Flash Forward

[Civet]

It seems autistic characters are starting to pop up everywhere on TV nowadays. I've been marginally watching the TV series Flash Forward (I like to have TV going while I work on art and that is how I have been viewing this program). It is an all right show. The son of one of the secondary characters is autistic. I think they've actually done an all right job with his character, as he is not the stereotypical nonverbal flailing, screaming, headbanging autistic child character. I think they are a little inconsistent with his level of functioning, though I'm sure stressors in his situation also contribute to the character's behavior as well. Anyway, he is a little boy who has an interest in magic tricks. At times he is withdrawn and pedantic and has some repetitive speech but also talks more spontaneously. He's generally pretty quiet and sweet, though he can be very stubborn. There was an episode that featured him a bit more heavily a few weeks ago called "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps" (Halloween episode).

[goddessoflubbock]

What network is that on? I've never heard of it.

[SomethingElse]

I've heard of it (I think my parents may have been watching it recently, not sure if they still do) but didn't know about the autistic boy in it.

[Civet]

Goddess, it is on ABC, it looks like it airs on Thursday nights. I have been watching it on Hulu.
http://www.hulu.com/flash-forward

Benji- the autistic boy, Dylan, is not really a main character, so maybe that is why they haven't mentioned or seen him. He's in certain episodes more than others.

The premise of the show is pretty interesting, in an unexplained occurrence the entire world blacks out at the same time, and during the blackout everyone sees themselves on a particular day 6 months in the future. I've heard it is based on a sci-fi story, only in the original version the amount of time is much greater, something more like 10 or 20 years in the future.

The show itself becomes more of a puzzle/crime drama as the main character is a cop on the task force working to uncover the cause of the blackout. The acting is.. eh.. not that great and some of the story is kind of weird, but as I said it's an "all right" show.

The autistic character is first a patient of the cop's wife (she is an ER doctor), and it's revealed quickly that the boy's father has more ties into the wife's story, and possibly the story on a whole.

[goddessoflubbock]

Naturally after I posted I put tv on to watch "the forgotten" and lo and behold there was an advert for the show. I'll try to catch it Thursday night.

[Civet]

Did you end up watching it?

[goddessoflubbock]

I did not. It was DS's bday, by the time we did his special dinner, cake, and presents, I had missed it.

This Thursday night is DD's Christmas concert, so I'm shooting for the 17th!!

[Civet]

Actually it looks like the show is "on hiatus" until March, now! You can still watch it on hulu.com if you are interested, I think they put all the episodes up for now. I'm kind of disappointed as it looked like the story might be taking a direction where the autistic character would be around more. He's really only a side character.