USA Today ask whether FlashForward is the next “Lost”, as the ABC freshman show tests the waters of the unknown:

BURBANK, Calif. — The FBI agent and his wife’s apparent future lover just miss crossing paths in the hospital hallway. They don’t meet, but what if they had?
Would it block his wife’s path to infidelity? Or would it guarantee it?

The underlying question — can you change your future? — is at the heart of ABC’sFlashForward (Sept. 24, 8 ET/PT), among the most-awaited new fall TV series, and one that some are calling the next Lost.

The premise centers on a two-minute, 17-second blackout that strikes the world’s population, followed by crashes, deaths and other disasters that result from the global unconsciousness. During the blackout, almost everyone has a vision — a flash-forward — six months ahead, to April 29, 2010. 10 p.m. PT, to be exact. Some are welcome, and some, including the wife’s vision of the lover, are not.

The task is to find out what happened and if the flash-forward prophecies will, or must, come to pass.
“We are the only species that thinks about the future,” says executive producer David Goyer, whose writing credits include Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. “It’s the blessing and curse of being human.”

Joseph Fiennes, who plays FBI agent Mark Benford, centers a team assigned to solve the blackout that includes partner Demetri Noh (John Cho); colleague Janis Hawk (Christine Woods); and their boss, Stanford Wedeck (Courtney B. Vance). They and the other characters, including Benford’s surgeon wife, Olivia (Sonya Walger), share their visions, but viewers see only bits and pieces at first, leaving twists and turns to be explored.

And “some people lie about their flash-forwards, so it’s a little misdirection happening,” Vance says. “It leaves the writers enormous latitude to tell stories.”

Of fall’s new shows, FlashForward most closely fits the definition of the serialized epic, a sweeping tale mixing action, suspense, mystery, romance and melodrama. “It’s a buffet,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone) says. “To reach the widest audience possible, you need to have that spice. You have to have that wide variety.”

The best current example of the big, bold serialized mystery: ABC hit Lost. Fox’s 24 incorporates many of those elements, though each season is self-contained. Fox’s paranormalFringe tries to temper its serialized elements, mixing long-term story with shorter, weekly ones. And ABC launches a remake of alien-invasion serial V in November.

The challenging format tends to demand more dedication from viewers, who may not want to make the time commitment, especially when there is no guarantee a show will reach its conclusion. It includes many recent failures, some of them noble, such as The Nine and Jericho, and even critically acclaimed successes Lost and 24 have hit bumps. NBC’s Heroes, which tries to balance serialization with stand-alone volumes, was a big early hit but has since slumped.

Quick answers to questions

Goyer and Guggenheim say they are making the show as they want to, but their customized format — many character stories that wrap up in one episode, quick answers to major questions and a simplified but not dumbed-down mythology — also may make it appeal to a broader audience and casual viewers. “It’s not that kind of show where if you don’t catch it at the beginning you’ll be lost,” Vance says.

At the same time, more devoted fans will be rewarded with numerous little clues and hidden references. “You’ll come across the true genius that is David Goyer, which is these Easter eggs,” Fiennes says. “There’s so much information that you could certainly go crazy trying to work it all out.”

As another viewing incentive, Goyer promises to resolve virtually all questions raised in the pilot by this season’s end. “We made the commitment very early on to answer some big questions and have some reveals very early. The audience will be surprised at some of the cards we turn over that early.”

ABC has an interest in series that are “something epic in scope but also really emotional,” network executive vice president Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs says. Characters must be at the core, she says, whether the serialized program is Lost,
Grey’s Anatomy or FlashForward.

Goyer likes mixing large and small. “One of the things I like to do is take a big, broad subject matter and see if you can work it through this intimate prism with characters who humanize what would normally be what some would call an E-ticket ride. I think we were able to do that with the Batman movies, and I feel that’s what we’re doing here.”

He and Guggenheim are Lost fans, citing the Emmy-winning hit’s groundbreaking nature as one reason they thought ABC would be a good place for their series. ABC hopes Lost fans connect with FlashForward.

“Lost is ending this year and hopefully going out with a bang. There’s an audience base that’s going to be craving another nuanced experience, and it would be nice to win some of those audience members,” Patmore-Gibbs says. But she and others point out large differences between Lost and FlashForward, which was inspired by Robert Sawyer’s novel of the same name and in planning before Lost was created. (The TV series veers far from the book, producers say.)

“It’s not like we’re going to unearth layers and layers that are more sci-fi or layers and layers of mythology. So I think it’s easier to access in some ways,” Patmore-Gibbs says.

