Worth Watching?: Caprica and FlashForward

[DrEvil]

I have a six-month old daughter that I enjoy giving all my time to, so TV time has become a sparse commodity for the past few months and will continue to be a rare time for me. I keep up with shows like Lost, Big Bang, The Office, etc. but I've DVR'd the entire 9-episode run of Caprica and all of the episodes so far of FlashForward, and now wondering what to do with them as I have single-digits of space remaining on the DVR.

I watched the pilot of Caprica and was intrigued enough (after HATING the last half hour of the BSG finale to the point that it casts a pall on the rest of the series now for me) to keep going, but I've heard nothing really outstanding about the series. From the reviews I've read and what people have told me, not much has really advanced story-wise since the end of the pilot. Someone told me it inches along slower than a soap opera. I asked WHY I should be watching over in the BSG/Caprica area, but nobody answered. And when you read a review that starts out "this show is great, everyone should be watching" and then immediately goes into pages of criticism over how slow it is, how bad half the plot points are, etc. it doesn't give me much reason to watch.

As for FlashForward, I saw the first 3 episodes of this and was also intrigued, but have been told I didn't get to the drop-off point and that things plod along after that. Plus it has the extra negative of looking like it won't get renewed (which would make my decision easy..COME ON ABC, make a decision soon!).

Are either of these shows worth watching? Once I get more than 3-4 episodes DVR'd, the whole series usually goes into the Black Hole of Deletion because I don't want to play catch-up (Fringe went this way after I had 10 episodes DVR'd first-season).

 

[Trek4Ever]

You should've kept Fringe LOL. I understand your plight with newborn kids taking up TV watching time so picking what to watch becomes pretty important.

Between the two shows you mentioned, I would go with Caprica. It's not the greatest but gets more interesting as the show progresses plus Skiffy already picked it up for another season so you won't feel as if your time has been wasted for a mediocre show that will be cancelled.

I already dropped Flashforward because it was so uninvolving and I found I couldn't give two squats about any of the characters. And more importantly based on the most recent ratings I really doubt ABC will renew this and so if I'm not into the show at this point I don't care how it progresses if it's going to be cancelled. Frankly, I give shows about five episodes to hook me in, I used to be more lenient but with time being so limited and the amount of stuff out there to watch I had to be more stringent.

 

[startrekwatcher]

Caprica in my opinion isn't worth your time--too many bland characters, poor pacing, less than compelling storylines. It is obviously trying to be a distillation of all the popular dramas--both contemporary and from the past--but is failing to capture what made those shows work. A lot of the show treads on well worn sci-fi staples--so nothing new there really. Only thing going for it are outstanding production values and VFX. Easy pass.

Flash Forward I would give a guarded recommendation. It was obviously designed to be a successor to LOST but is a pale imitation. It actually started out pretty well but a few episodes in it got boring--the characters weren't that interesting, the conspiracy/mystery-related stuff was slightly more unfortunately it took a backseat to th character "drama". Clearly they were dragging it out too early on. Then they took a hiatus to do a bit of retooling and came back with a 2 hour relaunch--I wasn't impressed--however after that while the characters aren't great they are more enjoyable to watch than before and the wisest course of action they did was quite diddling with the arcs and added urgency by putting the mythology stuff front and center now which definitely helps to compensate for any character shortcomings.

And since FF is probably only going to run one season I think it is worth a look--afterall these days a lot of shows' quality drops off after their freshman year any way--hello Heroes--so I just consider FF an extended mini-series.

 

[JD]

I really like both episodes, but I'd say go with Caprica. I loved every moment of the show. It is defintely more of a character drama that happens to take place in a sci-fi setting, but I find most of the characters interesting. I also thought it did introduce some interesting sci-fi concepts.

I liked Flashforward too, but I just found Caprica alot more interesting.

 

[Dac]

I watch both, but Caprica is certainly far more interesting and ultimately better. It's been mentioned before, but all of the characters on Flash Forward are either assholes or their boring as sin. On the flip side of that, nearly all of the characters on Caprica are also assholes, but they're fun assholes to watch.

 

[startrekwatcher]

I watch both, but Caprica is certainly far more interesting and ultimately better. It's been mentioned before, but all of the characters on Flash Forward are either assholes or their boring as sin. On the flip side of that, nearly all of the characters on Caprica are also assholes, but they're fun assholes to watch.

