Flashforward

Imagine if the entire world blacked out. It would be complete chaos. Someone could be horsing around with a bayonet at a history museum; or someone could be cutting their pubic hair on a whirring washing machine. Or even simpler than that, they could be using a mode of transport. Then you'd wake up with either a dead girlfriend, an amputated penis or in a road mash. Flashforward went for the latter.

That's the basic premise of the show: The world has had a little power nap, innocent thing to do on your own, disastrous thing to do at the same time. Everything has gone tits up, basically people have died and buildings have combusted into flames (because when you leave the world unattended for about 2 minutes, things get upset and throw a fit). Not only did everyone have a nice little siesta, they also had a pretty vivid vision of the future - the 29th of April 2010 to be precise. We followed a few people who had some interesting visions, like Joseph Fiennes who saw himself going mad and being stalked by storm troopers of the future. A suicidal man who saw himself alive and another policeman who saw himself dead (well, didn't see himself, that's how he knows he's dead). After a bit of clunky dialogue we manage to see Mr. Madman going mad. The end.

The best way to describe this show would be like a best of compilation of all the best American TV dramas in recent years, made on MS Paint and maybe Windows Movie Maker. There's a bit of Lost in the opening; there's a pinch of Heroes within the future-gazing; a smidgen of CSI/The Wire with all the policing that goes on; and maybe a tiny bit of Futurama in there aswell.

The graphics are a bit unimpressive aswell, sort of early PlayStation2 graphics. It lost me part of the way through when our leading character encountered a stray kangaroo, the mix of terrible animation and live action made it seem similar to Space Jam. As well as that there was a helicopter crashing, burning and falling down a building that looked like a student Media Studies representation of 9/11. Basically, the graphics were poor.

I now struggle to see where this show could go from here, especially given America's idea of what a series is. Whereas over here we have the regular 6-8 episodes of stuff, over there they call it a "season" because it drags on THAT long. America like to drag shows all wounded and beaten to it's 22nd episode finale; by episode 24 or whatever, it's vaguely recognisable. You end up watching the show through squinted eyes trying to figure out anything you saw months before, "Oh yeah, that's the main guy, but his hair has changed and he's homeless"

I can only expect that we'll finally reach the 29th of April 2010 by the end of the season. BUT, having said what America like to do, it'll probably climb through another six seasons before showing what happened to a now uninterested audience of 3. Let's just cut to someone doing something mundane instead, like taking a dump. But, here's the twist, he doesn't realise how constipated he is and angrily tries to force some out. I should write these scripts. Unfortunately, a court order says I can't.