A lot of people have already given up on ABC's FlashForward. I think I understand why. Maybe it's not moving along the way that some viewers want, maybe it's not as compelling as the pilot was, or maybe people have been spoiled by Lost. I get all that, but I'm sticking with it. I think they've made some terrible choices (the Bob Dylan song used in the parking garage shootout was just goofy, and the card game last week was pointless and boring), but there's enough going to hold my interest.
Here's a sneak peek of Thursday's episode, "Believe."
[Watch clips and episodes of FlashForward and other shows at SlashControl.]
Dominic Monaghan-related stories
Sneak Peek: this Thursday's FlashForward
Review: FlashForward - Playing Cards With Coyote
(S01E08) You mean I'm going to have to start paying attention to this show? What do they think they are ... Lost or something? Yes, I made sure to mention Lost in my article about FlashForward, and yes I did it because I know it bothers some of you. I'm a bastard that way.There was a lot of forward motion in a lot of important ways. Last week's Al-dying, Tracy-returning finale was a huge set-up for the next few weeks' worth of story. As expected, Al's death became big news when Celia went public with the letter he'd sent to her (so I guess that means the FBI found her?). But it was Tracy's return that added layers to the complex onion we're trying to peel here.
In the middle of it all, we got to contemplate the significance of what bra Olivia might choose to wear in the future. See, everything's important!
Continue reading Review: FlashForward - Playing Cards With Coyote
Review: FlashForward - Scary Monsters and Super Creeps
(S01E06) Some big revelations this week, both in the flashforwards case, as well as in the situation at the Benford household. In fact, it was at the Benford household that it went down. I was also very proud of the writers for choosing a more challenging route for Mark's character than the tired cliches we've come to expect.We also got the first encounter between Lloyd Simcoe's son and the Benford daughter, Charlie, and so many things became more clear. A couple more flashforwards to round out the hour and I'm still happy with the series.
And speaking of Charlies, those who've been waiting all season for Dominic Monaghan to finally get down and dirty as a series regular on this little show need wait no loner. His name was even right there in the opening credits under 'Starring.'
Continue reading Review: FlashForward - Scary Monsters and Super Creeps
Who is the cast member that doesn't want to come back to Lost? (SPOILERS)
There's been plenty of talk the past week about a former cast member of Lost who might not be coming back to the island for the ABC show's last season. By process of elimination and a little detective work, some thought that the person who didn't want to come back to the show was Harold Perrineau, who played Michael. He left the show once, came back later, and then was killed off in a boat explosion. After that he didn't have many nice things to say about the producers or the show.But you can forget about all that talk, because Perrineau says that he would love to come back to the show for the last season but he hasn't been asked yet. As for all that stuff about not liking his time on the show or holding a grudge against the producers, he says he loved his time on the show, loves the cast, and there are no hard feelings.
Continue reading Who is the cast member that doesn't want to come back to Lost? (SPOILERS)
FlashForward: Black Swan
(S01E04) Any time we can go back and look at the blackout itself, I'm interested. But the use of an idyllic park scene and Björk's "It's Oh So Quiet" created an almost peaceful panorama -- until a bus drove into the lake, nearly missing someone lying nearby. Throughout the entire opening sequence, though, the scenes of serenity and death melded flawlessly with the song.It was a great opening reminder of the event that put the entire series into motion, as well as an introduction to Ned. Ned is Dr. Benford's patient this week, who helps her come to terms with her own feelings about the flashforwards. He's also the calmest and most collected guy you could ever meet. But there's a reason for that.
What might be the most important thing for some people still on the fence about this show, Dominic Monaghan (Lost) finally showed up this week. As expected, he's going to be playing a pretty damned important role in the series. His introduction created a relationship with one of our main characters that I absolutely didn't see coming.
Continue reading FlashForward: Black Swan
Ask TV Squad
The "Ask TV Squad" column, published every Wednesday, answers your questions about current and past TV shows, as well as about the celebrities appearing on TV. Every week, I will pick a question (or more) sent to us and provide answers in the column. If your question is not picked for a column, it may be answered in a subsequent column. To submit questions to the "Ask TV Squad" column, you can post them below in comments or email them at asktvsquad@gmail.com.
This week, I answer questions about Flash Forward, Eureka, NCIS, The Philanthropist, and V.
FlashForward: No More Good Days (series premiere)
(S01E01) Well, that was it. The most eagerly anticipated premiere of the season, if early buzz is any indicator. Is it the next Lost? Is it as good as everyone says it was? It can be. As much as I liked this pilot, though, I can't say that I know for sure how good the show is going to be based on it.
The opening sequence was every bit as epic and awe-inspiring as the opening moments of Lost. Whereas in Lost we had the aftermath of a cataclysmic plane crash on a deserted island, here we had the cataclysmic crash of ... everything! They dropped us right into the moments after the global blackout to immediately show us the impact it would have. It was like the opening of a big budget summer blockbuster.
Continue reading FlashForward: No More Good Days (series premiere)
Here are the first 18 minutes of FlashForward
I really have to remember that it is written out as FlashForward, all together and everything.
FlashForward (I did it!) is probably the show that is getting the most buzz and the most good reviews before it premieres. It's about everyone in the world passing out at the exact same time for 2 minutes or so and seeing visions of their future (at least most people see a vision, some don't). Beyond that we don't know much, which is a good thing. Here's the opening scenes from the first episode, which airs this Thursday on ABC.
