter than yourselves.The guy who wrote this article, bless his soul, was overly kind in pointing out only a few of the logical gaps. Is it now a bad thing to demand screen writers to make any effort at all, expect creating a high-concept premise and improvise from there? Is it actually OK to create a show in which two characters have a press conference stating they were probably responsible for killing millions of people; then they continue with their life without any major confrontations? Im not even gonna begin, you will never understand. But please, dont bash people who wants to set a HIGHER standard for television shows (there is no praising of reality shows in this article). My God, you morons. But I do love you all.
Terrible article, learn to pay attention dude, not just screw around and complain.
I agree with the posters, that the author of this article has NO CLUE ABOUT ANYTHING AT ALL.
It’s actually frustrating to me, that people like him go out of their way to actually have a show cancelled and stay cancelled.
It’s like in his mind, he says “I dont want people to watch it, and if they are, i want them to stop, because thats what I want.”
It’s ridiculous. If you dont like the show, stop watching it, and move on with your life. Why do you interfere with the things OTHER people want? It makes no sense!
Look at the comments, 99% of people DISAGREE with you completely.
Because an unfortunately large number of people are stupid and they would rather watch jersey shore and shows about pregnant teenagers then have to think. Even this show I noticed would cater to that often showing flashbacks to stuff all the time, maybe something that just happened last episode or even 2 mins before example; when mark drove his car through the 8 ball… It was an awesome show and I really think it was their next lost and unlike this reviewer I consider that a good think, I like not getting all the answers at once and getting to spend them time in-between making theories as to the answers, I for one managed to guess right the ending of lost! In the end having read about some of what their plans were for the future and Hellingers reason I think they were brilliant writers but unfortunately not enough people watched.
Is funny how a man with such negativity towards a show can know so much about it, probobly cause you were a fan?? Of course you were, dont deny it. Your pissed it got cancelled like the rest of us.. I think flash forward was an awsome show, sure it had its moments where fantasy and reality wernt in sync…but shit….we already had a real show about nothing….its called SEINFELD….i say Bravo to Flash Forward, and boo to its demise.
I agree with some of the points you make here but the comment about the non-American actors is nasty.
This show was amazing and i really wish it never stopped, but they did leave it at a good spot.
Ahahahaha
because
You honestly have no idea what the show is about and I'm sorry, but I don't have patience to read something that has absolutely no meaning. Think about all the awful shows that have many seasons. You've got plenty…
Now tell me, in your experience on evaluating shows, why can't Flashforward have a second and third season…
You honestly have no idea what the show is about and I'm sorry, but I don't have patience to read something that has absolutely no meaning. Think about all the awful shows that many seasons.
Now tell me, in your experience on evaluating shows, why can't Flashforward have a second and third season…
I just Googled a few of the shows that I liked and had been canceled in recent years and this popped up. Since people still comment after a few years I guess I will too. I have noticed something about movie and tv critics that bothers me. Unless you are watching a true story, the first thing you should do before viewing is that old “suspension of disbelief”. Especially with sci-fi or fantasy. The genre pretty much implies that. So when people start picking apart something in areas that really do not matter towards the story line it bothers me. If you don’t think it’s entertaining, that’s fine. I think arrested development sucked but there is a whole gaggle of fans that would disagree with me angrily. But I didn’t really log too much time with it in the first place because I knew it was not my type of show. I am a sci fi fan so that’s what I watch a lot of. It’s fiction. It’s not supposed to be realistic and by definition it doesn’t have to be. I scratch my head when people say that. I was interested in the story overall. I wonder how many people bashed 24 because they felt it was unrealistic that Jack Bower never took a potty break. My point is, I think you may have over-analyzed it. Just as many did with Lost, of which I thought was brilliant from start to finish. I’m not a dumb person. I just know when to sit back and enjoy the show.
Wow. You are a terrible person. Really going to bash a stranger over a tv show cancelled years ago. Amazing.
