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Hercules Has Seen ABC’s
Sci-Fi Pilot FLASHFORWARD!!

bring back flash gordon! by punto	Jun 17th, 2009 06:54:41 PM
I liked it
I Dont Understand Your Point by Crow3711	Jun 17th, 2009 06:57:09 PM
With the paradox line at the end of this piece. If they are just witnessing the future, not controlling it, it wouldnt make any sense for someone to have surrounded themselves with stock market results, if that is what you are saying. As I understand it, they just experience the two minutes, like a dream or something, not actually in control of it. That might open the possibility for someone to change what happens when they actually get that date, because they know how two minutes of that day should play out (maybe they will lock themselves in a basement) but that doesnt mean they have the ability to control themselves in the flashforward, right? And your sentence about experiencing the flashforward erases it doesnt make much sense or seem coherant to me, so maybe revise it? Anyway, I'm still really looking forward to this. But seriously, answer back and tell me if they have control of their flashforward.
I'm guessing by Hercules	Jun 17th, 2009 07:02:35 PM
they will be able to alter their destinies. I further guess that the series could play out like a weekly version of "A Christmas Carol."
does macfarlane shoehorn his politics into the ep? by mrgreentheplant	Jun 17th, 2009 07:06:00 PM
as he does in every episode of family guy these days?
of course they can surround themselves by punto	Jun 17th, 2009 07:08:23 PM
with scores and stock market results. think about it, the "present" you is not in control, but six months from now, you _will_ be in control, and you'll know that you from 6 months ago will be watching. So you get the numbers ready so that past you (who already saw them 6 months ago) can get them and become rich.
more likely they're all gazing into alternate timelines. by Hercules	Jun 17th, 2009 07:12:43 PM
They gather up their sports and financial pages and stare at them and nothing happens. At best, an "alternative universe you" gets rich, but not you.
punto by Crow3711	Jun 17th, 2009 07:18:44 PM
I guess I never added that extra layer to the proceedings, because just like in Lost, it seems like their has to be a steady timeline that wouldn't allow for that kind of "instant change" where doing the act in the future changes the past which in turn changes the future instantly. Also, that leads to the possibility of the future changing the past and the past changing the future endlessly until the universe implodes, chick or the egg style. That would be a little too much to film, IMO. That's when you ruin your show, a la Heroes. Things happen once and thats how they happen. If you see it six months ago, maybe you can change it, but it still only happens once, and I don't think that would change the vision you saw six months ago. That was a noodle of a thought.
it's not supposed to happen in the future by punto	Jun 17th, 2009 07:19:57 PM
at the time you look at the page in the future, you're already rich (you became rich 6 months ago when you got to see the future). Or you decide to sell the stock you bought 6 months ago at a profit, whatever.
Hmmmm. by boomer70	Jun 17th, 2009 07:22:13 PM
So everyone only flashes forward (or is it flash forwards)to April of next year? In the book, it was 20 years into the future. I suppose that will work out nicely if the series only lasts one season.
.....? by Crow3711	Jun 17th, 2009 07:46:43 PM
but we still haven't really answered my initial question which is, are they simply seeing the future in their minds while their unconscious bodies just collapse, or literally experiencing it and controlling the two-minutes before they warp back to the present? It's an important difference.
Crow3711 by Hercules	Jun 17th, 2009 07:53:20 PM
they are just experiencing the future as far as I could tell. No one is depicted in the pilot exerting Malkovich-like control.
Hope McFarlane goes in to by drewlicious	Jun 17th, 2009 08:05:14 PM
Hellboy II mode. That was some good stuff. Plus "Flash Forward" sounds like a concept that could use some humor.
Bragabomination busy on something ELSE... by chromedome	Jun 17th, 2009 08:08:50 PM
...is GOOD news for Flashforward (and bad news for whatever else he is working on)
In the book... by jeffty	Jun 17th, 2009 08:14:55 PM
...they CAN change the future they see in their visions. One character learns he will never achieve success in his chosen field -- he's stuck as a waiter or something -- and commits suicide, changing the future.
So how closely does this follow the book? by Toby O Notoby	Jun 17th, 2009 08:26:34 PM
Some? Not at all? In basic plot only? Just wondering as it's going to be tough to hold the suspense if your average joe can walk down to Borders and see what happens next...
Fuck Time Travel. by Steve Young	Jun 17th, 2009 08:58:58 PM
If Herc's "questions" are any indication, this show will generate nothing more than another season's worth of inane, over-thought internet message board discussions about time paradoxes. Crap.
Show I'm looking the most Forward too... by nalapou	Jun 17th, 2009 09:00:40 PM
since Lost's pilot. Can't wait. I was pumped for Heroes premiere too but this just sounds sooo cool. Agree that Katim's rocked Roswell as well.
