That said, the business we affectionally like to refer to as show has a penchant for surprising us. Which is why we’re here today giving one lucky reader the opportunity to win FLASHFORWARD: THE COMPLETE SERIES on DVD. The operative word here being “Complete.”

For your chance to win, simply post away in the comments below with your theory as to where FLASHFORWARD went wrong. One lucky entrant will be picked at random and notified via email on September 7, 2010, so please be sure to enter with a valid email address. Not a winner? FLASHFORWARD: THE COMPLETE SERIES is now available on Amazon for only $41.00.

Good News: Elisha Cuthbert has signed on to an ABC comedy pilot. Bad News: Titled HAPPY ENDINGS. Seriously. Most inappropriate title EVER! [Source]

Good News: Joseph Fiennes and his wife, Swiss model Maria Dolores Dieguez, welcomed their first child, a daughter born on Monday. Bad News: We predict that Fiennes will soon have a lot of free time on his hands to play daddy as we flashforward to FLASHFORWARD’s cancelation. [Source]

Good News: JJ Abrams reaffirms his status as visionary, having predicted the iPad all the way back in 1999. Bad News: Video evidence of said genius will require you to re-live one of television’s most horrific blunders ever. Seriously. [Video]

Good News: AMERICAN IDOL alum Chikezie Eze is back making headlines. Bad News: After being accused by the Beverly HIlls Police Department of Identity Theft. [Source]

It doesn’t take a cataclysmic event to flash forward to where this TV Addict will be tonight at 8PM. Planted firmly on our couch watching ABC’s FLASHFORWARD: a meticulously paced, mythology-laden series that has quietly emerged as one of our favourite new shows of the fall. And a big reason for that is the subject of our latest interview, Sonya Walger.

Not only does Walger’s Dr. Olivia Benford currently find herself caught in the center of a bizarre love triangle with current husband FBI Agent Mark Benford, and the mysterious Lloyd Simcoe with whom she very intimately shared her flash forward with. She was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to talk to us about her character’s pivotal role in tonight’s episode.

Last week had your character receiving a very interesting text message alluding to the fact that your husband (played by Shakespeare in Love’s Joseph Fiennes) still has a drinking problem. Are we going to find out tonight who sent Olivia that text message?
Sonya Walger: No, and I still don’t know who sent it.

Is it more of a challenge acting on a show when you really aren’t sure what’s in store for your character?
I really enjoy it. In truth, I thought it would be a much bigger challenge than it turned out to be. But it ends up being really interesting and keeps you very present because it’s all you’ve got to work with.

Tonight’s episode seems to be a rather big one for your character. What can fans expect?
A big confrontation between Olivia, Mark and Lloyd [Simcoe]. But the route that brings you to the confrontation is not an expected one. The collision really is so unexpected and great to watch.

Will Olivia be confronting Mark about the text message she received?
Oh yes. Olivia is not one to keep her mouth shut for very long.

[Editor's Note: Here's where we find out just how similar Walger is to her character…] Last week Marc Guggenheim made headlines by exiting FLASHFORWARD. Did the move come as a surprise to you?
The real issue with David [Co-creator/Executive Producer David Goyer] was that in spite of his massive success in film, he had very little experience in television. So Marc was always going to be there to guide David through the early days of setting up a TV show. And now that that’s done, David can manage the show on his own.

Will the change in leadership have any affect on the show’s tone?
Oh no, not at all. Marc was there to guide David. The show is very much David’s baby.

And speaking of babies, your character Penny on LOST named their son Charlie, while your FLASHFORWARD offspring is also named Charlie! Coincidence?
It’s funny you ask that because that was just recently pointed out to me. Honestly, I hadn’t noticed, but knowing David [Goyer], there probably was an inside joke going on, he’s a big LOST fan.

And since you brought it up, is there any chance we’re going to see Penny in LOST’s upcoming final season?
Unfortunately, I have no idea. Odds are you’ll probably find out before I do.

Do you at the very least get scenes with Dominic Monaghan on FLASHFORWARD?
I have now, yes. Benford

Actor John Cho is a man of few words. Particularly when it comes to talking about what his FLASHFORWARD character Demetri Noh may-or-may-not have seen during a two-minute, 17-second global blackout.

Oh, sure he has theories, “Very strong ones,” promises the actor. He’s just not about to share them with certain inquisitive members of the media. Something that frankly, we’re okay with. After-all, half the fun of the new hit ABC series is guessing what showrunners David Goyer (THE DARK KNIGHT) and Brannon Braga (24) have up their sleeve next. Which, coincidentally enough is exactly what attracted Cho to a gruelling regular series gig fresh off his most high-profile role to date as Lt. Hikaru Sulu in J.J. Abrams successful STAR TREK re-boot.