You're a hater bro. Flash Forward is a scifi/fantasy story. It's there for entertainment and it sure as hell entertained me. Also keep your racist remarks to yourself. What do you mean half the cast were not American? Go fuck yourself my friend. It's people like you that gives your country a bad name but fair enough. We all know that Americans are lazy, fat ass pricks who sit in front of there television sets the whole day eating mc Donald's while thinking the world revolves around them. Also keep your religious views to yourself or at least get your facts right. Maybe 90% of people living in the USA are christians which is also an understatement since the whole world thinks of you as the Devil's country with the whore of babylon waving her torch high in the sky. Most people believe in God. Not man. 90% of Africans believe in their forefather, the other 7% believe in God & 3% from American influenced countries such as South Africa are Christian orientated. Christian Orientated not Christian. Let's leave the 2nd biggest continent now and let's go to the biggest continent in the world Eurasia. Eurasia, not North America as you should know, is the biggest continent in the world. 70% of Europe especially Eastern Europe are Muslims and 30% christian. Asia are 97% non christian. It's the 3% making money out of christianity that claims to be christian. If both the biggest and 2nd biggest continents are not Christian then where did you get your info from. You should put a retraction to your statement because it seems that you are very confused about the world you live in. I hope I didn't burst your bubble. Americans wipe out a whole continent of it's Indigenous people, make another continent's people their slaves, kills woman and children in numerous other countries for their resources and starts crying "Terror!" when two of your buildings collapse. Clearly you are the terror, not the rest of the world. Anyway, I enjoyed the show. Very good indeed. Oh yes, haven't you ever wondered how your movies get's released in Russia before it even hits the box office there by you. Lmfho! Pst!: I don't think anyone will die if the USA stops making movies and by the way, TV was invented in South Africa not the USA. Next time keep your racist comments to yourself or you'll get more than just one go fuck yourself. Respect others and they will respect you.
Oh for gods sake! If you really think so go and make another tv show BUT I promise you that it will have much less popularity! And if you don't like it you can go to hell! what you wrote is total nonsense!
I’m from South Africa. Recently just watched the entire Season of Ff and soo dissapointed that it was cancelled. American series such as Heroes, lost and Ff 9in fact anything American show) have such a high audience following in South Africa. Although it only reaches our shores months even years later it is a dissapointment to have such programmes cancelled. This show was something different and thought provoking. What a pity.
hey……. f you
Have practically watched the whole of season 1 in a day. The first episode had me hooked, and there after the cliff hangers were too much! I loved the characters, special effects, story lines, the intrigue suspense.. Twists & turns regarding the plots. ( great to see a combo of English & American actors in it too) after googling and seeing no further season 2.. This is very disappointing 🙁 agree with many statements previously..( apart from initial post that is). It seems every programme I get into “V” being another, they simply decide not to do any others. Instead we have Dallas to look forward to! (not!).
What a pity..
An idiot-savant maybe. He got you here.
Or maybe…just maybe, he flashed forward, saw the global destruction unleashed by this series being on TV then woke up and wrote this to keep it from ever coming back. Eh? Eh?
I just finished watching the first season. I figured it was already cancelled, but like Bri above I googled it and found this article. All I can say whoever wrote it is an idiot.
The reason all of the flash forwards were interesting because at 10pm April 29th, the blackout had already happened, and they wouldn’t be sitting on their couch because the flash forward is the outcome of them seeing the flash forward, it makes a loop that is hard to grasp. Basically, the future has already happened and there is nothing they can do to avoid it, because it is the future and the future is what will happen further down in time. I don’t know about time travel blah blah or the space time continuum, but you should research or watch the series and think about it before you make dumb statements.
been watching flash forward last two days non-stop.
just finished season 1.googled for season2. cancelled.then i googled for why it cancelled.with many result found these.
this reasons SUCK. i loved flashforward.it’s amazing and i’m looking forward to season 2.
just finishing my flashforward 2-days-non-stop watch because this time of year, not much tv series show worth following…
then i got curious whether there’s any 2nd season.. damn it’s cancelled..
this is a good show, i mean i watch 92 tittles of tv series and miniseries (based on my list on addic7ed), and not much worth mentioning like flashforward.
So..just like The Listener which revived after a year stop,..i think ABC shold make the 2nd season of flashforward because its still good, relevance, and we shall realy enjoy the orgasm from its cliffhanger release.. 😀
Yes, Patti and Kilroy, this article does get a lot of comments, even now that it’s more than 2-years old. My skin is thick, though, and you can tell because I keep publishing the comments, no matter how nasty they get… or maybe it’s because I just don’t know better, because in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a complete idiot (see above).
I’ve been amazed at the number of comments this piece gets. While I wasn’t a Flash Forward fan by any means, the fan base certain does appear to be as loyal as…LOST fans. Not quite as rabid though.