Really? Sister Clarice? Barnabus? Adama? Amanda? I think Caprica has one of the blandest cast of characters I've seen in quite some time. Zoe is about the only lively one among them the rest they could ditch and it wouldn't hurt the show.

 

[stj]

Brannon Braga's name is in FlashForward's credits, while Ron D. Moore's name is in the Caprica credits. Most opinions of the two shows is based on that.

 

[OmahaStar]

Well, for me it's like this ... Caprica sucks out loud. There's nothing to like in the series. It's boring, it plods along with unlikeable characters in situations we couldn't possibly care about, and what tiny connections it has with BSG are superficial at best. That's what happens when the network takes a plot for another pitched series and tries to make it fit as a prequel.

As for Flashforward, the show is on its third or fourth executive producer / show-runner. The first ten episodes were decent, though there are a few bad episodes in there. There's a break and they've come back with the third show-runner (is Braga 3 or 4 now?), and ... it's kind of like the novel Scarlett, the sequel to Gone With the Wind. What I mean is that you'll go for episode after episode after episode of "fluff" (meaningless, no connection to the main story), have thirty seconds of actual plot, and then three more hours of fluff.

When you are making a conscious decision on whether to watch your child or watch television, it should be great, or at least good, tv. Neither of these gives you that option at this point.

 

[Harvey]

Brannon Braga's name is in FlashForward's credits, while Ron D. Moore's name is in the Caprica credits. Most opinions of the two shows is based on that.

And take no heed of such opinions. Braga only worked on the FlashForward pilot, leaving before the series order to go back to work on 24.

Likewise, Ronald D. Moore is not the showrunner of Caprica. His only contribution since co-writing the pilot has been the directing duties of a single episode.

Personally, I haven't seen FlashForward, so I can't comment on the series except to note that ratings have declining at such a rate that cancellation is very likely.

I like Caprica, but it's been taking time to establish itself as a series, longer than Battlestar Galactica took. There has been some talk about a renewal for a second season , but nothing definite as of yet. It won't be returning from the mid-season finale until the fall. We'll likely know if it is to be renewed before then.

 

[1001001]

I did the same thing with Caprica. Tivo'd all nine episodes, then watched them all over a two day period (just last week). I certainly thought it was worth it. It's kinda uneven, but overall I enjoyed it.

I've been watching Flash Forward since the beginning. I enjoy it as well.

I'd say watch them both.

 

[stj]

And take no heed of such opinions. Braga only worked on the FlashForward pilot, leaving before the series order to go back to work on 24.

Likewise, Ronald D. Moore is not the showrunner of Caprica. His only contribution since co-writing the pilot has been the directing duties of a single episode.

Completely correct.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I watched the first few episodes of Flash Forward and found myself completely incapable of devoting any more time to it. I've watched all of Caprica thus far and, as inconsistent as it has been, feel like it's a better overall series. If you've seen all of nuBSG, then I'd say investing time in Caprica is more valuable than investing time in Flash Forward which, to me, is an utter waste of time.

 

[D Man]

I think Caprica is a terrific show with numerous fascinating elements. Many have complained about the pacing, but I've really enjoyed how the show has been fitting together. There's a dull storyline here and there, but they never overwhelm all the other compelling ideas happening. Great acting, too. Around the TrekBBS I'd probably call this a minority opinion, but it's not canceled yet, so I'll keep watching. I think it's building to something awesome, and the slow burn is working great for the show. It just has a really cool "feel," too, like you're in the 50s, but with awesome tech everywhere.

I'm intrigued by FlashForward's premise, but I haven't had the time to get into it yet (same with V...I guess this year is ABC's final attempt to replace Lost with some new sci-fi stuff.) I'll keep watching this thread to check out more of what you guys think.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

GO BACK TO FRINGE!
Seriously! The last episode shown was one of the best episodes, not just of the series, but of television period!

As for the other two, I enjoy Flash Forward and have enjoyed almost all of the episodes shown. Yeah, sometimes plot revelations are slow, but I'm not an impatient two year old, that's fine with me.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Caprica

Good points: several solid actors, great production values, REAL sci fi (a true rarity on TV) that explores "what it means to be human" (which BSG talked about, but never actually tackled), not like anything else on TV. Probably will be renewed for another season.

Bad points: plotline is slow and the point is not immediately obvious; not a lot of thrills; several of the major characters seem pretty pointless or annoying so far.

You'll like Caprica if you're hungry for anything original on TV, especially actual sci fi as opposed to sci fi elements being used as window dressing for an action series or a cop series, which is what sci fi on TV mostly is, and don't mind being patient with a slowly evolving plotline.

