Flash of genius?

Slick sci-fi drama FlashForward started this week on Five but will the American program be a hit with UK television audiences?

FlashForward will try and follow in the footsteps of established cult classic Lost by attracting large audiences in the UK and the US, leaving viewers scratching their heads as the mystery and drama develops.

Although producers will try and avoid the tag 'the new Lost' (not a bad thing after the show's continuing success), the comparisons are clear and so the endless amounts of teasing storyline threads and the cliffhanger ending will come as no surprise to viewers (and neither will the appearance of a few Lost favourites in Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) and Sonja Walgar (Penny) along the way).

The first episode started with the whole world (well nearly - that being the first question the audience are left to ponder at the end of episode one) blacking out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, just enough time for each to see visions of their whereabouts and happenings in 6 months time (at 10pm, 29th April 2010 to be precise).

Inevitably the whole world blacking out leaves everyone in chaos; which is where coincidentally we are first properly introduced to the brooding male lead Mark Benford played by Joseph Fiennes and colleague Demetri Noh played by John Cho (who unfortunately sees nothing in his blackout, a terrifyingly interesting twist - is he dead in 6 months time?)

As the first episode develops we are given enough teasers about many of the main characters and potential plot lines to keep us interested and coming back for more, without the story becoming too complicated within the first 60 minutes.

The first episode, which aired on Monday (9pm, Five) achieved impressive viewing figures with 3.19m tuning in in the UK, whilst 12.41m American viewers watched the American premiere only days before.

There is no doubt that FlashForward delivers on the high-paced action and explosions, intriguing mysteries and interesting characters but it must avoid going down the road of so many other sci-fi shows by losing focus (i.e. Heroes and to some extent Lost).

The fact that the producers apparently already know what will happen when the show ends will hopefully mean we avoid this pitful, whether audiences will still be watching at the end is unclear but so far Five's new drama has lived up to the hype.

Picture from Screen Rant