I'll echo the sentiment that recent episodes of FlashForward have been a little disappointing. It started out with a bang but has been limping along a bit as of late. I recall an earlier comment about its potential in treating the free will/destiny question, but at this point it's leaning toward fate as the pieces for some characters' flashforwards seem to fall into place.

I've also wondered about how long such a series could last, once the April 2010 date comes and goes in real life. Perhaps time in the series itself will move more slowly, so that date isn't reached in the first season. I'm not sure how many seasons sorting out the aftermath of the flashforwards will take either.

But then, to be fair, if I'd been watching Lost when it first came on, I might have been skeptical, after the first few episodes, about how long a plane crash series could last - and for the most part later seasons were just as good or better than the beginning.

Speaking of Lost, I'm rewatching parts of season 2. In the episode "Collision," Ana Lucia has a flashback in which she discusses returning to duty with her police captain. The captain's voice (but not her face) was familiar to me, and after a few seconds I realized why - that actress played a nearly identical role (police captain Maria Chavez) in the 1990s series Gargoyles. (Her face was unfamiliar to me since the latter series was animated). It's a small world after all.

The Hollywood Reporter website reports that only 4 episodes of V (of 13 ordered) will air in November before the series goes on hiatus until March 2010 - primarily due to the holidays and then the Winter Olympics. There are rumors that this means it's dead as a series but network and studio sources deny this.

I've only seen an episode or so of Criminal Minds, Val, and liked it, but haven't been disciplined enough to really get into it. Almost all the TV I watch is after the fact (online or on DVD) because I'm often too lazy to 'just do it' when a program actually airs. However, several friends of mine are fans of the show.

That's some bad news regarding V. The network may not consider if dead, but only airing four episodes and then breaking for three months pretty much insures it won't last past the first season.

I also heard that they are going to air a few episodes of Lost in January and then stop for the winter Olympics and then resume in march. And I thought waiting two weeks in between episodes last season was hard! Maybe their doing the same thing with V.

Now, on to ongoing ones. I am a NCIS fan.

Ditto I didn't catch the latest episode (although I heard the plot-line) and it's not up on the CBS website yet, but I can't wait to see it! So far I think the Halloween episode (Truth and Consequences I think it was called) and the Season Premiere were the best. I love the flashbacks to past months in the SP, and Michael Weatherly (Tony) did brilliantly!

Has anyone seen the new USA Original Series "White Collar"? I saw the premiere, but I only caught the end of the last episode.

I recall an earlier comment about its potential in treating the free will/destiny question, but at this point it's leaning toward fate as the pieces for some characters' flashforwards seem to fall into place.

Yes. And I can't help thinking that if they wanted to stop the (bad) futures from occuring, all they have to do is NOT do things...like what's-his-face wearing his daughters bracelet, etc etc. If they really wanted to, they could do something about it. That really bugged me.

NCIS is another show I like to watch, though I don't follow it closely. It makes a nice diversion from time to time, and I like the chemistry between some of the characters.

I never thought about the impact the Olympics might have on series beginning their runs in January (like Lost). And what about 24? It usually runs in a 'non-stop season' - once it starts it runs, weekly, until done, with no pause or reruns. I wonder if the Olympics will impact that?

NCIS is another show I like to watch, though I don't follow it closely. It makes a nice diversion from time to time, and I like the chemistry between some of the characters.

That is definitely part of the reason that I like the show. I'm a mystery buff in some ways so I like it when they throw in twist or turn that keeps you guessing for awhile.

I just finished watching the new V and my initial impression is that it was kind of....mediocre. I guess my opinion is colored by my love of the original miniseries, which in my humble opinion was put together in a more cohesive manner.

Bullet point time!

I have been really looking forward to seeing this as I was a major fan of the original. I'm not totally opposed to a remake if it's done right, but I'm not sure that this one had the forethought and careful planning the original had. V was always something of an allegory for how a fascist state could pop up seemingly overnight in any of the free countries, and I'm hoping that they at least take this tack with it. In some small ways they have.

I don't mean to be a wet sock about the whole thing but I really have been looking forward to this one, and it came across to me as kind of rushed. It's clear that the special effects department worked overtime and it shows as it's the one facet I thought was kind of cool. But in every other department the new V sort of comes down in the score as compared to the original.

PS: In the original V the leader of the Resistance cell in LA was Juliet. In this one its Juliet...er....Erica. Sorry! Had to!

I'll offer agreement to just about all of your points about this new V, Shadowlander. The effects are visually impressive and I like the casting choice of Juliet...Erica

The fascist allegory you mention was one of the things that impressed me - in a creepy, haunting sort of way - about the original series.

I suspect one disadvantage this series started with right away is that the writers realize that the audience - many of which are likely fans of the original - know the real identity of the V's and why they're here. They have to mix it up enough to keep us guessing yet make it familiar enough not to alienate ( ) those who enjoyed the original.

About your spoilered comments:

To sum up, I will definitely tune in next week to see what happens.

I agree with your points Stargazer, but like I said the whole thing feels kind of rushed. They should have done a 2 hour premiere. In fact why not make it a miniseries? This is not the kind of story that lends itself well to starting it off in a series format anyways given that the intended mystery in the story takes some time to unwind, albeit never in a boring fashion. The pacing here is terribly hurried and viewers are expected to believe all of what they're seeing based upon special effects and largely brief character introductions in which we never really get to "know" the people we're sympathising with.

And where the heck is Marc Singer?!?!

I too will be watching next week. The show has potential, I'm just hoping that they give the story the due respect it deserves.

Marc Singer is busy being the Beastmaster. (There's another old series I rather miss, cheesy as it might have been at times).

I'd hoped for a 2-hour pilot as well. I definitely agree with you about this seeming rushed...rather than taking time to develop some points they're throwing them at us. I'd wonder if this could be a consequence of only having 4 episodes to air before its hiatus, except that they were already 'in the can' before this was announced, according to that article I linked earlier.

One effect I thought was very cool was

I LOVED V!!!!!!! It was WAAAAYYYY better than that Flashforward disaster that ABC came up with.

V is exciting, well acted, deep, and it has great special effects. I think V will be LOST's successor.

Anyway, I HATE ANNA!!! She creeps me out. Her smile reminds me of how my science teacher smiles when she gets angry. Also I hated how she manipulated the reporter. Something is definitly wrong with her. I've never seen the original series so don't spoil anything.

I like Elizabeth Mitchell's character in this much better then her role as Juliet. She's more likeable to me I think. I like the conflict between her and her son over the Vs.

*zips lips about the original V*

I'm beginning to agree with you, Josh, about FlashForward. I liked how it started but recent episodes have been something of a disappointment - especially tonight's. Though in its favor one character

I agree that Erica is more likeable than Juliet - but, at least at the beginning of season 3, Juliet is introduced to Jack (and the audience) as an Other, so we're not supposed to like her. (I just began season 3 in my Lost rewatch, so this impression is fresh in my mind).

Up into a few days ago I had no intention of watching V, but Sunday I was flipping through the channels and came across the original miniseries and series on SyFy. I loved both of them. So far I think the original is a lot better, but the eighties series did have the miniseries to introduce the concept and set up a lot of the storylines. So it's still hard to tell if the new V will live up to its predecessor. Also, like a lot of people on this forum, I think the pilot would have been a lot better if it had been two hours. That would have made it felt a lot less rushed.

I have to wait until next year some time to see V (curse you Australia!)
You're saying Erica is much better than Juliette? That's only good news because Juliette was awesome!