Walger, who has had a recurring role on Lost, considers it “a huge compliment being (mentioned) in the same breath as Lost. (But) I think the similarity begins and ends with big ensemble casts.”

FlashForward has a large, diverse ensemble — 11 series regulars, including Lost’s Dominic Monaghan, and guest stars from around the world — that opens the door to many individual stories, both professional and personal. To be a TV series rather than a movie, FlashForward had to be about more than blackouts and flash-forwards, says Cho, who also visited the future in this year’s Star Trek film.

“We couldn’t hang our hats on that big concept. It had to be about relationships and how it affected everyone’s lives. That, to me, was the hook,” he says.

On the largest soundstage on the Disney studios lot, one usually reserved for feature films, some character stories — and bits of police and medical drama — are intersecting at Olivia’s hospital when Mark and his FBI colleagues arrive. She has just saved a series regular who was injured in an attack resulting from their investigation.

“Mark has this guilt, but at the same time he feels vindicated that the clues are paying off,” Fiennes says.

The ‘what-if?’ element

Of FlashForward’s many elements, those involved with the series say science fiction may be the least. It also happens to be a genre label that turns off some viewers who might otherwise give a series or movie a try.

The show’s science-fiction component is limited to the blackout and flash-forwards, if that, the producers say, with Goyer suggesting the ultimate cause may not even be in the realm of that genre. He describes the look forward as a “what if?” rather than science fiction, akin to Scrooge’s glimpse of the future in A Christmas Carol.

While FlashForward’s characters see bits of the future, Goyer and Guggenheim know it all, as in how the series ends.

“In a post-Lost world, when you take a pilot to the networks, they ask, ‘Do you have any idea where it goes?’ ” Goyer says. “As a viewer, I would feel frustrated if the show creators don’t know where they’re going.”

They have plotted the series out, a difficult task when it isn’t known how long it will run. Goyer says they have loosely planned it for five seasons, could tell it in three, if necessary, or could “accordion it out” to run longer than five. Besides the ending, they say they know how the penultimate season concludes.

“They have had a destination in mind the whole time, knowing how hard it is when you don’t,” Patmore-Gibbs says. She notes Lost has benefited from having a fixed ending point, though no one suggested FlashForwardmight follow a similar plan.

The series can expand on a character or story if it breaks out in a big way. In the pilot, Benford encounters a kangaroo on a downtown L.A. street after the blackout. “It was something intended as a grace note. I didn’t expect it to get quite the response it has,” Goyer says. He and Guggenheim have made sure the Australian interloper will return.

“We’ve altered stuff along the way, as we’ve refined and gotten a better handle on things,” Guggenheim says. “Something happens in the 11th episode of the show that had been planned for Episode 18, or even later.”

But what happens after Season 1’s last episode? If FlashForward answers nearly all the questions in the pilot by the season’s end, what will be left for next year?

“I hope people ask that,” Goyer says. “In some ways, I can’t wait to get there. It’s going to be more exciting than Season 1.”

[USA Today]

Video showcasing the Global Blackout (or “GBO“) that ABC were playing outside of their FlashForward booth at  last month’s Comic-Con.

What Did You See?

[video: mtmartin3]

FlashForward’s Dominic Monaghan (it’s still weird saying that) talks about his role on the show, and a bit about LOST in this interview:

Q: What do you play on the show?

Dominic: All I can tell you, right now, is that I play a character called Simon. He’s not going to show up until later on in the show. I don’t appear in the pilot.

Q: What did you find intriguing about this character?

Dominic: It’s important for me to try to play someone different. After talking to David and Jessika Goyer, they alluded to the fact that I could play someone drastically different, if that’s what I wanted to do. That’s what I’ve always been attaining to do, in my career. With each part that I play, the next part has to be different, so that no one is able to say, “This is what he is, as an actor.”

Q: Did you know as little about Charlie, when you went into Lost, as you do with your character on Flash Forward?

Dominic: When I went into Lost, I probably knew a little bit more because there wasn’t as much mystery about my character, from the writers and creators. When I went into Lost, it was a relatively open book. They told me that Charlie was a rock star, a junkie and a mess. Whereas, David is much more protective, for good reason, over where my character is going to go, how he’s going to be revealed, and what he’s going to turn out to do in the show.

Q: How would you compare Flash Forward and Lost?

