First few episodes were very good - then it degenerated into sentimental rubbish - it should have focused on the science instead of polluting the program with a very sentimental middle class centric view of the world peddling a very dubious morality. Disappointing!

Having liked the book by Robert J. Sawyer, I was excited to learn of the existence of a series. The series, as it turns out, deviated sharply from its source material - Heaven knows why, since the book was pretty good. So a classic question arises : why buy the rights to a book, if you're going to take plot lines, characters, names, premises,.. and toss them around with wild abandon ? If you like to be creative with printed matter : there are whole storehouses for old or second-hand paper. Anyhow. The series bears watching, even though it is a very very loose adaptation. (If this were a woman instead of a show, it would be wearing a ton of make-up, a T-shirt saying "No rolex no sex", a black leather miniskirt and fishnet stockings. It's as loose as that.) Part drama, part thriller, part science fiction, it's both suspenseful and entertaining, with some remarkable visual and special effects. And some of the philosophical questions it asks remain pertinent. Is our future fixed or changeable ? What is our own role in bringing about that future, or, as the case may be, these futures ? How should one respond, for instance, if one knew - absolutely knew - that one was going to die within the next months ? With fear, bitterness, elation, patience, violence ? Does one even know how one is going to react ?Sadly the series was cancelled after a single season, which means that the work was cut off in mid-flow. It's a pity.

The strange thing to me about the future is we always imagine it but never really see it, it's not until we decide to make it a reality that it's real. This is a show that was a blip that slipped under the radar. This show just has so much and wanted to do so much, it's true the show isn't perfect but for the sum of it's parts I thought it worked.I really like the plot which I thought was an interesting idea, in a way this show is kinda a Philp K. Dick like tale, since some of his stories have dealt with people seeing the future. What if you did catch a glimpse of your own future, what would you do.I like the way they handle this, it feels realistic that everyone would have mixed reactions. Some choose to embrace their destiny, while others try to fight it. But like in Greek mythology, all mortals lose when defying fate. Though personally I feel seeing a glimpse of your future would have one disadvantage, living today. It really would be very hard to function fully in the present if you know exactly what's going to happen in a certain matter of time, good or bad. So, it shows seeing too much of your destiny isn't such a wonderful thing because it kinda takes you sense of destiny away.The suspense I thought was very good, despite already knowing the ending of each of the characters, we are constantly wondering how it lead to it and how it happens. In a way the characters and their destinies are sort of like a Rube Golburg cartoon which were based on the principle of cause and effect. We see how certain things that have happened both by circumstance and choice that have lead the characters to where they are and how some of them are connected.There is a revolving plot which does develop at least until the cancellation. Which is pretty much the revolving question, what caused the flash forward. Was it some sort of science experiment by some shadow organization or terrorists; and if that was the case what was their motive. Like all mysteries as we constantly search for answers we on have more questions, which I always like because it keeps you on your toes.I even like the story format which is a multi focus format. Each of the characters I thought were solid and have a certain amount, if not a great deal thought they could of if Season 2 happened; but enough that I actually cared for some of them.Two that stick out for me are Demetri Noh played well by John Cho a comedic actor I really like, it's interesting seeing him play a serious role. His character had some charisma which is part of the reason why I found him the most sympathetic because the future he saw seemed really bleak since all he saw was darkness. It would make sense he would react they way he reacts because if your can't see anything in your future, that would mean your out of the picture.Another is Nicole Kirby played by Peyton List (TV's "The Tommarow People" 2013 version) whom I think is hot and a capable actress. Her character is also sympathetic as her future is also bleak. But also she has feelings for a character whom is looking for his true love that he's about to meet in the future. She helps him or pretends to as she silent steers him off course just to keep him in her life. This is understandable it's out of desperation, if you had deep feelings for someone but knowing that you're not the one would really suck. But she'll learn the hard way that a foundation built on lies will not stand nor stop the future.This show deals with the philosophical concepts, from the age old conflict between both free will and fate. Whether we really have full control of our lives or it's an illusion. If it really is a matter of choice, circumstance, or both that lead us toward our destiny. As well as connection, how some of us whether by choice or the grand scheme of things are connected and meant to somehow play a role in another's life.But this show isn't perfect, one of the problems are there are a few too many characters whom I feel are kinda underdeveloped and their story lines don't entirely mesh with everyone else. Some of the twists most of the time come out of nowhere and don't entirely work.Overall, it's a solid sci-fi that I feel is worth a peak. It really was a shame that this shows lifespan was cut so short, more really could of been done and explored. We probably could of gotten even deeper into the mystery of the revolving plot, had a few more new characters, and characters and their relationship could've developed more. I think the show was simply a victim of bad timing, it might have had a better chance if it premiered after "Lost" ended and could of been the next big thing. Sadly, it just wasn't in the cards of fate, what a shame.Live for tomorrow, survive today.Rating: 3 stars