I’m a sci fi buff for decades but Flash Forward didn’t float my boat. I saw too many elements of much better sci fi stories in it in a mishmash that bored me. Not everyone, but it did me. If you liked Flash Forward, no big thing. Go with it. But, you HAVE to realize that it’s not necessarily “good” just because you like it. I like pro wrestling, and that ain’t even a sport. Guilty pleasure between re-readings of “War and Peace”….
Careful, P.G. Around here, Brian White is a god.
Brian White? Who the hell is Brian White and what makes anyone think that he speaks for the world? FlashForward was a great fictional series and of course the operational word here is fictional. If Brian White thinks every detail of a fictional portrayal has to be resolved in the first twenty-two episodes (one year of fictional time) then he is obviously delusional and we can all agree that he’ll never have a career as a writer nor as a critic. FlashForward was great and like many other wonderfully entertaining television series, fell prey to the a group of network executives whose taste is all in their mouths. The final say on whether a series makes it or not has always been and always will be up to some twerp that has no idea what the public likes. The phenominal Star Trek franchise is one case in point where network stupidity is concerned. I’m just sayin…. Brian White is WRONG!
what a dumb review
i have never watched a tv shows or enjoyed any but Flashforward was amazing and i watched it all and i enjoyed it so much, not like all the other crap shows … and the reasons that are here are just crap … look at the comments and u will understand that stopping that show is a big mistake “clearly”
Let me get this straight, Simon. What some guy writes on his own site is a violation of YOUR opinion somehow?
The author is talking absolute SHITE and i am being very polite. JUST BECAUSE YOU DONT LIKE IT DONT TRY TO FORCE YOUR OPINION ON EVERYONE ELSE. LET PEOPLE HAVE THERE OWN. END OV.!
It was good and im getting tired of starting a new show, waisting time watching, money paying for cable and after the first season it gets canceled:( Boo!! The Gates and No Ordinary People were two others I liked that got cancelled. Makes me not wanna watch tv anymore. I can go spend my money on something else
ok so i have recently created a petition to bring back flashfoprd ( the most amazing tv show ever!!!!!) and if u r a true fan and believer that flashforward will live on then please!!!!!! sign it…u can sign it at http://www.change.org/petitions/cbs-i-want-cbs-to-bring-back-their-show-flash-forward so please go and do it and while ur at it tell ur friends!!
FlashForward was a really really really great and amazing TV show. The fact that it had two LOST characters as main characters was prity cool and I think some LOST fans would love to see the show because of that, just to continue watching a show with LOST characters. I think that if it had 2 or 3 more seasons then it would have been way more popular and famous than it was. I haven’t read the novel but I might read it just to see how the storyline finishes, and I suggest some of you do the same thing. Well I thought FlashForward was a great TV show and that they should renew or put it back on TV; if ABC can do that. FlashForward: Great and Amazing Show!
OK, knock it off all of you!
You are hogging up all the bandwidth!
Wait, what? Bonanza is off the air?
Boy, and I thought I was bummed when ‘Bonanza’ went off the air!
Oh yeah, put world peace on the back burner…pray for Flash Forward to return. Much, much more rewarding.
Did you flash forward to the future to retrieve this news? If flash forward is a patented process, where can I buy stock. If it’s just that show…nah!
Hey people , no worry i heard some company will buy the Flash Forward patent and will start Flash Forward season 2.
Lets all pray this will come true .
STFU , this is the best show ever , hell alot better that lost . There is no reason why ABC will cancel expect the ABC is fking stupid and have a bad taste . Irresponsible ABC!
are you on drugs or something, like if we are not in enough pain from before and then you have to write this shit!
I think people were thinking it was a lost clone. I was more thinking it was a Babylon 5 type clone with a long story arc and lots of individual plots. I have just rewatched B5 season 1 and 2 and I could see lots of people bailing out after the first few episodes. I think the pace of the first part of the season was too slow for todays audience rather like I believe the film Alien would not work today we have no patience and very little imagination as an audience.
I would have loved to understand the arcs and indeed in one show the total arc was shown ( Garden of forking paths I believe ), I’d have loved to see how it all played out. How Gabriel interacted with Olivia /Lloyd interaction.
The actual book deals with the consequence of knowing our fate does know it provoke the future or do we make our own. I believe much of that kind of flew by many people as a point of interest.
I do think that Lost has done harm for thought provoking science fiction it essentially ate it own tail leaving no real validation for watching it.
I loved it. My favorite series by far in the last decade. Fine, it wasn’t perfect – but for God’s sake it was a show that made PHYSICS sexy. I’m going to really really miss it. Loved the music, too.
