Flash Forward Sees Good Ratings In Its' Future!

To be frank, I pretty much thought that the only creator/producer, who could put a show with a science fiction twist on a network and have it be successful, was J.J. Abrams. Furthermore, I have previously stated that people, by-in-large don’t turn out for these shows after the initial few weeks, but I hope to be wrong on both counts.

No, I’m not talking about V, which I really am excited to see this November, but having had some extra time, I got to catch up on the first few episodes of Flash Forward and to say that I am pleasantly surprised is an understatement. When I first learned of the plot I was excited for the first episode and then pretty much thought would be downhill from there. I mean what could be exciting about this show after that initial blackout, or flash forward, if you will? It turns out, a lot. I mean it was the same odl predicatable disaster recovery plan being put in place, but rather, a search for answers.

Giving away the plot and what has happened would be a disservice, but I will say that this show is for real. The writers have accomplished the most important aspect of a successful show; they have made us care about the characters and we desperately want to know what will happen next. Clever twists and crisp acting make this show a winner in my book.

Network Execs Take Gambles On Remakes This Year!

It’s not often that television show can be remade and be successful. Like movies, television remakes often fall flat to the viewers, but that hasn’t kept ABC from digging into the vault to try and dredge up some magic. Perhaps they saw that their former late-70’s series Battlestar Galactica was successfully remade and became one of the most successful cable shows ever, but the key to such success of that show lies in that it was on Sci-Fi and not network television. Save shows like Lost and to some degree, Fringe, Sci-Fi shows just aren’t successful on network television.

Nonetheless, ABC has already debuted a remake of 1991’s Eastwick, which in its’ own right, was modeled after the 80’s movie, The Witches of Eastwick. Despite a stellar cast including Lindsay Price, Rebecca Ramon, and Paul Gross, this show is destined to be on the chopping block.

With less fanfare, but perhaps loftier expectations from science fiction, V debuts on November 3rd. For those watching the tube in 1983 and 1984, the two V mini-series were huge hits, but the serial was nothing of the sort. After 14 episodes, it was gone. And yet, a remake has been discussed for years. NBC had developed a remake with the same cast, but later scrapped the project. Now ABC has round up some of TV’s bright young stars, reshaped the menacing visitor mother ships, and is hoping it can find an instant hit with science fiction and mainstream fans alike. I applaud their effort on the latter and would love to see the success, but I’m afraid I’ll only catch a few episodes before the ratings catch up to V as well.