At one time, the ABC drama was billed as the new Lost. Unfortunately, FlashForward hasn’t gotten as warm a reception as the network would have liked. While Lost will soon say goodbye after six seasons, FlashForward will surely end after just 22 episodes.
FlashForward begins as the world’s population blacks out for 137 seconds and they “flash forward” to see visions of their lives six months in the future. The series’ ensemble cast includes Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Jack Davenport, Zachary Knighton, Peyton List, Dominic Monaghan, Brian F. O’Byrne, Courtney B. Vance, Sonya Walger, and Christine Woods.
The series debuted on September 24th on ABC. The premiere attracted a 4.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 12.47 million viewers. The following week, the number dropped to a still very respectable 3.7 and 10.73 million. For week three, the ratings dropped again to a 3.0 and nine million.
Then, over the next several episodes, the all-important demo dropped to a low of a 2.1 rating with just 7.1 million viewers.
To make matters worse, after 10 episodes, ABC took the show off the air for three months. The spin was that this was a positive thing, allowing the network to promote it and essentially relaunch the program. They tried but, as expected, the numbers were even worse when FlashForward returned in March.
 Loading ... |
Last night’s episode fell to a new low for the series. It attracted a truly horrible 1.3 rating in the demo and 4.75 million viewers, per the overnights. When a show comes in at fifth place in the demo, behind The CW, you have a disaster on your hands.
While it was once considered that FlashForward was on the bubble for renewal, it’s now clear that there’s no way ABC will bring this show back next season. The ratings are just too low.
Sadly, that very likely means that viewers won’t get all of the answers they’ve been craving. There are only three episodes left so at least we know that ABC will let them all air.
What do you think? Why do you think that FlashForward didn’t catch on? The big hiatus didn’t help but the ratings kept sinking even before that. Not a good enough show?
Image courtesy ABC.
The problem with this show is that the plot got way too convuluted, and there were way too many characters. What ever even happened to the Asian girl who was supposed to change Bryce’s life? How could Olivia go from a happily married women to falling for a man she was determined to avoid completely within a few months, especially when she has a traumatized daughter? The whole Janis-is-a-mole plot was just one more unnecessary plot device. It started off with a lot of promise, but got bogged down in its own weight.
Fundamentally I love the show. My problem is they keep jumping all over teh place making it hard to follow. I can hang on but many viewers won’t and that is what has lead to teh fall off of teh viewers. They spend too much time tracing the people on teh edge lives and not focussing on the main group. The next thing is they may need to not always complicate the hell out of things. Some things yes but they may need to interject something like what the math kid from Numb3rs does where he brings stuff to laymans… Read more »
I really hope FlashForward stays on. As a young teenager with my mom, I need a show to watch with her and we like these kind of weird, thought-bringing shows are good. I can see how the plot line is fading and getting choppy and such, and the fact that I had started watching the show after the hiatus really just shows how much I’m bad at watching television. This is the main reason I don’t watch television much (other than the fact I go to school and other stuff), because all the shows I watch are cancelled. Please forgive… Read more »
At first I loved the show, but, my spouse hated it. I started watching it on Hulu, still enjoying it. But the story got to be like the one with Fringe – just too much to watch and actually enjoy it. Plot lines that seemed tossed in “just because” not “to make it better”. The big break did NOT help, I lost interest, and now simply look forward to Sons of Anarchy to start back up!!!
Echo, I completely agree. make it a one and done. It really does have a good story and acting, but indeed it may not have multi year legs. But again, LOST is nothing more than a modern day gilligan’s island and people overlook all the holes in their plots so who knows
I think FlashForward is a perfect example of a series which should have been planned at the beginning to be one season long. If the viewer knows from the beginning that there will be a resolution at a specified end date, the way he perceives the plot and character development is very different than if he think it’s going to meander into some indefinite future. There are plenty of unanswered questions left to this story. Knowing that they WILL be answered by May xx, 2010 keeps me watching. I’ll only be disappointed if the show is canceled without resolution OR… Read more »
I started watching this when it debuted I got to where the 2nd to the last epidsode before they pulled it. Decent cast and good story but just fell short of what I thought it be.
Flashforward, and the Fringe are both broadcasted during Thursdays. If someone wants to choose one between those, Fringe is obviously a better option. Besides, when u compare the story being told in FF with that in Lost, it just makes u disappointed on everything about this series. Maybe it would become better if ABC didn’t show both in the same period of time.
Flash forward is a great show. Good acting, intelligent plot to those who can actually follow it, deep character development,quasi realism, twists. Idiots who think just because there is a lesbian couplein it that it’s a turn off need to go outside and keep burning witches and planting crosses in yards. Sad people are looking for cheap no plot crap instead of challenging their mind. Its a great show, ahead of its time (im sure many wont even get that tie in either)
I love Flash Forward and definitely think it deserves a second season. This year was hard because of the Olympics, but if they run straight through next year, ABC would probably pick up more viewers. It’s a great show, very intriguing, and a favorite of mine and my family’s. It would be a real loss if it was canceled.
Even though I was really hopeful about this show at the beginning, I was disappointed quickly enough. Of course the long hiatus was a negative, and the “brains” in ABC should stop doing that to their shows, but that was not the only thing that killed “FlashForward”. Its major problem is that it has nothing more to offer… there was a worldwide blackout, the entire world flashforwarded to the future, there is a conspiracy hidden behind it… that’s all! The conspiracy and the science should have been the aspects of the show the writers should have focused on. They should… Read more »
Very well-put. I’d like to think the show can be salvaged because of the good things you mentioned about the show…if it were to be, for instance, taken over by the same quality of writers that provided the story lines that kept LOST so intriguing for its entire life span, it could still indeed become the next LOST. But as you so eloquently pointed out, it looks as if the death blow has already been dealt. I’m holding out hope, but not holding my breath. So many potentially great television shows suffer this same fate, it seems….IMHO, some of them… Read more »
I use to like FF not so much anymore. Losing interest fast. It will not be back. Like it says above when you come in fifth in the demo behind the (horrible) CW you have a disaster on your hands….that is just terrible…ABC won’t think twice after that disgrace.
I’m with Donna, I liked it in the beginning brought in ****** couple among other things and I lost interest. I wanted to like it, tried to watch all the episodes but just turned it off half way through. Could have been good but it’s not. It won’t be back.
I LOVE “FlashForward”!!! I can’t understand why shows like “V” and “Grey’s Anatomy” survive (Take into consideration that I used to watch “Grey’s”). “FlashForward” is so good! I hope it gets renewed for Season 2.
I really liked the show in the beginning. Then it added the lesbian couple, which was a major turn off. That is not appropriate for family viewing and prime time. It’s too bad becuase I thought it could have been a good show.
the what couple, what’s the ******* mean, bi-racial? thats pretty messed up if that’s what you mean
Really? The lesbian couple (which was only for two episodes) was what turned you off? And that it wasn’t appropriate for family viewing? Really? The deaths and destruction that occurred with the blackout was ok but it was the lesbian couple that was a major turn off? Really? It was just two women talking on a date. That’s it. And it was still too much for you? Really? Wow.
Once again, the Religious Right rears its ugly head and proves that it is neither.
There is nothing wrong with adding a guy or lesbian couple. Although I am part of a traiditional marriage, and have 4 children, I know not everybody has the same type of relationship or marriage. Having a lesbian couple in a Prime Time show is a good thing. It shows and creates tolerance.
Wow, if a small lesbian dating scene turned you off to an entire series, then you must be very picky about what you watch. Why isn’t that appropriate for prime time viewing, but mass death and murder scenes are?