Maybe the piece was a bit harsh but it is satire. As a sci fi geek with a decent attention span, I found the show short on real (or even probable) ‘science” and thick on drama and fiction. So it kinda bored me. Just my humble opinion.
I have to say this show is the only reason I am not canceling Netflix!
It had a lot going for it. A lot of ‘A’ list actors. Decent plot. The only critique I would give is
that perhaps too many story plot lines may confuse those with short attention spans but
as a scifi fanatic I really am enjoying this show. They should have aired it on SciFi channel
perhaps with a more appreciative crowd..
The critic here is way off and too picky.
I like this show.
I just watched this entire series on Netflix, and was mesmerized until the last episode. Like another poster commented, the sudden conversion of Olivia into a morally bankrupt spouse – without regard for the impact of her betrayal upon her husband and child – was a shock.I was convinced that she would resist her flashforward and maintain her nuclear family. It was just one of the many relationships left with a thread hanging. It seems likely that this season ending episode was written and filmed with anticipation of a second season for resolution of all the relationship conflicts presented in the last episode.
I never got to see FlashForward when it was in it’s tv season; I checked out the full series from the library and have been enjoying it a great deal over the weekend. I’m very sorry to hear it got cancelled because it really is a great show. The networks do pull a lot of great shows way too soon; some of my other favorites are gone now, too. And . . . there must be something to the lack of advertising theory. I never heard about it before, so didn’t even know it existed. What a shame. I think it had great potential. The reasons above, by the way, are pretty lame. There are tons of shows on today that are sheer garbage, but they just hang on and on.
Dear Mr. White
Any one of us here could go into the flaws of the show simply because of the size of the subject. Wouldn’t people have done this done that?
Who cares?
The show was smart, an awesome idea, and the writers were great at showing the different possibilities.
Mostly they kept you entertained.
I’m sure its about money more than anything else with this one.
Disappointed to see it go. I guess its back to the mindless Television that perhaps Mr. White prefers
Carl
Flashforward is the greatest show ever and the reasons in this article are the worst reasons i have ever seen in my life. I mean if you apply all the logics given by the author of this article no TV show or Movie will ever even exist. Definitely he has a poor taste in shows or he don’t watch much of tv or movies.
Flashforward changed my views towards TV shows, it was so good and i so wish it had continued.
I just finished watching the series on Netflix and I am very sorry to hear that there will not be a second season. I am not sure if you even saw the same show I saw, but I have a complete other take on this show!!! This show was great and I cannot believe it has been canceled. The series was left unfinished and now I will never know the end! Who ever made the stupid decision to cancel this show is a moron. And this article is the worts article I have ever read!!!! As you can tell I am not a happy camper!!!!
I just stumbled upon this show on Netflix and am mortified that it only lasted a season. This article is horrible, lol. Just horrible!! None of those reasons make any sense and I haven’t seen one plot line that’s disappeared and I only have 5 episodes left to watch. The author should have gone back and re watched the show because he/she is waaaay off!
I just think this show never got enough press… I had never heard of it. It’s awesome, i am captivated with every single plot line going on with every single character rather than the way it is in someone shows where i could care less what character “c” has going on. It’s a travesty that this show did not thrive!
I am very disappointed that FlashForward was cancelled. I enjoy the ‘unexpected’ & this show had that! ABC has done this multiple times…cancelling a show after one season and leaving viewers in limbo. I used to watch mostly ABC programs, but not anymore because ABC pulls too many shows without giving them a chance. I have begun watching other stations over ABC. (TNT, USA & even CBS are now my top 3 stations to watch.
Nonsense… Only cynical watchers like you would think of these when watching a science fiction tv show.
It was canceled because in the next Flash Forward, the producers saw 7 years in the future and how hacked off people were with the finale.
i just finished watching FF on the computer and thot it was brilliant and was by far the best non-comedy show iv ever seen and one of the best shows i ever watched.i was addicted instantly and finished the entire series in less then a week and i have a very very busy life. it was a mix of mystery, cop show, action, hospital drama, world catastrophe, and even sometimes a bit of horror. it was well written with great characters and incredible storylines. why it was cancelled i will never understand. clearly whoever wrote this article is an idiot who thinks the best show ever is jersey shore. ABC has fallen and all that keeps them alive is the wednesday comedy block. soon ABC will die completely. while ABC family is still popular lets be honest its all chick flicks. soon they to will fall and ABC will be a memory just like the many great shows that they cancelled.
