 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
FlashForward
Common Sense Media says
Complex drama blends action, mystery, questions about fate.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that in this thought-provoking sci-fi drama, everybody on on the planet is inexplicably given a brief glimpse of their future ... and they're not all thrilled with what they see. Since the universal "blackout" causes many disasters, expect to see plenty of intense/violent scenes, ranging from car crashes to gunfights -- though there are few explicitly gory images. Violence also plays a role in the aftermath of the incident, as investigators look for an explanation and stumble across danger. There's also some social drinking, and one character is struggling with alcoholism. Couples are shown fooling around, and though there's no outright nudity, some of the scenes are rather suggestive.
What's the story?
FBI agent Mark Bedford (Joseph Fiennes) wakes up in the wreckage of a car and slowly realizes that he’s in the middle of a terrible, multi-vehicle crash on the Los Angeles freeway. What happened to him? What happened to everyone else? And what were those strange visions where he saw himself studying mysterious clues to a case? As Bedford soon realizes, he blacked out for exactly 2 minutes and 17 seconds for no obvious reason -- and so did every other person on the planet, during which time, everyone had a brief glimpse of their future. In this intriguing, time-bending series, Bedford must analyze the clues hidden in the revelations of these FLASHFORWARDS as he and others try to piece together every individual snippet of the future to create a big picture of what will happen and why.
Is it any good?
In typical time-travel stories, someone visits the past or future and then returns to the present; in FlashForward, everyone stays in the present but gets a quick look at the future. The thought-provoking, two-pronged puzzle here is why this has happened, and whether these impending events are set in stone. Because not everyone likes what they see. Bedford, a recovering alcoholic, sees himself on a disturbing bender, while his wife Olivia (Sonya Walger) sees their marriage crumbling. And Bedford’s partner, Demetri (John Cho), sees nothing at all -- could that mean he'll soon be dead?
The show plays a bit like the popular yet exceedingly more complex Lost, a series that plays fast and loose with the time-space continuum by stitching together events from individual characters’ past and future. FlashForward stays mostly focused on the present but frequently cuts to the future as different characters recall memories from their own "sneak previews." The result is an entertaining mystery that also asks complex questions about fate and destiny.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about uncertainty and disaster, which are prominent themes in the series. Does any of what happens on the show seem like it could actually take place? Is that unsettling?
How does the show's premise of revealing the future to people in the present impact the inherent drama of time travel stories? Are they worried that they might change the timeline, or are they actively trying to do so?
What would you do if you saw your own future? Do you think your fate is already settled, or does your future change every day as a result of your choices and actions?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Flash backwards
It's iffy for me. In the first 2 minutes we see a close up of the main female character lying on her side with her breasts looming large as the focus. When will, if ever, directors and producers quit with the gratuitous breast scene. Really now, are they that worried about the fortitude of the plot? I am....
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AGE
FlashForward is not the next LOST
During the summer, ABC ran numerous promos for FlashForward. I was really excited for this series to start in the fall and the pilot didn't fail to entertain me one bit. It was like the complex mysteries of LOST meet the spiritual/futuristic tone of Eli Stone by way of Grey's Anatomy. However, the show's eventual decline in quality came about as the weeks went by. Recent episodes have been extremely boring and seem like a chore to watch. FlashForward went from being an original and engaging new sci-fi drama to being a poorly written and confused soap opera with cops and doctors. As mentioned by another reviewer, they showed a rather explicit sex scene involving the guy from LOST in one episode. In another episode, the same guy says the word pr*ck to someone. I'm not a prude, but this isn't 8pm material at all and it doesn't add anything to the already-convoluted storyline of the series. Recent ratings have shown that viewers like me are extremely disappointed with this series and, as a result, FlashForward will return in March instead of January like ABC originally planned. Note to parents: skip this disappointing series and find something else to watch on Thursday night.
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AGE
One of the worst ABC show's ever
FlashFoward started out OK. The special effects are noticeably good and the story is decent. What threw me off was a vulgar scene involving two women, a random strip club visitation, and a lousy script change. So lo and behold this show ended up stinking. Just don't watch it.
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AGE
Great adult entertainment (high schoolers too!)
Great acting, great story line, great budget. It's like Lost, but with a plot that seems to be thought thought out already.
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AGE
No appropriate for tweens.
We turned it off after 10 minutes. One sex scene and two crude sexual references in that amount of time were enough for us to decide it wasn't fit to watch.
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AGE
Loved it, Until....
This show is crossing the line. Last week's episode included a sex scene I would expect to see on HBO, not ABC at 8pm. It's disappointing that people think it's okay to put stuff like that on television - and that people watch it!
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AGE
Flash Forward to a good show- just be on the KNOW
Again, another great show for older viewers! The acting can be cheesy- however nothing beats the storyline of this awesome new show! A little "Sexy" with some of the shots and poor role modeling- however you wil find yourself getting baited and hooked for the next episode. ENJOY- but keep the little kiddies out of the room on this one.
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| TV rating: | TV-14 |
| Network: | ABC |
| Cast: | John Cho, Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger |
| Genre: | Drama |
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