FlashForward (I did it!) is probably the show that is getting the most buzz and the most good reviews before it premieres. It's about everyone in the world passing out at the exact same time for 2 minutes or so and seeing visions of their future (at least most people see a vision, some don't). Beyond that we don't know much, which is a good thing. Here's the opening scenes from the first episode, which airs this Thursday on ABC.
Here's a clip of Dominic Monaghan on FlashForward (I think that's how it should be written)
Dominic Monaghan might be showing up on Lost this season, if you believe the rumors that are going around that old characters will make a return to the show in some way. But he's also going to be a regular on FlashForward, ABC's other mysterious-time show. Here's a short clip that introduces his character.
It's great how he can be so menacing and tough even though he's, um, my height.
It's great how he can be so menacing and tough even though he's, um, my height.
[via SciFiWire]
FlashForward has a plan beyond the first season ... they promise!
Even though the flashes forward in the series only takes us as far as April 29, 2010, the creators of ABC's FlashForward say there is a plan beyond that. They hoofed it to San Diego to get the buzz train rolling, and brought along "secret" cast addition Dominic Monaghan (Lost) to up the excitement.At first glance, I can't help but be reminded of Prison Break on FOX. It started off great, with a great serialized premise. The first season as we ratcheted toward that break out was intense and pretty good stuff. But then they were out and FOX renewed the show. Now what? What came next was hit-or-miss television for three more seasons.
Hopefully, producers David Goyer and Marc Guggenheim have thoroughly thought this through. They indicated that the final episode of the first season would be April 30, 2010; the "aftermath." I'm guessing that will tie in to whatever caused the flashes in the first place. Maybe, like Lost, it will organically reinvent itself each year.
Continue reading FlashForward has a plan beyond the first season ... they promise!
Spoilers Anonymous
This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
Note that over the summer, Spoilers Anonymous will be published every two weeks due to production hiatus for most TV series. Weekly columns will resume in August.
This week we have spoilers for: 24, 90210, Bones, Californication, Ghost Whisperer, Greek, Lost, Mad Men, One Tree Hill, Psych and The Mentalist. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
Continue reading Spoilers Anonymous
Delving deeper into the Charlie Pace mystery
The Internet has been all atwitter since Dominic Monaghan, aka the dearly departed Charlie Pace on Lost, showed up in a new ABC promo. In it, Dominic/Charlie is playing Foosball with current and upcoming ABC stars, including Patrick Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy and Courteney Cox from the upcoming Cougar Town. Jason Hughes theorizes that this could very well mean that Monaghan is returning to Lost next season.
This of course, is not out of the realm of possibility: death, after all, rarely means goodbye on Lost. On the other hand, it's not unheard of for stars who have exited the island to find themselves on other ABC shows (see: Harold Perrineau on The Unusuals). So which is it? Well, that crafty cad Michael Ausiello thinks he has the answer. See what spoilers ABC execs shared with him after the jump.
Continue reading Delving deeper into the Charlie Pace mystery
Chuck: Chuck Versus The Third Dimension
(S02E12) "The cell is mightier than the sword, or the very large knife." -- Chuck
There were some funny bits in this episode of Chuck. There were also some good bits of plot development. Still, for what was being promoted as a spotlight show, including the novelty of 3-D, it's hard for me to sing the praises of tonight's episode. It just left a lot to be desired. What it did leave me with is a headache.
Before getting into the particulars, let's get the 3-D thing out of the way. It was terrible. Joel wrote about this a few days ago, and he was right. The 3-D glasses were cumbersome and lame. They also seemed too dark because instead of the effects popping, they just seemed murky and dim. I give NBC credit for trying to think outside the box, but 3-D is not the answer for how to make TV viewing more exciting. Compared to high-def, 3-D is not awesome, just annoying.
Continue reading Chuck: Chuck Versus The Third Dimension
NBC really, really believes in Chuck - in 3-D
Here at TV Squad, we often bemoan the quick cancellation of a show that deserves a chance to evolve. We've chronicled the demise of a fan favorite like Moonlight, and empathized with our readers. There have been times when we've agreed that networks spend so much time and talent developing a show that it seems a down-right shame when the plug is pulled after a half-dozen episodes. So, knowing all that, we have to acknowledge when a network does something right. NBC is bending over backwards to see to it that Chuck becomes a ratings hit, to go along with its already established and growing fan base. Creator Josh Schwartz expressed his thanks to NBC for the post- Super Bowl Chuck episode. The Super Bowl is Sunday, February 1.
"They were doing this big promotion inside of the Super Bowl and handing out 150 million 3-D glasses, so we are the beneficiaries of that. ...Chuck seemed like the best fit for that type of thing."
Continue reading NBC really, really believes in Chuck - in 3-D
Lost: Nine ways to die on The Island
On the last episode of Lost, we learned that the Island won't let people die. Well, some people. Michael, for instance. And we can assume the Oceanic Six--Kate, Jack, Hurley, Sun, Sayid, Aaron--experienced the same inability to die as Michael.
But a lot of people have died. Some of them are missed and some of them... not so much. And there will be a lot more deaths over the final two seasons of the series, which returns with a new episode tonight. It seemed like a good time to look back on some of the island's most notorious deaths. And the strange manners in which characters died:
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Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