oh well! good stuff gets canceled heh.. and stupid BLEEP with boobs or dumb unfunny show was continued for a years ~ congrats ABC TV! ^_^
We cannot dodge the fact that there are brain dead people among us, far many more than extra-terrestrials or supernaturals. I cant explain how they see things arround, but watching a good series (at least for us viewers) its not the numbers you pick from it. I really DONT CARE how many did see it, i DONT CARE if it had depth, i DONT CARE if it had mistakes. For me emotions count best. And as for me (who rejected TV from my life about 8 years now) FF was a brilliant, genuine and true, so much that it made me watch all the season. ABC you can now take your pathetic alliens and shove it up yours. Until FF is out again I settled with Fringe. Thanks ABC for nothing, now you have your brain dead zombies to V for.
I thought the show was great and just couldn’t believe that it was canceled! Maybe it hit too close to home and actually made people THINK vs those other pathetic no-brained shows.
Unfortunately Americans are just too stupid to understand even the simplest of plots! Lost kept going because every now and then the audience could see a big smokey monster so they kept with it! Start talking about the physics of time and space and most will go out for a triple burger with a 12″ pizza side, before they start their entrées!!!
Keep checking this space. Brian is working on a second series without moving pictures or sound, but it’s a start.
I would enjoy a second series just to wrap it up. This was one of my favorite shows and I’ve only just found out its been cancelled. I was trying to find out when it was coming back as its been about a year.
You nailed it Austin. Us TRUE fans are happy it ended as it did; with a satisfying conclusion. YUM!
I am tired of all this bullsh!t about lost not answering the question and just leaving us hanging lost is my favorite show and I have ZERO! Questions in my mind about why something happen or how it carried out. I have answers for every question I ever heard in lost. Now flashfoward if the stop here then I will be left hanging but I fell this is not the end it just the end of season one. Is there proof it was canceled or are you just assuming?
Haha. Wow. I liked FlashFoward, personally. But I laughed at all the reasons given in this article because it’s so true. I do hate when I get into a show and they cancel it though. Annoying, even if it is rubbish. Ha.
please be more professional about the issue. obviously, you can see there are thousand of people loved the show and you just talked full of trash? now we all know who got trash sense in someones brain. good job! GTFO
They Should Just Finish it with a 3 Hour 2 Part’er Movie.
Flash Foward was a steaming pile of brown stuff, possibly the slowest series I have ever watched.
Great cast, great idea, very poor uncoupled story line and as I said slow, glacially sloooowww!
The two biggest disapointments of the last 18 months, Flash Forward and the cancellation of Caprica!
FF held great promise but delivered very little, like the sexy girl in the too small dress that spends all your money and never puts out!
(at least we still have Dexter!!)
Sci-fi fan since discovering Ray Bradbury many moons ago and enjoyed FF.
My spouse who is generally no fan of sci-fi (yeah, it ain’t SyFY dammit) but did like FF.
Sorry it’s gone and only mildly glad to see the reappearance of ‘V’ on the schedule.
Seems to me ‘V’ would cost more to produce than FF did but then I’m no producer.
‘Lost’ did leave a bunch of questions unanswered but we became addicted after the SyFY (yeah, that IS their name) channel ran the first years bunched together which helped make some sense of it for us newbies.
Despite the trash-talk about US TV, it has produced a pile of entertainment, hasn’t it?
ABC has done it again. the start a show, get you hooked and then its gone.. does anyone remember the show with tydiggs as the guy that keeps reliving the same day over and over… what ever happened to that? You almost dont want to invest any time watching TV anymore. Lost was a waste of too many years of my life. I was hooked and on the edge of my seat the first year. after that I compared it to watching paint dry
well i am just watching all the esp. one after another right now , thats the first problem right there . i watch many many many shows , lets say all the great ones and many many more , and i never heard mcuh about it . what got my attention was people pointing it out as a referance from other shows . maybe if they gave it a better spot , like running side by side with another great show like castle , not that it was but there most have been some reason i missed it .
the story it’s self is great . there are some points where ” i am like why wouldn’t you have done this or that” but nothing is perfect . i also see very little in common with lost ? i could see how the same writers may have came up it but they didn’t follow a pour path IMO . this show is for the most part VERY good . now V on the other hand is pretty poor , i have watched some of it and may get around to watching it all but it is by far some thing i can’t live with out . after watching just 1 or 2 eps. i was searching for how many seasons there are , when it started , the time it was on and any other info out there about it . just another point of , if they were really listening to what people were saying out there it would have gone over much better . kinda reminds me of how far off they were by canceling Jerico and everyone complained till they gave in a made a few more shows for everyone .
