FlashForward

Yes, I know FlashForward was canceled. The last of its' 22 episodes aired last Thursday (5/27/10). But why did this show get the axe? And why won't another network pick it up? Here's why...

It basically boils down to ratings and staying power. FlashForward started out strong, pulling in close to 15 million viewers at the beginning of the season (Fall 2009). But after an almost three month break, viewers must have forgotten about the show. The finale, "Future Shock," only had about 4 million people watching it. That's ten million people who stopped watching. Ouch.

But here's why I think all those people stopped watching: no staying power. There were weeks that FlashForward stayed on my DVR until a friend insisted that I watched. "Just wait to see what happens with [this or that character]." That's what got me watching again... and then I remembered why I liked the show. But the show could be forgettable. I'm not sure if there were just too many characters (I counted a total of 14 story lines, not including the foundational investigation of the flashforwards), or if the writers didn't do a good job of leaving mysteries on the forefront of the the series. A little less of one and more of the other may have balanced things out, and possibly could have given FlashForward a future.

So ratings and staying power: those are the reasons FlashForward probably won't find another network to pick it up. Sometimes a series gets lucky and finds another home; remember Southland? NBC canceled Southland, and TNT picked it up. But the difference between Southland and FlashForward are those two essentials: ratings and staying power. Southland had buzz around it, people were tuning in... not so for FlashForward. Remember those ten million people that stopped watching? Yeah, so do those other networks. Sorry FlashForward, insert lame joke about not seeing this happening in your future...