FlashForward

Good points: several solid actors, a premise that hasn't been done to death.

Bad points: the way they're doing it, the premise really makes no sense; the characters are behaving stupidly; only a few characters are interesting enough to bother following; too many standard TV show cliches of the doctor/cop/conspiracy veins; likely to be cancelled this season.

You'll like FlashForward if, err...if you can't get enough of wacky conspiracy sci fi-ish shows and are not a stickler about logic.

Brannon Braga's name is in FlashForward's credits, while Ron D. Moore's name is in the Caprica credits. Most opinions of the two shows is based on that.

Until you'd reminded me, I'd forgotten all about that. But coincidentally enough, the respective shows do have a bit of their originators' DNA. Moore's stuff is original but self-indulgent and at times just plain old boring; Braga's stuff is shallow and cliched. Name yer poison.

 

[startrekwatcher]

As for the other two, I enjoy Flash Forward and have enjoyed almost all of the episodes shown. Yeah, sometimes plot revelations are slow, but I'm not an impatient two year old, that's fine with me.

I'm sorry but everytime I read someone using the argument that people like myself are impatient because plot revelations aren't immediately forthcoming I simply have to laugh because it is so absurd.

I don't know about anyone else but the slow burn isn't my problem. If I needed payoff instantly I would never have been a soap opera fan where stories span years. I most certainly wouldn't have stuck with LOST--a show that is the ultimate crucible in weeding out the patient from the hyperactive viewer. That show drags out things like no other series in tv history. So no the pace of revelation in a show like FF isn't the issue. The issue is the writers need to make the set-up and stuff in between compelling and involving. LOST and season one of Heroes understood this.

The key to make the build-up interesting and entertaining to viewers and to make them anxious for the next installment.. LOST succeeds despite delayed payoff because it makes the most of every single one of its episodes by keeping us interested in all the myriad of other things they are doing such as either peeling away layers, providing interesting revelations, introducing new mysteries, providing answers, testing new interesting character pairings/dynamics and advancing the plot. The shows that don't do this cause viewers to quickly lose interest. You can put off payoff but you just can't diddle around with boring filler or lacking characters expecting your viewers to stick around in the creative vacuum and that was what hurt FF.

 

[Alex1939]

I watched the pilot of Caprica and was intrigued enough (after HATING the last half hour of the BSG finale to the point that it casts a pall on the rest of the series now for me) to keep going, but I've heard nothing really outstanding about the series.

As for FlashForward, I saw the first 3 episodes of this and was also intrigued, but have been told I didn't get to the drop-off point and that things plod along after that.

Caprica.

Particularly if you are looking for something more sci-fi. I find knowing that Caprica is headed for the ultimate downfall and how they get there interesting. And to see the morality of its citizens regarding their use of technology as an interesting potential mirror of where our society is headed morally with our technological advances.


FlashForward seemed all too often like a cop procedural to me. It doesn't help that I had ZERO interest in any of the characters. I dropped this show after the break, I don't know what changes have been made, and I have zero desire to find out.

 

[bigdaddy]

No and No and you should watch Fringe.

Caprica is a boring useless show, and NONE of the characters you can ever care about. FlashForward I hope is smart enough to explain things because it's screwed. The main character is just"ehh...". Both shows have the same proble, just no reason to care baout the characters or what they are gonig throguh.

 

[DrEvil]

Well, based on all the replies I think I'm just going to delete both shows from the DVR, maybe catch them on Hulu at some point if I'm bored at work :-) Neither one seems to inspire great viewer loyalty.

Caprica seems like the better choice of the two, but once again even the good reviews aren't really that great and don't make me want to run out and watch it. A show could have terrible actors, terrible production values, models hanging on a string, and I would still watch it if the story was good enough...just having good production values doesn't seem to be enough of a lure.

 

[D Man]

Well, based on all the replies I think I'm just going to delete both shows from the DVR, maybe catch them on Hulu at some point if I'm bored at work :-) Neither one seems to inspire great viewer loyalty.

Caprica seems like the better choice of the two, but once again even the good reviews aren't really that great and don't make me want to run out and watch it. A show could have terrible actors, terrible production values, models hanging on a string, and I would still watch it if the story was good enough...just having good production values doesn't seem to be enough of a lure.

The story IS good enough, it has great actors and great production values, and no strings . I say give it a shot, you'll know if you like the pacing within an episode or two.