the people that vote the rateing that they go by must be some moron who watches just alittle tv here and there . not the fans like me who don’t miss any GOOD shows for any reason . if there are two shows on at the same time , i download one later . if i miss the first 15mins i download the show anys ways . if i don’t have time to catch the show because i am watching Barney dvd kids , i always find time to watch it sooner or later . so i may not watch the comercials that pay the bills but once i find a great show i do my best to watch it . NOW if they only had a second season i bet the show would have really taken off . screw ABC , maybe some one else will pick it up and pull a BAYWATCH on them . just goes to show you how the right latent in other departments make make a world of difference .
ps. there site does let you edit correctly either . WTF
and don’t trash good shows because abc didn’t give them enough time to work out the story . Brian K. Twit
I truly think American writers should take a leaf out of the book of the people who wrote the show ‘Life on Mars’ (an English show for those of you Americans who dont know). Two series packed everything in, short and sweet. Everyone who watched it here loved it. Programmes in the States go on and on and on with no ending in site making things up as they go along. They should make it a rule, 3 or 4 seasons and thats it!
I agree with all the comments that are posted, and I also agree somewhat with the author. He has posted an article that was based only on his opinion and nothing else. That is what I agree with, besides that why are argue with someone about a wonderful show and he obviously has no sense of a great show.
Why didnt the author write this post when the show was still airing? Post your opinions then, don’t use a shows cancellation to bash it some more just to get more views to your post.
Well, I hope they give the show a chance, and yes this is MY opinion.
okay so you brits or wherever you live wonder why this show didnt make it? nobody watches ABC. there’s nothing good on it and hence why everything on it gets cancelled except redneck reality shows. that’s why. dont blame america, blame ABC’s shitty shows.
I am still confused as to what the name of the book or novella is. If it is the same, Flash Forward, could someone confirm that?
Here is the main lesson I learned from Lost: Never watch a show produced by J.J. Abrams. Seriously, to me that is the moral of ‘Lost.’ After being tricked into following ‘Flash Forward’, I have learned another sad truth: Never watch a Sci-Fi television series. Period. If someone can produce a decent Big Budget Film, or a low-key sleeper hit like Gattaca, then I will go see it. Preferably adapted by a master of the novel form, like a Hugo award winner.
This does not always guarantee a decent adaptation of the novel, eg: ‘Battleship Earth’ or ‘iRobot’, both classic reads made into box office flops.
Back to FF, even though there were some writing errors, it can be a matter of style. Some people hated ‘Mark’, some loved him and hated on the wife. This shows at least a mediocre depth of character to be so polarizing.
The sad truth of fact has already been stated. ABC will only pay to produce a show if the audience warrants certain advertising fees. Once the production budget exceeds the ad revenue based on viewership, Pull the trigger. Its gone, and it didn’t even get the shark-jumping episode.
I don’t understand why Mark moved out of the house? That was so stupid.
the auther of the main article obviously has poor taste in tv , he/she probably like to watch moronic reality tv , which hardly stimulates the mind. the Author has no brains to be stimulated by a well thought through show like FF hence the comments he/she made!
ABC if you reading these comments , pull your head out of the sand pits and bring the show back ! i dont know who has been advising the channel regarding the popluarity of FF or similar , how do they measure this any way?
reality tv is poor , FF, fringe, heroes, V etc etc good ! simple
author refrain from sharing your views as they are pointless and just watch the grass grow as you will find that sufficient to stimulate your single brain cell since you manage to put a few sentences together , well done ! now go and watch the grass grow !
I enjoyed the show although it did start to lose me at the end. I agree with some of the author’s points ,however ,I find it more interesting that no one addressed the fact that Fecca posted that they wished Hitler was still alive. Really?!
FlashForward was a very good show maybe they fumbled with the Olympics thing, they could have made a shorter more exciting season, and the main character’s marital problems was portrayed in a real stupid way (more on this at the end).
My comment to the author of this article is that this show was well received and you have the responses to your blog post to show for it. I read through almost all of the comments and failed to find a sympathizer (or got tired of reading before it came up).
I liked this show and I think that it deserves a second season much more that V. V was only lucky because the season was shorter and people got what they were expecting sooner.