Can't Wait for Them to Reveal ... by ThusSpakeSpymunk	Jun 17th, 2009 09:13:12 PM
... that the time-travel is caused by God. Just like QUANTUM LEAP, JOURNEYMAN and now, regrettably, LOST. **** you, those who hate sci-fi so much they'd rather see GOD be the cause than antyhing ... you know, sci-fi-ey.
If you don't see stock market/sports scores ... by chrth	Jun 17th, 2009 09:22:07 PM
Then maybe it's because you can't change the future (cf. 12 Monkeys)? Although how that would work as a series-long premise is beyond me.
I was going to say something about Braga by chrth	Jun 17th, 2009 09:26:34 PM
But you know, 24 last season was pretty damn good so I'm loathe to lay too much criticism at his feet. Perhaps the abortion of a series finale of Enterprise was also Berman's fault.
I'll do it by Dradis Contact	Jun 17th, 2009 09:28:45 PM
with Braga not participating, there is renewed hope for the rest of season one
BRAGAbomination was one of the low tier guys on 24 by chromedome	Jun 17th, 2009 09:58:53 PM
probably paid someone to have his name on it. 4-5 other "producers" probably just assigned to keep him away from the set and the writers.
Thanks Herc by Crow3711	Jun 17th, 2009 10:10:23 PM

April 29th 1992, there was a riot on the street... by Heckles	Jun 17th, 2009 10:33:37 PM
...tell me where were you... And that is MacFarlene's real voice.
You had me at "Alex Kingston" by DonnaDarko	Jun 17th, 2009 10:52:46 PM
Kingston is one of those actors that improves everything she's in.
I've Flash Forwarded into some crazy alternate reality by m00kiedood	Jun 17th, 2009 10:54:32 PM
In which people defend the quality of 24 and so minimize Braga's involvement, as opposed to shaking their heads at the crapfest that the show became and pointing their bony, sun starved fingers at Braga in accusation.
oh great, more time travel to argue about by CherryValance	Jun 17th, 2009 11:48:53 PM
phfft
honestly by ciroslive	Jun 18th, 2009 12:53:25 AM
it sounds like everyone is trying to replicate LOST, ABC included...
"whatever's gonna happen, happens" by prbt	Jun 18th, 2009 01:42:24 AM
That's the only way this show is going to be interesting. Changing the future, messing around with 'timelines', is BORING, TV shows have proved this time (hah) and again. Lost gets away with it by dint of being very very good, but I think most people would agree that Lost's time-travel element has been one of the least successful parts of the mystery.
So that means by _Palmer_Eldritch	Jun 18th, 2009 02:12:42 AM
no Charlie on Lost after all? Tanks for all that bogus "speculation" a few weeks ago, then. I do prefer it this way though. If anyone, they should bring back Eco to Lost (not going to happen, I know). ...or maybe Kelvin! Remember him? He rocked.
Kristin @ E! sez about Charlie: by prbt	Jun 18th, 2009 02:26:06 AM
"Even though Dominic Monaghan is said to be appearing on another ABC show next season, reportedly Flash Forward, we're just paranoid enough to think it might be a double cross, and that D.M. might actually be heading back to Lost after (or in addition to) whatever else he does on the Alphabet Net. Why do we think this? Because very reliable sources now tell us that there is "mutual interest" (between the Lost PTB and Dominic Monaghan) in bringing about a season-six return visit by Charlie Pace. Look for official developments in the next week or two."
Seth Macfarlane by JonJonB	Jun 18th, 2009 02:26:12 AM
You know that's his normal voice, he wasn't just putting on a "Brian" for this show, right? That WAS some ham-fisted attempt at a joke you made, right??
What if the economy collapsed? by gotilk	Jun 18th, 2009 03:12:12 AM
And only a few people knew the "real reason" it happened?
Seth McFarlane's 'dog voice' by smackfu	Jun 18th, 2009 03:31:26 AM
is his normal speaking voice. And the reason why Lost gets away with altering the timelines, is they don't...time and time again they've showed us that every attempt to change the future is revealed to be simply part of the original inescapable timeline.
lost clones are the new tarantino clones by ironic_name	Jun 18th, 2009 04:28:16 AM

Threshold was underrated by newc0253	Jun 18th, 2009 04:49:38 AM
the first few eps were pretty aenemic, but it built into compelling stuff. also it had Carla Gugino.
Watching the syndicated and S-F reruns of Lost, by The McPoyle Clan	Jun 18th, 2009 05:10:40 AM
it's funny to see how far it has come...and drifted. Not to say it's bad, but the "master plan" had a lot of empty pages. Who ever thought that the DI would turn out to be a bunch of stupid hippies that served to drag down S6?