“I read the pilot and really was hooked by page five, FLASHFORWARD was such a special piece of writing,” explained Cho. “David Goyer was a person I had wanted to work with for a long time, and after meeting with producers David and Brannon, I just felt very secure in the hands of these storytellers.”

Far less secure, is his characters future.

“I don’t know what happens next, none of us do,” swears Cho. “In fact, David [Goyer] has actually taken it one step further and my understanding is that he actually gives out misinformation to the actors.”

Lucky for fans, what Cho will confirm is that they’re not messing around.

“What’s been impressive for me, having shot nine episodes is not just how much is being revealed but how much the writers are advancing the storyline,” promises Cho. “Answers are not something we’re going to keep from fans.”

Well, except for the deal with that Kangaroo that showed up in the pilot.

Chuckles the actor, “I know you will see the kangaroo again. But no, I do not know why there was a kangaroo!”

The GOOD WIFE
Now, stop us if you’ve heard this one before. A public figure gets caught in a very-public scandal and must defend himself while his mortified/humiliated wife graciously stands by his side. Of course, what you probably haven’t heard — after the cameras, nosey reporters and the invitations to guest co-host THE VIEW quiet down— is what happens next. Which is where the titular wife (played to pitch perfect perfection by ER vet Julianna Marguilies) comes in. Will Marguilies’ Alicia Florrick be able to navigate the complexities of work and family while husband Peter (Chris Noth) serves time in the crowbar salon? It certainly will be fun to watch, especially thanks to some of Mrs. Florrick’s new co-workers who include Matt Czuchry (GILMORE GIRLS), Josh Charles (SPORTS NIGHT) and the always entertaining Christine Baranski (CYBILL). THE GOOD WIFE premieres on Tuesday September 22nd at 10PM on CBS, GlobalTV in Canada

FLASHFORWARD
Why does the entire world black out for precisely two minutes and thirty-three seconds, leaving some (including stars Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Sonya Walger among others) with glimpses into a perilous and possibly terrifying future event that will occur on April 19, 2010. Yeah… we have no idea. But what we do know is that thanks to a phenomenal pilot and a final scene that will have you wishing you could flash forward to next week’s episode, ABC execs can breath a deep sigh of relief, having officially found the next big series everybody will be talking about. FLASH FORWARD premieres on Thursday September 24th at 8PM on ABC

GLEE
Since there is really nothing left to say that hasn’t already been said about the most entertaining and original new show of the fall, we’ll simply say this. Thank God GLEE returns this week with a brand new episode, because we’re fairly certain that our iPhone just took over our twitter account and announced that it was going on strike until we started playing other songs outside of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Gold Digger,” and “Rehab.” (Update since Wednesday’s episode: Our iPhone is getting pretty tired of Lea Michele’s incredible cover of “Take a Bow” as well! How long until next Wednesday?) GLEE airs on Wednesdays at 9PM on FOX, GlobalTV in Canada

MELROSE PLACE
Prostitution, Infidelity, blackmail, capped off with a dead body floating in the pool. Not too much has changed withinLos Angeles’ now iconic 4616 Melrose Place. And luckily for TV addicts, that’s exactly how we like it. Of course it’s one thing to take a trip down mystery lane with a splashy premiere of a nostalgic favorite, but another thing entirely to sign a one year lease (Or a TiVo Season’s Pass as the case may be.) Especially when the big mystery — one even more pressing than who killed Sydney Andrews — still remains: Can producers Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin maintain the perfect balance of flirtatious fun and film noir that they set up in the premiere? Or will fans soon be wishing to see their bodies floating in the pool as another TV show from our youth is raped and pillaged for profit. Stay tuned… MELROSE PLACE airs on Tuesdays at 9PM on the CW, Wednesdays at 10PM on GlobalTV in Canada

V
This fall earth will be invaded by some eerily familiar aliens when ABC re-imagines the 80′s cult classic ‘V.’ But before you cry foul (or, “Hey Hollywood, would an original idea or two really kill you?) we’ve got some good news. Namely — LOST’s Elizabeth Mitchell, EVERWOOD’s Scott Wolf, THE 4400′s Joel Gretsch and FIREFLY’s Alan Tudyk — all of whom will be fighting for our future in this surprisingly solid re-boot that features a very welcome combination of some of the best small screen special effects in recent memory and a multitude of exciting story-lines that will pretty much guarantee fans will be saying, “take me to your leader.” (Which probably shouldn’t come as a surprise when the leader is FIREFLY’s Monica Baccarin) V premieres on Tuesday November 3rd at 8PM

