In the Shadow of the Island: SciFi TV After Lost
ABC's FlashForward and V Lead the Charge To Be the New Genre Epic
Aug 29, 2009
When Lost premiered on ABC five years ago this month, the first major sci-fi television franchise of the 21st century hit the ground running. So who, once the saga of the island castaways has reached its conclusion, will carry the torch of epic sci-fi TV into the next decade? The field, at this point, appears to be wide open, although if ABC have anything to say about it, they seem to want to keep the spearhead on their own mantle.
Two shows debut this fall on Lost's home turf which are also broad ensemble pieces tied into large-scale conspiracies: FlashForward, based loosely on Robert J. Sawyer's novel about an unexplained, global psychic event, and V, a remake of the short-lived but wildly popular NBC series chronicling an alien invasion and human resistance movement.
When Lost debuted, it one of a handful of new hit titles (along with Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy) that vaulted the network to its best ratings profile in years, yet it was clear which show was out to capture a faithful genre audience. Arguably no one had seen a genre show with the level of complex mythology, vivid and methodical character development, and brazenly out-there paranormal possibilities since The X-Files.
In subsequent seasons, Lost has layered its mysteries into a labyrinth of storytelling the likes of which few series have attempted week after week. And now, having planted the flag for the show's ending - a rare occurrence with a network program and one which may, if successful, change the face of series development - and geared its many plot lines toward what promises to be a blockbuster conclusion, it will all come to an end starting in January.
Not to waste any time capturing Lost's audience and setting up something to fill the void once the inevitable ending is upon us, FlashForward bows later this month while V rolls out in early November. (Though recent reports have V shutting down production for two weeks, it is believed that this is a move to allow the writers time to reshape the first season's plot lines and will not affect the show's broadcast schedule.)
At first glance, FlashForward seems to bear the closest resemblance to Lost's modus operandi; as with the passengers of Oceanic 815, an inexplicable event has brought people together in order to puzzle out what exactly has happened to them - hundreds of thousandsd of people this time, in the two minutes and seventeen seconds where the entire world lost consciousness and began seeing visions of their own future. Led by an FBI agent (Joseph Fiennes, in his first major television role), those who did not perish in any number of accidents that took place when the globe blacked out begin to piece together their “flash-forwards”.
Given the right treatment, this aspect of the show's premise could prove as intriguing and addictive as the flashback (and later, a different form of flash-forward) storytelling that allowed Lost's audience to unravel both the mysteries of the island as well as the motivations and secrets of the show's characters. The possibilities are endless, and as with Lost, the show comes with a stellar pedigree. (David S. Goyer, writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, is the co-creator along with Star Trek creative veteran Brannon Braga; Goyer also wrote and directed the pilot. Cast members range from those known for films such as John Cho and Jack Davenport, to stage vets like Brian F. O'Byrne and even a few Lost alumni, such as Dominic Monaghan and Sonya Walger.)
V, meanwhile, may seem initially to be an inferior premise to something which contains such possibility for protracted mystery and long-term storytelling; we already know going into the show's pilot (as we did if we watched the original show back in 1984) that an alien race has contacted Earth and claims to want to live and work with us in piece, enriching our culture with their technological advances. And again, as the protagonists (led by Lost vet Elizabeth Mitchell's homeland security agent; Morena Baccarin, late of Joss Whedon's cult hit Firefly, is the Visitors' charismatic leader) discover, the aliens aren't what they claim to be, nor are their intentions so kind-hearted.
Where the strength of potential lies with V, however, isn't in unraveling any great over-arcing mystery or leaping to and fro through timelines, but rather in enriching a premise which was once entertaining but offered little in the way of food for thought. As has already been proven masterfully by Ronald D. Moore's re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica, a known title from television's days past need not be rehashed by the numbers, but rather it could prove a versatile vehicle for intelligent and relevant social commentary about the world we live in today. If the buzz surrounding V's pilot is any indication, this is exactly what the show's creators – the same crew who were behind USA's acclaimed but little-seen sci-fi drama The 4400 – intend to do.
With a few months still to go until the opening notes of Lost's swan-song hit the airwaves, these new series – as well as various other sci-fi titles on other networks, most notably Fox and JJ Abrams' Fringe which enjoyed an immensely successful first season and is back for its sophomore run this month – have a sizable, but not infinite, window of opportunity to seize viewers' imaginations and jockey for position as the top genre title on television. It should prove interesting, not to mention exciting for science fiction fans in particular, to sift through the offerings and discover where the first steps into the future of the genre will lead us.
For more information:
FlashForward at ABC.com
V at ABC.com
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