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.
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 or in TV Squad's APB Podcast. 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 Jamie Ray Newman, FlashForward, Friday Night Lights and Surviving Disaster.
At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
CBS has a new Survivor at 8, then new episodes of CSI andThe Mentalist.
NBC has a new Community at 8, followed by new episodes of Parks and Recreation and The Office, the season premiere of 30 Rock, and a new Jay Leno Show.
FOX has new episodes of Bones and Fringe.
The CW has a new Vampire Diaries at 8, then a new Supernatural.
TBS has Baseball Playoffs at 8, the Dodgers vs. the Phillies.
At 9, Spike has a new TNA Wrestling.
MTV has a new Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory at 9, followed by new episodes of Bully Beatdown, Nitro Circus, and Pranked.
Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9, then a new Stoked.
At 10, Lifetime has a new Project Runway.
FX has a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10.
There are still a couple of new shows that haven't premiered yet, including two I'm really looking forward to, ABC's new version of V and FOX's new version of The Human Target (I know, I'm actually looking forward to two remakes). But they're not going to premiere until November and January, respectively, so here are my picks for the three new shows that I'm truly enjoying so far this new season. And somehow, they're all on ABC.
FlashForward. I bet a lot of people are going to pick this as the best new show, but I was kinda worried about it. I thought it would be too Lost-ish, but would suffer in comparison because it didn't have the strong cast and "gravitas" that Lost has. But it's a great show beyond any comparisons (and Dominic Monaghan hasn't even shown up yet!).
As part of our ongoing efforts to infiltrate every one of your senses, we've decided to bring back the APB Podcast, last seen in various forms around two years ago. In this first podcast, Jason Hughes, Kona Gallagher and myself discuss the following topics:
The Letterman scandal
A minute (if that) about Jon and Kate
How the fall season's going so far, including why Dollhouse's ratings are so bad,
Ask TV Squad, where we answer a question submitted to Isabelle's column,
I wanted to add a spoiler warning with this post, but sadly, John Cho, who plays FBI agent Demetri Noh on ABC's FlashForward, is pretty tight lipped about all the big reveals that are coming up this season. I had the chance to speak with him recently, and despite my continued harassment, he's good at keeping secrets.
But, that doesn't mean fans will have to wait long for answers to start rolling in about the mysterious massive blackout that allowed everyone in the world to see into the future.
"I have been excited by and impressed by how much they're revealing this early on," he said. "There's been serious bombshells on a weekly basis ... I feel like they [the writers] are very conscious about giving the audience a lot of information."
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 has a big Lost connection, since there are stars from Lost in the new show and ABC hopes it takes Lost's place as the big mystery show on the network. But the premiere episode also had another connection: a possible clue for Lost's new season.
In the pic on the right you can see a billboard for Oceanic Air. If you look closely (bigger version here) you can see that it says "Perfect Safety Record." So that means that the bomb worked and the crash of Oceanic 815 never happened? Or does it mean something else?
(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.