Who watched Flash Forward?

CityEscape · #1 10-04-2009, 12:17 PM

Eh? Eh? What'd you think about it?

8guy · #2 10-04-2009, 12:57 PM

Its a fantastic show, I dont watch much tv but out of this years crop that one caught my eye. Its sort of like my other favorite shows, Heros and Lost where if you didn't watch it from day one you may not understand whats going on.
Its like a Sci Fi/Mystery Soap opera for adults.

factorplayer · #3 10-04-2009, 08:07 PM

I am interested in this but don't have cable yet, maybe I can find it on the net or NBC's page.

I posted a short write-up about the book on my blog a few weeks ago

James Hart · #4 10-04-2009, 08:54 PM

I've watched it on hulu... pretty cool so far!

Din Of Win · #5 10-05-2009, 07:42 AM

My girlfriend and i watched it.

We're hooked. I don't have a working TV, so we just watched it on HuLu.

TheXym · #6 10-05-2009, 09:27 AM

Read the book years ago (side note, I met Robert Sawyer at Albacon in the late 90's, he's a VERY cool guy), and reread it over the summer. I'm probably going to just pick up the DVD's if it turns out to be good, but with hockey season in full swing, I'll be focused more on that. I'll watch it when I can. I just hope they do justice to the book. Lots of possibilites by exploring characters not involved directly in the book.

BlacksHole · #7 10-05-2009, 12:36 PM

I think the show looks very promising and I enjoyed the first 2 episodes. I do have some concerns that they'll never offer proper closure - like Lost, where it just gets silly and babbles on and on because they don't want to let it end. Heros may be going down that route now too. Shows like Babylon 5 where the end was planned at the outset are much better overall.

TheXym · #8 10-05-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlacksHole

I think the show looks very promising and I enjoyed the first 2 episodes. I do have some concerns that they'll never offer proper closure - like Lost, where it just gets silly and babbles on and on because they don't want to let it end. Heros may be going down that route now too. Shows like Babylon 5 where the end was planned at the outset are much better overall.

B5 was phenomenal arc-based storytelling. A great show, though I wish JMS knew he'd have gotten Season 5 for sure, since he pushed so much into the end of S4. If only Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis had been given a timeframe to wrap things up. At times it felt SG-1 was just dragging things out during the FarGate seasons, though I did like the Ori storyline overall. I enjoyed the first 4 seasons of Lost, haven't watched 5, since I like to watch them on the DVDs with my wife without missing any, then we can go back to check things easily.

If anyone has read the book and seen the show, how close is the show playing it to the book?

TrooperFarva · #9 10-05-2009, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlacksHole

I think the show looks very promising and I enjoyed the first 2 episodes. I do have some concerns that they'll never offer proper closure - like Lost, where it just gets silly and babbles on and on because they don't want to let it end. Heros may be going down that route now too. Shows like Babylon 5 where the end was planned at the outset are much better overall.

I disagree about Lost. Lost was given an end date 3 years ago, but it's pretty likely that they planned the end much earlier than that.

TrooperFarva · #10 10-05-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheXym

If anyone has read the book and seen the show, how close is the show playing it to the book?

Probably the biggest difference is that in the book, everyone saw 21 years into the future, not 18 months or whatever it was that the series went with.

It'd be very hard to do a faithful adaptation with a TV series, but that doesn't necessarily make the TV series bad.

TheXym · #11 10-05-2009, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

Probably the biggest difference is that in the book, everyone saw 21 years into the future, not 18 months or whatever it was that the series went with.

It'd be very hard to do a faithful adaptation with a TV series, but that doesn't necessarily make the TV series bad.

As I said in an earlier post, there's lots of potential with a non-faithful adaptation. Same characters as the book or did they just take the concept?

TrooperFarva · #12 10-05-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheXym

As I said in an earlier post, there's lots of potential with a non-faithful adaptation. Same characters as the book or did they just take the concept?

So far, it's just the concept. The only character I recognize by name is Llyod Simcoe, the hospitalized boys father. But as they haven't explored the character too far, I don't know if it's the same character, or just the name.

There's some similar storylines, i.e. a central character tries to prevent his own death, a central character tries to keep his marriage together, but, without giving too much away, the main characters in the book were scientists, not FBI.

TheXym · #13 10-05-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

So far, it's just the concept. The only character I recognize by name is Llyod Simcoe, the hospitalized boys father. But as they haven't explored the character too far, I don't know if it's the same character, or just the name.

There's some similar storylines, i.e. a central character tries to prevent his own death, a central character tries to keep his marriage together, but, without giving too much away, the main characters in the book were scientists, not FBI.

Cool. In the book, if I recall correctly, Simcoe was one of the ********** at **** who was running the ********** (not saying more for fear of spoiling)

MakiSupaStar · #14 10-05-2009, 03:39 PM

So far it's interesting. I haven't seen the second one yet. I have it on DVR. I reserve judgement on everything I watch, positive or negative, until I've seen three episodes. So far, I'm intrigued.

MJ5150 · #15 10-05-2009, 03:41 PM

I don't even know what it is, so no.

-Mike

CityEscape · #16 10-05-2009, 06:27 PM

The future date is actual 4/10/10. That date will come before the end of their first season though, so I don't know what will happen after that.

So far, I think the show's been really good. I'm hooked. I'm also a HUGE Lost fan, and now that it's going on its final season in January, Flash Forward is supposed to be my replacement, according to ABC.

factorplayer · #17 10-16-2009, 06:15 AM

After seeing the first 3 episodes I really enjoy it, but I enjoy nit-picking it even more

I posted a follow-up post about it at my blog if any are interested

Basically the novel was pretty much borderline hard science-fiction, literally - all the main characters were scientists. The TV show only takes the premise and stumbles into a lot of problems. I think the biggest one is that the future they see takes into account them having seen the future in the past, whereas that was not the case in the book.

Bruce Lindfield · #18 10-16-2009, 08:00 AM

I have watched the first 3 episodes on UK TV (Channel 5) and I really like it - I love the cinematography - and the world-hopping nature of it!

Also the philosophical questions - do we create the future or is it just destiny/predetermined etc. It's clear that all the flashes we know about are significant events in the people's lives - escape from prison, infidelity, birth of an unexpected child, falling off the wagon etc..so why is this ..? Is it just a possible future or real..?Can it be changed?

I also love that the main characters are actually English Actors - you know we have the finest thespians in the world!! It's Shakespeare's legacy!!

vene-nemesis · #19 10-16-2009, 03:08 PM

I love the show! I have finally understood why watching your future makes it possible to happen!

BTW chapter 4 is awesome!

Bruce Lindfield · #20 10-20-2009, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

I love the show! I have finally understood why watching your future makes it possible to happen!

BTW chapter 4 is awesome!

Actually I thought the 4th episode was OK - but disappointing - so I expected it to move onto Somalia and what happened where the Crows died - but their boss vetoed it - has the show's travel budget run out..?

I was enjoying the travelogue aspect of the show!