Question: For quite some time now you’ve been kind enough to provide your fellow TV Addicts with an incredibly useful calendar highlighting the month’s big TV events. Seriously, my cubicle at work is practically wallpapered with them and I really can’t thank you enough for your hard work. The only problem is that you totally dropped the ball when it came to August. Please explain yourself? — HookedonTVA
The TV Addict: Truthfully, the TV Addict was on strike. And by that I mean, if the networks aren’t going to bother to program quality television in August, I certainly am not going to take time away from my FREAKS AND GEEKS marathon busy schedule to help promote the return of MILLIONAIRE on ABC. Plus, between Comic Con, my much-deserved vacation and the Television Critics Association Press Tour, I simply ran out of time. That said — here in a nutshell is everything you need to know for August: MONK and PSYCH returned to USA on August 7, MAD MEN returns to AMC on August 16, PROJECT RUNWAY makes it’s Lifetime premiere on August 20, TOP CHEF returns to Bravo on August 19, while GREEK picks up exactly where it left off on ABC Family on August 31.

Question: GMMR has got me totally hooked on GREEK. Got any spoilers? — Cappietastic
The TV Addict: Are you sitting down? Because I’m about to drop an honest-to-goodness GREEK game-changer on you. A spoiler so big, it may-or-may-not rock Greek row forever. Ready for it? When the hit ABC Family series returns from hiatus on August 31 [Please take a moment to ensure that there are no spill-able liquids within your computer's proximity!] expect to see hear a proposal from a series regular.

Question: Loved your sneak peek at FRINGE’s second season premiere, but found myself wondering as to why it was completely William Bell free? — TheOtherSider
The TV Addict: Unfortunately, there is a very good reason that my little tease was completely William Bell free —because that’s exactly what the episode was. Leonard Nimoy was MIA. That said, FRINGE executive producer Jeff Pinkner did confirm at last week’s TCA panel for the show that Nimoy has already filmed one episode for season two and “is welcome back as much as he wants.”

Question: Since you missed the boat on an August TV Calendar, can you at least let us know when we can we expect to see one for September? With the new fall season just around the corner, it’s somewhat of a big deal, No?
The TV Addict: Does October work for you? But seriously folks, I assure you that I’m already strategizing ways in which I’ll be able to fit 423 season premieres on one page of 8.5 x 11″ paper. Stay tuned.

Question: As much as I’m loving the previews for V, I’m really hoping the new series won’t preclude Elizabeth Mitchell from returning to LOST. Heard anything as to when we can expect to see Juliet again? — JulietismyConstant
The TV Addict: Lucky for LOST fans, the producers of V are with you. And by ‘with you’ I mean huge fans of the the series as well. Which is why Mitchell was able to confirm at Saturday’s TCA panel for her new ABC series V that she will be heading back to Hawaii, possibly more than once. “I will be back on LOST,” teased the actress. “I can’t say whether I’m dead or not and as with all things on LOST, it will be fairly tricky.”

Question: Over the weekend, Nathan Fillion tweeted a first look at the Richard Castle manuscript for his upcoming thriller Heat Wave. I understand you were on the set. Got any scoop? — OhCaptainMyCaptainMal
The TV Addict: Taking a page from Richard Castle’s on-screen sleuthing abilities, your very own TV Addict did in fact use his spy camera iPhone to snag this exclusive photo (above) of Castle’s new book. Which, by the way will be hitting shelves on September 29th. Can’t wait that long? Click here to download the first chapter for free.

I couldn’t help but notice that you had the chance to catch FASTFORWARD over the weekend, is it all it’s cracked up to be? And more to the point, do we have ourselves a frontrunner for a LOST replacement come next season? — FFFanatic
The TV Addict: Indeed you do, and in more ways than one. Not only is the David S. Goyer  (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) produced FLASHFORWARD a top notch production across the board. Like LOST, it offers up a ridiculously good looking cast (including Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, John Cho among others) — who through glimpses into the future must piece together what happened to them after the world blacks our for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, characters you’ll very quickly become emotionally invested in, and most importantly, an ending that will have you wishing you could flash forward to next week’s episode. Not to mention, continued employment for LOST alum Dominic Monaghan, who will be joining the cast in what the actor promises to be a drastically different character than Charlie.

With FOX premiering THE CLEVELAND HOW, how long until the inevitable FAMILY GUY crossover? — FamilyGuyFan42
The TV Addict: Although the production team promises that they’re trying to keep the two shows somewhat separate, Seth MacFarlane did concede at last week’s TCA event highlighting THE CLEVELAND SHOW that, “the whole Brown family shows up on FAMILY GUY for an episode in the spring.” With co-creator Mike Henry adding that “Quagmire comes to town for a very relevant-to-the-story reason — and then he refers to something that happened in Quahog — so we see Peter. But I think that’s the only time.”

Question: I’m still reeling from the PRIVATE PRACTICE season finale. Please tell me Amy Brenneman’s Violet is going to be okay. — Patient31
The TV Addict: Not only was the former JUDGING AMY star alive and well on my recent set visit (interview coming soon), she tweets!

