Associated Content
Published May 14, 2010 by:
Robert Dougherty

Flashforward cancelled rumors were quite persistent all spring. The Flashforward cancelled outcome looked likely, given the free falling ratings ever since its premiere. However, since it was doing better overseas, some thought it had a good shot to return and cause more blackouts. But in America, the audience was shrinking and shrinking, as hopes were fading for the show to become the new Lost. Now that experiment is over, with Flashforward cancelled after just one year – which none of its infamous blackouts could foresee.

The Thursday night show premiered with a lot of promise, as the premise of the whole world seeing six months into the future intrigued many. But these days, no show other than Lost has been able to follow through on a big mystery premise. The problem wasn’t an inability to provide answers, but that less and less people cared about the endless “destiny vs. free will” debates, or the people having them.

Now with Flashforward cancelled, the Season 1 finale on May 27 will serve as the end of the show. Since the show should definitively answer if everyone’s visions come true on April 29 – and if another blackout will come afterward – there may indeed be nowhere to go after that. However, if the episode does have teasers for a Season 2, they will forever go unanswered.

Once again, ABC failed to develop the next Lost, as they had to give up just before Lost ended. With Flashforward cancelled, it may be another cautionary tale of how mystery shows are harder to make work than they look, if that’s possible.

But although Flashforward is cancelled, the network still has hopes for other mystery programs. V was their second shot at developing a new Lost, although it too met with mixed reviews and backlash after the pilot. However, they have enough faith in this sci-fi remake to give it a second season, unlike Flashforward.

Although V escaped the chopping block, others joined Flashforward in being cancelled. Scrubs’ one-year stint on ABC is over, while the critically acclaimed but low rated Better Off Ted was fired, and the short-lived Monday night comedy Romantically Challenged was let go.

With ABC’s decisions, the final cuts for fall 2010 are now under way, as shows find out if they still have a future, or have to close up shop. As one TV season ends with a slew of big finales, another is just on the horizon.

Since Flashforward is cancelled, it won’t have to see anything else on the horizon anymore – even though that was the show’s whole premise. This leaves just two episodes left for the season and series on May 20 and 27.