When I watched the first few episodes of this show, I was immediately hooked. The sci-fi premise was fascinating, and it looked like the show was accurately capturing the effect that a massive unexplained scientific event would have upon society. Just about everyone in the show had interesting flash forwards, and I was eager to see how the events in their lives would play out to make them come true. After the first few episodes though, the series stalled, and by the time that it ended, it was so bad that it was downright painful to watch.The biggest problem with this series is that the main plot – i.e. the most intriguing reason to keep watching the show – never goes anywhere. Flash Forward reeks of a series that was being made up as it went along, with plot twists coming from further and further in left field until the show just ends without explaining any of it. When you watch a movie or a show like this, you are captivated at first, but then you gradually become disappointed as you slowly realize that the mystery will never be even partially explained. And that is because the authors themselves have no explanation. There never was one to begin with. The events in the story are not manifestations of an underlying phenomenon. They are just twists that were made up to keep you guessing. At the end, when the credits roll, you feel cheated, because you invested so much time and thought into it all, and all that you got were vaguely suggested conspiracies and a new unanswered question every week. Instead of a brilliant scientific mystery, you get a bunch of twaddle that a high schooler could have written.Defenders of this type of trash will say "but it's not about finding out what happens, it's about the characters and their stories". Or, they will say that "it's more fun not knowing and deciding for yourself". This is like saying that the Harry Potter series would have been better if you cut out the last four chapters of every book, or that an Agatha Christie mystery would be better if it never revealed "whodunit". It's hogwash. The brilliance of a mystery is in its ability to have a relatively simple underlying explanation for a bunch of bizarre or unpredictable events. The Dr. Who series manages to do this somewhat. Each episode contains a mystery, and then there is often a greater mystery in each season that is wrapped up well in the finale.What's actually in the series becomes progressively more idiotic with each episode, passing through mediocre and descending into painfully predictable and unintentionally funny. The characters don't garner any of the sympathy that they are supposed to. Lots of them, especially Joseph Fiennes and his wife, are imbeciles. A big part of the hook in the series is finding out how some of the strange flash forward visions come to pass. A recovering alcoholic is drunk in his flash forward. A wife is with another man. A guy with cancer meets a love interest. A single woman is pregnant and having an ultrasound. To my disappointment, the story arc that led to all of these being fulfilled was horribly contrived and lame.While all of these characters are experiencing their lives (which we don't care about), a massive conspiracy story develops to explain the blackout event. Conspiracy after conspiracy unwraps in front of us. Some ultra secret organization with pretty much unlimited resources is basically responsible for it all. Why did they do this? Who are they? What was their ultimate goal? What are these experiments that they have been doing? Nothing is ever even remotely explained. The series ends, with a cliffhanger that was obviously intended as the lead-in for season 2. There never was one. If there had been, it would have just been more stringing along the viewer until the ratings finally couldn't keep the show afloat. Good riddance.