Although I do have some comments against the show; which relate to the REALLY CRAPPY portrayal of the main characters marital problems. If his wife was a whore they should have just said so from the beginning and people would have accepted it…
I would have to say the main reason people lost interest was because of the hiatus that happened midway through the season. I was lucky to watch all the first episodes online one after another prior to the show starting back up, and I was thoroughly impressed and couldnt wait for the next episode.
I feel ABC as well as other TV companies want to keep the mass of humanity dumbed down and have them watching shows that people dont have to think about or give them some sense of creative thought about things in their lives. The whole idealization of free-will, physics, mass psychosis, etc was fun and appealing.
What needs to be cancelled are all these ‘reality’ shows like Jersey Shores, come the f**k on!
I think I wont start watching a show until it makes it to it’s third season. At least then I can have something to look forward to.
Don’t worry some other smaller TV business will pick it up, having 5 million people watching must be money to someones ears. ABC just sucks.
Glad there’s still House, Sons of Anarchy, Weeds, True Blood and Dexter comes back soon!
Thank Goddess for BitTorrent
BRING THE SHOW BACK! I ENJOYED THE SHOW! WATCHED IT EVERYNIGHT AND DIDNT MISS ONE! WHY CANT YOU TAKE SHOWS OFF THE AIR THAT ARE BY FAR WORSE THAN WHAT YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS!! RIDCULUS
GUESS I MUST REALLY BE OUT OF TOUCH, AS I JUST NOW FOUND OUT THAT MY FAVORITE SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELED! HAD A LOT GOING ON, SO HAD TO DVR THE EPISODES AFTER IT CAME BACK AFTER THE OLYMPICS, AND HAVE BEEN WATCHING THEM AS TIME PERMITS. GUESS IT DOESN’T MATTER NOW. A FEW YEARS AGO, AFTER EACH OF THE BIG 3 NETWORKS CANCELED A GREAT SCIENCE FICTION SHOW (THRESHHOLD, SURFACE, INVASION), I VOWED NOT TO START WATCHING ANY MORE NEW SHOWS. I SLIPPED, BUT NOW IT’S TIME TO RENEW THAT VOW – NO MORE NEW SHOWS FOR ME!!
To those who even care your five reasons of cancelling flash forward SUCK!!!!!!!!! It has to be one of the best shows i have ever seen. My whole week rotated on thursday nights being able to watch flash forward. Flash forward is so much better than Lost, I have never been able to get into Lost it is one of the stupidest shows anybody could have ever come up with.
Top Three reasons it was a good show cuz u dont need five:
1. It kept you in suspense and wanting more (im still waiting for the next season)
2. You never really knew what was going to happen week to week
3. It was an action packed thriler
There is no more that i can say except you cancelled a very excellent tv series. GOOD DAY
So bummed out… I’ve been waiting to hear about when it premieres this fall… I loved this show! I really can’t believe it’s cancelled! 🙁
well…. maybe one of the reason is that the story afect so much to someones and they desside cancelled, is my theory because flashforward was a wonderfull series that in every ends of chapter, my friends and I had something to analiced and think abaut the problems that each one character had and in sometimes we feel identificated with the series, I expect more and other channel to aposted to do somthing, because is not only a drama series like lost is a drama series like the real life, things like that happened me and me friends, like what decisions choose or why happend this, maybe someones has take the control and even in a drama series saw afected his plans
sorry for my english, I’m peruvian watcher of flashforward, for here many people saw the series and we really exited waiting the second season and more
thanks for reeding me… saludos
Paul – perhaps you should actually read the book before spouting nonsense. The TV show is very loosely based on the book – the book has no FBI agents or global conspiracies and wraps itself up very quickly. Where the show was leading was definetly more in a “Lost” style maze that had almost certainly not been thought out.
I won’t get into the merits, or lack thereof, regarding the series but I will observe that ABC killed this show when they decided to pause it for nearly 2 months in mid season. Hard to believe that anyone would think they could establish a brand new show, pull the rug out from it, and then expect it to live on.
Okay, Let’s say that the story was “Rubish” “Predictable”.Name 3 Good Reasons. That’s not a reason above.not at all.If you people don’t have a little taste,then I really feel sorry 4 u guy’s.Want to know why?
Let’s just say, because, ton’s of crappy senseless tv shows where aired even today, two and a half men?! let’s be real. cheap low level comedy,but noooo, “let’s keep the crappy shows just because people have no taste and they’ll pay for something more cheap and easy.Sadly that’s true.the majority of people really do not have taste.I wish hitler would still be alive. At least the majority this lowlife world would at least not infect future fenerations. Morons!
