New series is intelligent sci-fi drama

What would you do if you saw your future? Would you accept what you see as inevitable or do whatever it takes to alter it, however futile your attempts may be? ABC's new fall thriller FlashForward tackles the idea of what might happen to society if it knew a little too much about where it was headed.

Loosely based on the science fiction novel by Canadian writer Robert J. Sawyer, FlashForward begins with the lives of ordinary people in late October 2009, going through their daily routines. Suddenly, a global phenomenon causes everybody on the planet to suddenly blackout for two minutes and 17 seconds, creating mass hysteria among the waking people that were fortunate enough to not be in a life-threatening situation during the blackout (driving a car, flying in a plane, etc.). Nobody knows who or what caused the blackouts, only that they lasted exactly two minutes and seventeen seconds, they occurred at the exactly at 11:00 a.m. and every person has reported seeing specific moments of their life on the specific date of April 29, 2010, roughly six months into the future. Under the orders of the United States, FBI agents Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and Demetri Noh (John Cho) are assigned to a task force, utilizing an open website that allows the entire world to post their visions to visualize April 29 in order to discover the cause of the "flash forwards" and prevent them from happening again.

The series opens up with the main cast living their everyday lives and suddenly cuts to the shocking and chaotic aftermath of the flashforward.

The show goes from mellow to intense in less than a heartbeat in the first episode as agents Benford and Demetri struggle to not only restore order and unravel the mystery behind the phenomenon but seek a way to alter the grim turn their futures are supposed to take.

Both Cho and Benford do an excellent job of portraying very human characters that are taking on a case that may be far beyond their capability.

The same goes for the rest of the cast. Throughout both episodes, every character onscreen feels very breakable, some coping with their knowledge of the future better than others. FlashForward has definitely captured the behaviors of society in an uncannily realistic way. It shows the impact of such a bizarre event, not just on the main characters, but on everybody living in this world that writer and director David S. Goyer (Blade Trinity, The Dark Knight) has adapted from its source material.

The special effects and sound editing are top-notch as well. The show looks like a modest film with a moderately sized budget. The explosions may be some of the best-looking and sounding that I have ever seen on television and the musical score lends itself to the atmosphere of the story perfectly. The feeling of tension never relents, even as the protagonists make new breakthroughs, creating a dire urge to see what turn the story will take next.

In recent history I've slowly been watching good television take a turn for the worst. Reality programs and boring sitcoms have been putting me off for quite a while and to find something to watch that isn't the news, a DVD or video game is a satisfying feeling. FlashForward has been hyped as the new Lost by its critics.

Unlike J.J. Abrams' well meaning yet convoluted pet project however, FlashForward is very down to earth. It's the best thing I'm watching on television right now and the best show that I've seen in a long while.