ABC Adds SciFi Shows to Fall Schedule

Thanks to the power of the Internet, I got to do something today that I always wanted to do — I got to sit in on the ABC Upfronts presentation. While not as star-studded as these events were in the past, they did offer up several lengthy clips of their new TV shows are I found a couple to be excited about.

Coming up in the fall are Flash Forward and Eastwick.

They showed the first act of Flash Forward and though it was very compelling it was also very confusing and it didn’t give me a good feel for how the plot will be handled on a week to week basis. The show begins with a man crawling out of a flipped car only to find that the Los Angeles freeway is one massive car accident. In a scene that is reminiscent of 70’s disaster flicks, we see people on fire, trucks exploding, and a whole host of walking wounded and no clue as to how we got here. Apparently a “mysterious event” has caused the entire world to black out for a length of time and humanity is given a glimpse of 2 minutes and 17 seconds of where they’ll be six months in the future. From here the show becomes a study in whether or not we’re stuck with our destinies or whether we can make a change.

It comes to us from David S. Goyer (“Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”) and Brannon Braga (“24,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and it stars Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Sonya Walger, Courtney B. Vance as Stan Wedeck, Christine Woods, and many more people. Genevieve Cortese, Ruby from Supernatural is also in the show but I only saw a photo of her in the clip. She appears to be the “dead daughter” of one of the characters, so I’m guessing that must be what happens in the future for this guy and we have to experience how he gets there. The whole thing feels like Lost meets The Nine and I have my doubts that it will fly.

Eastwick is the TV version of The Witches of Eastwick and it has a very similar feel. Three very different women, Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Jaime Ray Newman find themselves drawn together by a magical man who helps them develop the powers they have inside each of them. It’s cute and sexy, kind of a Desperate Housewives meets Charmed. The promo played over the song, “Bad Things” and that really sets the tone.  And hey, the pilot was directed by the can’t-miss-kid David Nutter so I expect to see this one hanging around for awhile.

Flash Forward will air Thursdays at 8:00 and Eastwick on Wednesday at 10:00.

Next up, ABC’s cool midseason shows V and Happy Town.