Ausiello on Charlie and Lost (also 24) by chrth	Jun 18th, 2009 05:58:26 AM
Question: That Dominic Monaghan promo decoy thing really disappointed me. Is there any chance Charlie might be coming back to Lost as well, even for a couple of episodes? --Elle Ausiello: I can confirm what my Frenemy reported on Monday: There is interest on both sides. Question: If Chris Diamantopoulos is playing Pres. Taylor's new Chief of Staff on 24 next season, then where does that leave Bob Gunton (a.k.a. Ethan Kanin)? --Betty Ausiello: Don't worry about Ethan. He fares very well in the transition. (ChrTh Note: I'm taking this to mean he's either First Husband or, less likely, Vice President)
I just had a Flash Forward... by Kid Z	Jun 18th, 2009 07:30:11 AM
...to six weeks after this thing premieres, when the show is unceremoniously dumped from the schedule.
ThusSpakeSpymunk by rfid	Jun 18th, 2009 07:34:36 AM
Lost has not said the time travel was caused by god. That's just extrapolation on your part. In any case, even if that turns out to be the case, God has been a part of the series for several seasons. "God love you as he loved Jacob"--season 3, remember? Then there's Desmond's monastery, the whole good-vs.-evil concept, judgment of one's life, the reincarnation of the dead, Eko and his brother being priests, and so forth. God and religion have been part of Lost since the beginning.
rfid: I was going to respond similarly re: quantum leap by chrth	Jun 18th, 2009 07:52:20 AM
As Sam and Al were convinced of the divine influence late in the 1st season. But I don't think ThusSpakeSpymunk meant it to criticize a late-game reveal of 'God did it', just that 'God did it' was the central reason. On the plus side, he should like The Time Traveller's Wife then.
McFarlane, insufferable douche... by Kid Z	Jun 18th, 2009 08:04:17 AM
...but did pretty damn well in Hellboy 2.
Am confused (moreso) by Yeti	Jun 18th, 2009 08:25:15 AM
Thought that the lpot was everyone on earth loses concisousness for just over two minutes (with disasterous results in some circumstances) and the whole concept of the show was what went on during those missing minutes?
Hopefully this "The Nine" won't go into the bank... by Mindtrip	Jun 18th, 2009 09:29:11 AM
I think I I'll wait for the first half of the season to run uninteruppted or moved to another night before investing any time in this series.
I hope Seth MacFarlane gets gruesomely killed off at some point by Nasty In The Pasty	Jun 18th, 2009 09:34:56 AM
That'd get me interested in watching this.
FISSION MAILED by turketron_2	Jun 18th, 2009 09:38:49 AM
SNAKE!!! YOU'VE CREATED A TIME PARADOX!!!! SNAKE!! SNAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!
So, who divided by zero? by turketron_2	Jun 18th, 2009 09:39:56 AM
Oh shi---
Punto......FLASH GORDON 2007???????? by Hint_of_Smegma	Jun 18th, 2009 10:06:17 AM
You liked it? You are never, ever, ever to be allowed to hold an opinion ever again, because you obviously aren't responsible enough. Alex Raymond's work, the serials, the filmation series, the books, the 1980 movie are all superb and have entertained people for over 75 years...and then that douchebag Peter Hume comes along, states in the press before the show comes out he found the original material stupid, is 'reworking' the material and then throws that steaming turd at the screen???? He ought to be still hanging by his balls from the lampost outside Skiffy's headquarters. Oh, and expect Flashforward to be cancelled after the first season.
Can we have a moritorium on Time Travel... by 300Zartans	Jun 18th, 2009 10:32:20 AM
being used in TV and Film? It's been done to death.
American Television Format by ShallowDepths	Jun 18th, 2009 11:28:51 AM
When will this ever be revised? The age old model of milking series for all their worth as opposed to creating an artistic vision is tired, tried and true. Other countries are practicing fine methods of instituting a show with a definitive time period. Now that LOST has pulled it off, when will we start seeing more networks that want to have "hit" quality shows with a point, and less filler? (Not that LOST hasn't had filler, but still substantially less than most)
ShallowDepths: They tried with Harper's Island by chrth	Jun 18th, 2009 12:46:24 PM
But nobody watched
Did Seth piss you off, or what? by V'Shael	Jun 18th, 2009 01:28:19 PM
That's his NORMAL voice, Herc. He just happens to use several voices on the Family Guy show, and Brians voice is his regular one.
1 year vs. 20 years... by D_T	Jun 18th, 2009 02:37:18 PM
That's the most interesting change - I suspect there was some production cost concerns (now there's no speculation on designs for cars, cell phones, fashion), but it allows them to get to a point where it's "resolved", and if the show has better legs, they can have another "quantum event" and do another 2-3 years to that point. This seems more interesting than the Moore/Virtuality show (which I really wanted to like).