Dominic: There are, obviously, similarities. There is a large ensemble cast with a very ambitious storyline, which is a very easy way to sell the show, internationally. There are also distinct differences, at the same time. I don’t think necessarily we’re dealing with something as deeply rooted in a mythology that needs to be solved. I think this is a show that is, not necessarily to use the word “simplistic,” but is probably not as sophisticated in that deeply rich mythology, as Lost is.

Q: Obviously, you have a great comfort level in this kind of storytelling. Where does that come from?

Dominic: I pick projects based on good scripts. I don’t stipulate between film or theater or television. I receive scripts, and I read them. And, when I read a script that’s good, I then get married to it and talk to my agent about what happens next.

For me, what happened was that I was actually in Hawaii when I read Flash Forward. I loved the pilot, and I called my agent and said, “I love the show, but there’s nothing that I can do. I don’t see a part in here for me.” I didn’t want to take a deeply American part away from someone who is authentically American, and pretend to be American, when I’m from Manchester. So, my agent said, “Why don’t I talk with the prerogative and see what they say?” And, David and Jessika very generously said, “Why don’t we meet, and we’ll discuss and chat, and see what’s going on.”

So, we met at a bar called Delancey on Sunset, and it was one of the more special business meetings in my life because David said, “What do you want to do? What do you want to do next? What’s your plan?” And, I said, “It’s important for me, as an actor, as it has been throughout my career, to try to do something drastically different from the last character that I played.” The last character that I played being Charlie on Lost, who David and Jessika knew quite well. So, they said, “We think that we can do that. We think that we can find a character for you that would help you to get there.” And then, all we needed to talk about was money.

Q: Do you think you’ll be back on Lost this season?

Dominic: I don’t know.

Q: Would you want to be?

Dominic: Sure. I had a great time on that show. I loved the character. It’s a great character. It’s a character that I enjoyed playing. It was a great time in my life. It’s the last season, so if they wanted to do it, they have one more chance.

Q: Would you have time to do it?

Dominic: Maybe. I don’t know. With David being such a fan of Lost, if it was available, they might let me do it. Anything is possible.

Q: How do you feel about being back in L.A.?

Dominic: I’ve been living in L.A. now for eight or nine years. Obviously, I went to Hawaii to do Lost, but I’ve had a house in L.A. and I know it well. All my friends are here, my animals are here, and my life is here, so it’s not a big change for me.

[source: IESB]

In response to the Global Blackout, The Mosaic Collective launched their Join the Mosaic initiative at Comic-Con in July 2009, inviting participants to record their FlashForward’s.

You can view the rest of the videos here.

The FlashForward Alternate Reality Game has flipped into gear with the appearance of a new website -- TruthHack.com, and video-blog run by a guy called Oscar Obregon, an award winning investigative journalist, on mission to uncover the truth behind the “Global Blackout” (GBO).

Oscar provides a good overview of what he currently knows about the GBO/flashforward’s, and explains the government group attempting to crack the global event -- The Mosaic Task Force.

Check out his introduction video:

More videos from Oscar

Calling Marcie Turoff:

Oscar’s website -- TruthHack.com has several interesting articles and links worth checking out, including -- Featured Articles in which he investigates the GBO’s, events at Comic Con and The Mosaic Collective. Theories where he attempts to piece the clues together. Breaking News, Video Archives and more. You can also follow his updates on Twitter. If you’re interested in participating in this ARG or you want to find out more about the mythology of FlashForward it’s well worth having a look around the site.

TruthHack.com reporting from Comic-Con:

We’ll cover the Mosaic Collective’s open invitation to share ‘what you saw’ at Comic-Con in an upcoming post!

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane talks about his other animated series, The Cleveland Show and his recurring role on ABC’s FlashForward.

[video: sexmacfarlane]

In this video from Comic Con, John Cho talks a bit about FlashForward.

Head past the jump to watch the other parts (mostly Startrek and other topics):

[videos: multipleverses]

John Cho, Dominic Monaghan and Joseph Fiennes.

[source: EW]

Here are the first 16 minutes of the FlashForward pilot as shown at Comic Con last Saturday. Seeing as the videos have been up for the past  2 or 3 days, I guess ABC aren’t totally against the exposure. It may also indicate the faith they have in the FlashForward product. Watch below, if you want, and tune in on Sept 24!

Parts 2 and 3 after the jump:

Part 2

Part 3

[video: iltempo23]

Here are a few clips from the FlashForward Comic Con 2009 Panel. Click the jump for more videos (to be updated throughout the week).

[videos:codename]