I think that FF was a great show and although some of your reasons might me right but most of them are wrong. This show was not the greatest but it had potenital for a season 2. ABC is wrong in cancelling this show. Well it cancelled and it will make alot of people sad but no point in crying over spilled milk.
Well gosh, I’m sure sorry I ruffled so many feathers, guys! FlashForward was indeed a fun show, but I stand by my reasons. The bottom line was the budget was high and the ratings didn’t justify it. Camilla, I’M reasons are so NOT wrong. And J, so what if I’m a moron? I hardly think that’s germane to the conversation.
HEY YOU! FLASHFORWARD IS AMAZING! THE BEST TV SERIE EVER!
SO YOU’RE REASONS ARE SO WRONG !
I also enjoyed Flashforward and don’t understand why it was cancelled. ABC also cancelled Happy Town which looked like it might be getting interesting when they pulled it. ABC is good about pulling shows before you know the ending.
This show was doomed when in the middle of the season it went on “hiatus” during the Olympics–this idiotic programming led to a plunge in interest /ratings when the series resumed–same with V but to a lesser extent.
Flashforward was an excellent show and i really think it needs to be saved. ridiculous decision to cancel the show. and your article has 5 genuinely pathetic reasons.
You are a moron. Enough said. I still do not understand why they cancelled flashforward. Nor do I get why they say so few people watched it. Where I am which is in the US I saw flashforward as the greatest show on television at the time. Better than lost or anything else. I freqently made it the subject of my conversations throughout the week and waited in anticipation for thursday night when I had to watch flashforward. After that night my mind would race and I would enjoy the mystery and thrill of watching the best show on television. It wasn’t really advertised as much as it should have been and that possibly hurt it. Renew V and not Flashforward? Macfearson must be a lizard man in disguise to allow such an atrocity.
Ok first off the show was alright, it could have been done better but was good enough to go for another season or 2. I’m not why it is blame americans for the shows cancelation, there are plenty more views in the world than just us here in the USA, it could have been factors such as actor salary and sfx cost vs. actual revenue from advertising durring the show. Because lets face fact the network would air a dog farting on a hat for 10 seasons if it brought in enough advertising dollars( or euros, pounds, sheickles…ect).
SORRY BUT YOUR REASONING IS FLAWED THERE WAS GREAT PROMISE IN THE SERIES AND NONE OF THE BUBLING ATTITUDES THE AMERICIAN PUBLIC TO SEE BEYOND THERE FRONT DOORS WOULD REOGNISE PROMISE IF IT BIT THEM ON THE REAR END. WE NEED QUESTION MARKS IN LIFE NOTHING IS CERTIN. WE NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THERE IS MYSTERY IN LIFE AND THE FUTURE IS NOT WRITTEN IN STONE, I AM A SOME WHAT GOD FEARIN MAN BUT I DID ENJOY THE PROGRAM AND YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE CAPTIN SPOCK FOR LOGIC TO WORK FOR OR AGAINST THE WHISH TO SEE BEYOND WHAT WE KNOW PROGRAMS SUCH AS FLASH FORWARD MAKES YOU QUESTION LIFE AND WHAT WE SEE AROUND US I PRAY THAT THE WORLD COULD WORK TOGETHER IN TIMES OF NEED AND NOT FIGHT AGAINST IT, WE ALL NEED TO QUESTION OUR SELFS AND FLASH FORWARD HELPS THE GREY MATTER TO WORK
YOURS TRULY JAY BOYD
Rubbish. One thing you clearly don’t know is that it’s actually based on a book, so I think it is going somewhere. How could the author have been expected to cover every eventuality that this global blackout would’ve thrown up, then incorporate them into the storyline? Think before you post silly articles!
The author of this article is talking complete rubbish; she talks about spouses asking their partners why they are working so much ect….. Well we are not mind readers, unless the writers specifically wrote it into the script, we would have no idea what they were thinking.
I know many people who loved watching Flash forward, I think the only reason it has been cancelled is because of the American audiences, they are not loyal or dedicated to any TV shows.
The audiences across the pond seem to get bored very quickly with their TV shows
, they seem to stop watching after the first one or two series.
There is nothing wrong with the show or the script, just look at ‘Ugly Betty’; it was cancelled just after three series!
If you love the show, and are not happy with the cancellation, I suggest you start blaming the American audiences!!!