Brannon Braga destroys everything he touches by Browncoat_Jedi	Jun 18th, 2009 03:05:55 PM
I have no hope for this series.
No Robert Sawyer cameo? by tangcameo	Jun 18th, 2009 04:25:33 PM
They're welcome to come up to Saskatoon and film one here. Heck, they could even film it at the university's particle collider since that's what sets off the flashforwards in the book. And NO that's not a spoiler.
Braga hate by hst666	Jun 18th, 2009 05:11:06 PM
I can understand it to a point, but when did he come on board in TNG? Because the first tow seasons of that show were fairly shitty and it was not until the third season, when Rodenberry was less involved that the show became good. Whoever was acting showrunner and producing them deserves a lot of praise.
tangcameo by ElPaw	Jun 18th, 2009 05:24:22 PM
It was actually the CERN collider in the book
that's macfarlane's real voice... by CrashPanda	Jun 18th, 2009 06:34:11 PM
he's not "doing" the brian(the dog) voice, that's how he actually sounds. it'd probably be hilarious if he did this role as peter.
seth is shit by TheExterminator	Jun 19th, 2009 02:44:32 AM
no thanks
"Late Game Reveal" by ThusSpakeSpymunk	Jun 19th, 2009 08:52:14 AM
It's a little of both. What frustrates me is that these shows create a mystery: "Who/what is causing the time-travel?" Tben, they set about offering "clues" about the cause - and then attribute it to God, which, by definition, is a plot element that can't be rationalized nor explained. It negates all effort to "solve" the mystery - "God did that." "Well, what about 'x'?" "God, did that, too." "What about 'y'?" "Magic wizard - er, God." "But what about that one thing from that one season?" "God." "And the thing that caused the thing that caused that thing in Season 5?" "God."
seth the live action actor and lost by Bouncy X	Jun 19th, 2009 10:28:00 AM
hmmm, i had no clue he had any plans to pursue that. i seem to be one of the few who likes the guy so i think its cool he's trying it out and its a reacurring role too? nice. as for Lost,didn't sawyer read this book early on in the series? because i'm sure i found out about its exixtance on this site through a Lost talkback.
Nah, do the entire thing as Quagmire by terry1978	Jun 19th, 2009 10:44:15 AM
I swear that speech he gave at that one university as Quagmire, totally straight, was hilarity, dawg.
Nah, do the entire thing as Quagmire by terry1978	Jun 19th, 2009 10:44:20 AM
I swear that speech he gave at that one university as Quagmire, totally straight, was hilarity, dawg.
Hey, the young Sulu and Shakespeare are in it! by MrMysteryGuest	Jun 19th, 2009 12:50:25 PM
John Cho and that Fiennes fellow!
I knew that ElPaw by tangcameo	Jun 19th, 2009 03:31:34 PM
My english grammar just aint that good.
Herc you really hate Family Guy don't you? by MrClark	Jun 20th, 2009 01:16:30 AM
Yet i seem to recall you love King of the Hill which is maybe the dumbest animated series in TV history.
MrClark by lost.rules.	Jun 20th, 2009 12:32:07 PM
Anyone with half a brain hates Family Guy. The whole show is aimed at children with ADD. The formula of "repeatedly toss hand-fulls of shit at the wall and see what sticks" for 30 minutes is only meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
by studioki	Jun 20th, 2009 10:28:43 PM
You know if you look at the simpons, and other shows, they usually devote the first third to a completely unrelated set piece that has no other purpose than to throw a bunch of random jokes together in a way that is completely dislocated from the plot. The only difference is that family guy spreads them out and starts them off by saying "you remember that time when" and shows like the Simpsons say things like "lets go to the science fiction convention where every single character in springfield will be". Every animated show I can think of spends a good portion of each episode sacrificing plot for random humor. Its just that family guy announces it when it happens. I honestly dont see the difference between family guy cut aways, and a completely pointless and unrelated B plot in another series. Neither further the main plot of the episode, and both exist for an excuse to get a certain joke or two out. South park doesnt do it that much, which is much to their credit, but the trade off is that they are usually one joke episodes. If the joke works, its brilliant(fish stick), if it doesnt, the whole episode is pretty annoying to watch (every other episode that half season). Anyway, watch what you want, I just saw that family guy episode with Stewie trying to insult Mathew Mcanahey (spelling..dont feel like looking it up) and it made me laugh hard enough to feel the need to actually attempt to defend family guy on this board.
Leap by Don Lockwood	Jun 21st, 2009 03:52:40 PM
Wasn't the leap forward a lot further ahead in the book? Are they gonna keep it going by having people flashforward multiple times? they reach the new point and then flash again?

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Hercules Has Seen ABC’s
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Hercules Has Seen ABC’s
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