"FlashForward" Halts Production To "Boost" Writing — But Is It Too Late?

Variety is reporting that ABC's "Lost" wannabe "FlashForward" has temporatiry shut down production, with the network proclaiming it's to "boost the writing." And if ever a show's writing was in need of a boost, it's this one.

I thought the "FlashForward" pilot was one of the best I'd ever seen. Taking place after the entire population of the world simultaneously blacked out while experiencing visions of their respective futures, the show looked like it did indeed have the potential to become another "Lost." I wanted to see more.

But after watching week after week, I couldn't overcome the numbing sameness of each episode: Joseph Fiennes' FBI agent finds a clue, investigates, encounters bad guys while doing so, gets in a gunfight, inadvertantly kills the person who could offer answers, then finds another clue. Rinse and repeat. I've got two episodes sitting on my DVR that I'm not all that anxious to watch — never a good sign.

The shutdown, explains an ABC spokesman, comes because "they want to maintain the high quality of the show, and this gives the writers the opportunity to do so."

Whether this happens remains to be seen, but I hope they're able to fix this show — and fast — if they want to grab back what little of my attention is left before it wanders away completely.