'FlashForward' and 'V' Return: Will They Be Hits or Misses?

When the season began, ABC touted two new programs as potential heirs to the 'Lost' empire. One was a bold re-imagining of the '80s classic alien-invasion saga 'V,' while the other explored a world in which everyone on the planet blacked out at the same time and saw their future.

'FlashForward' started things off with an impressive 12.47 million viewers for its September 2009 premiere, before quickly heading into a ratings tailspin. 'V' was already being retooled prior to its November 2009 premiere, leading ABC to launch with a four-episode mini-season. It kicked off even stronger than 'FlashForward,' with 14.3 million viewers -- the highest for any new series this season -- but managed to lose 5 million by the fourth episode.

Now, they're headed back to TV. 'FlashForward' returns Thu., March 18 at 8PM ET with a two-hour premiere. The following week, 'V' settles permanently into the Tuesday night post-'Lost' slot with its own recap special, 'V: The Arrival,' on March 23 at 10PM ET. The remaining episodes of both series will run in their respective time slots without interruption.

The marketing machine has already begun cranking out promos, and both series have been tweaked. New showrunners and cast members abound, but will it be enough to turn them around?
When the season began, ABC touted two new programs as potential heirs to the 'Lost' empire. One was a bold re-imagining of the '80s classic alien-invasion saga 'V,' while the other explored a world in which everyone on the planet blacked out at the same time and saw their future.

'FlashForward' started things off with an impressive 12.47 million viewers for its September 2009 premiere, before quickly heading into a ratings tailspin. 'V' was already being retooled prior to its November 2009 premiere, leading ABC to launch with a four-episode mini-season. It kicked off even stronger than 'FlashForward,' with 14.3 million viewers -- the highest for any new series this season -- but managed to lose 5 million by the fourth episode.

Now, they're headed back to TV. 'FlashForward' returns Thu., March 18 at 8PM ET with a two-hour premiere. The following week, 'V' settles permanently into the Tuesday night post-'Lost' slot with its own recap special, 'V: The Arrival,' on March 23 at 10PM ET. The remaining episodes of both series will run in their respective time slots without interruption.

The marketing machine has already begun cranking out promos, and both series have been tweaked. New showrunners and cast members abound, but will it be enough to turn them around?

'FlashForward' Past Two Showrunners
ABC had all the confidence in the world in 'FlashForward' when it premiered, quickly picking it up for a full 22-episode season, on Oct. 12. Later that same day, they pushed that order to a whopping 25, though that's been since reduced to 24. Trouble started brewing behind the scenes nine days later, when executive producer and showrunner Marc Guggenheim left the show in co-creator David Goyer's hands after the network expressed disappointment in the writing.

Guggenheim had been called in initially because of Goyer's lack of experience as a showrunner, but ABC was reportedly frustrated with the quality of episodes. Then, less than four months after Guggenheim's departure, the Hollywood Reporter announced that Goyer himself would step down in order to focus more on his feature film career, though he would remain "involved."



"As my feature projects have started ramping up again, I felt I was being pulled in too many directions," Goyer said of his decision. "I'm proud of the show and excited about the relaunch. It's in great hands." Whose hands was not made immediately clear, but it looks like Goyer's wife, Jessika Borsiczky, has taken over top duties, working alongside Lisa Zwerling and Tim Lea.

While the network seemed displeased with the quality of the series under Guggenheim's direction, they appear to have warmed up to the new direction. They've added 'Crossing Jordan''s Ravi Kapoor in a role with ties to Aaron Stark's (Brian F. O'Byrne) search for his daughter in Afghanistan. 'Battlestar Galactica' alum James Callis (Dr. Gaius Baltar) added geek cred to the cast with a role connected to Sonya Walger's Olivia.

'V' Is For Very Broken Production Schedule
On the day of its Nov. 3, 2009, premiere, 'V' replaced its showrunner. Scott Peters stepped down, to be replaced by executive producer Scott Rosenbaum. Production had already been shut down prior to the launch for six weeks of creative retooling. ABC spun the story by telling fans that they'd always intended to air the series in "pod" format.

Since the pilot was well-received by critics, it appears that problems arouse with subsequent episodes. According to CinemaSpy, production was shut down after the third episode, reportedly because ABC was dissatisfied with scripts. After finally getting a fourth episode they were happy with, production was shut down again until January, suggesting a complete overhaul of their approach and strategy to the series.



As the article indicates, it's all well and good to air a series in "pod" or event format, but that doesn't mean it has to be filmed that way. It's far more costly to stop and start series production than it is to film straight through.

With Rosenbaum on board, things are apparently back on track. The network is back to blanketing the airwaves with specialized promos featuring Morena Baccarin as the Visitor's enigmatic leader Anna. They've added some 'Battlestar Galactica' credibility of their own, as reported in the Seattle Post Intelligencer, by casting Michael Trucco (Sam Anders) in the important role of John May, founder of the Visitor resistance movement known as the Fifth Column.

Triumphant Returns?
In an encouraging sign for those fans remaining of both shows, as well as the cast and crews involved, ABC actually seems committed to doing everything they can to make 'V' and 'FlashForward' lasting hits. Commercials and print ads abound, and both shows have recap specials to bring viewers up to speed on what they missed -- much like the annual 'Lost' recap specials we've come to expect.

'V' got an even sweeter reward, as the network has given it the prime spot directly behind the much-hyped final season of 'Lost.' While 'FlashForward' was being groomed more openly as the hoped-for successor to 'Lost,' it may be too similar in tone to the island series. ABC has seen dramas with slight fantasy/sci-fi elements fail in that time slot before; solid shows like 'Life on Mars,' 'Eli Stone' and 'Invasion' failed to become successes in their own right.

There has been speculation through the years that 'Lost' is such a complex series that audiences can't handle two hours of that intensity. But ABC is banking that 'V' can break that trend. With 'Lost' going off the air, fans of that kind of storytelling might find more than just a familiar face in 'V' (especially since series star Elizabeth Mitchell played Juliet on 'Lost').

When last we checked in with the invasion, we'd learned that the beautiful Lisa is the daughter of Anna (Baccarin). The relationship she's developing with Erica's (Mitchell) son Tyler could make things complicated for the resistance, as Anna is very interested in encouraging a physical relationship between her daughter and Tyler. The resistance is coming together, with Erica and Father Landry (Joel Gretsch) joining forces with Visitor turncoat Ryan (Morris Chestnut), who just got the shocking news that his girlfriend (Lourdes Benedicto) is pregnant.

In the final episodes of 'FlashForward' before the break, we learned that it is Mark (Joseph Fiennes) who is supposed to kill Demetri (John Cho) in March 2010. Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) revealed to the world that he and his partner Simon (Dominic Monaghan) were responsible for the blackout, though Simon doesn't believe it. In the end, Lloyd is abducted outside the hospital where Mark's wife Olivia had been caring for his young autistic son. In their respective flashforwards, Lloyd and Olivia were sharing an intimate evening in Olivia's house.



Or, if you'd rather watch it all, you can catch clips and full episodes of both 'FlashForward' and 'V' on SlashControl.