ABC Has A Quick Flash of FLASH FORWARD; The First 17 Minutes Now Online

ABC has just posted its first look at a new series created by “The Dark Knight” scribe David S. Goyer. The new show “Flash Forward” takes place in a reality where every individual in the entire world has seen a glimpse of his or her future, and the predictions aren’t pretty. Check out the first 17 minutes for yourself, and catch my thoughts on the preview, after the jump.

Whether you agree with all of ABC’s programming choices or not, the lengths of their series are a testament to the kind of writing they put on the air. Fans may argue the merits of shows like “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives”, but executives surely don’t–not with the kind of money they rake in.

And from even just a brief glimpse, it’s easy to see that “Flash Forward” is being bred to be one of those shows. Specifically “Lost.” The pilot, aptly titled “No More Good Days,” looks strikingly similar to “Lost”‘s pilot episode. There is a disaster. People are afraid. Things continue to crash/explode/erupt after the initial accident (an exploding vehicle may remind fans of a certain combusted plane engine, as it did myself). Heck, there’s even a stray polar bear! Wait, did I say polar bear? I meant kangaroo.

But I don’t want this to sound like a write-off. From just the first 17 minutes, I can already tell this show has a quality to it that “Lost” always lacked for me. I see some real foresight here, and I trust Goyer in ways I don’t trust Abrams, bless both their souls. Instead of mismatched clues compounding to confound the audience, “Flash Forward” looks like it has some real direction and real goals. I’m excited to see where the season is headed.

I think a lot of the faces in this show will be unfamiliar to audiences as well. They certainly were for me, save for comedic relief sidekick John Cho who people will remember as Harold from “Harold and Kumar”–or maybe, given our readers, Sulu from “Star Trek.” And using unknowns is no bad thing. A powerhouse like ABC can really make some careers with this one, or rekindle careers as they’ve done in the past with “Desperate Housewives.”

I, for one, know I’ll be watching the pilot when it premieres next Thursday, 9/24. And I’ll probably watch the week following. And the week after that. And many weeks to come, until I’m a trapped fanboy of yet another franchise. I can’t wait!