Well that about wraps it up folks for this edition of “Ask the Addict.” if you’ve got a question for the TV Addict, you can email me directly at ask@thetvaddict.com or follow me on twitter at twitter.com/thetvaddict.

1:00PM: Just how enjoyable is the FLASHFORWARD pilot? I’m freezing cold, exhausted and hungry, yet still loving it.

1:01PM: Good News: Executive Producer David S. Goyer promises that “by the end of the first season, most of the questions raised in the pilot, including the one you see at the very end will be answered.” Bad News: The overarching mystery surrounding the cause of the blackout won’t come out until the end of the series, which Goyer hopes will last three seasons to really do the show justice.

1:05PM: On the lessons learned from LOST, Goyer shares that, “LOST taught me that you can do a show with a large ensemble cast and tell a big cinematic story.” Tell that to the creators of THE NINE, INVASION, SURFACE, JERICHO, KIDNAPPED etc…

1:08PM: Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim teases that while the first season will tell the story of April 29, 2010…. April 29 isn’t necessarily the season finale.

1:10PM: Star Dominic Monaghan claims that while there are obviously similarities between FLASHFORWARD and LOST, “I don’t think we’re necessarily dealing with the same deeply rooted mythology.” Begging the question… has Monaghan seen the premiere?

1:14PM: Scoop! FLASHFORWARD Robert J. Sawyer will write an episode in the first season. And since we’re on the subject of the source material, producers tease that the book and TV show are very different.

1:16PM: Goyer on the pilot’s biggest mystery, “The Kangaroo is a ‘thing,’ will be back more than once [in episode six], and people like it.”

1:17PM: “The significance of April 29, 2010 is one of the mysteries of the show,” explains Guggenheim when prodded by a reporter as to what’s the deal with the day. “And as far as what’s going to happen after April 29, well, that’s another mystery of the show and it would be a disservice to our audience to spoil it.” Drat!

1:18PM: Scoop! FAMILY GUY’s Seth MacFarlane will be back playing an FBI agent (Apparenely it pays to be friends with executive producer Brannon Braga) so to will ER’s Alex Kingston (No word on the status of her friendship with Braga!) While Gabrielle Union has has just wraped filming the third episode of the season.

1:24PM: British thespian Joseph Fiennes half-jokingly says, “that it’s nice to get off the horse and out of the fancy t-shirt.”

1:25PM: Goyer comes from the Hitchcock school of filmmaking, where actors are told very little with regards to where their characters are going. Which you know, should make for some really interesting interviews later today at the ABC cocktail party.

1:28PM: Courtney B. Vance recounts that while reading episode 5 on the train home from San Diego Comic Con, he couldn’t breath. Adds Guggenheim, “You never thought your character would do those kind of things with a kangaroo!”

1:33PM: Scoop! “There is a reason why some of the characters happen to be looking at their characters in their flash forwards,” hints Goyer. Adding, “Although we’ve said the blackout lasts for 2:33, at most the pilot only shows maybe 37 seconds. Which is going to be a lot of the fun — revealing what happened during the rest of the time — whether it was at the beginning or the end of the character’s flash forward, may change the audience’s perspective.”

1:35PM: Actress Sonya Walger doesn’t know whether or not Penny will be returning to LOST. And if she did, she wouldn’t share!

You’ve read his take on the most promising fall shows and least promising ones. Now, in what we promise is our final look back at the Network’s UpFront offerings comes our very own Ken Tucker in-training Aleks Chan, with a look at the shows that fall somewhere in-between.

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (CBS)
After the horridly ill-conceived COURTING ALEX, Jenna Elfman returns to the small screen as Billie, a San Francisco film critic who hooks up with a younger guy and – surprise – gets pregnant. Pregnancy as a premise hasn’t always worked, and the clips don’t really provide much hope that AOP will be any different, but Elfman is one deft comedienne, so if anything, it’ll be tolerable. 

EASTWICK (ABC)
Also known as Charmed Lipstick Housewives and the City. Based on the John Updike novel about three women (Lindsay Price, Rebecca Romijn, and Jamie Ray Newman) who are imbued with magical powers, it looks as tawdry and superfluous as I remember CHARMED ever was – not that there’s anything wrong with that.  

FLASH FORWARD (ABC)
Everyone in the world blacks out at the exact same time and for the same duration, during which they see a few minutes into their futures. The preview opened with a “From the network that brought you LOST,” which only prompted the following afterwards: this is going to be convoluted, tricky show, and if they don’t do it right, will be painful to traverse.  

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
Julianna Margulies plays victimized really well, so it should suit her well in this drama where she plays the wife of a politician (Chris Noth, very much channeling Mr. Big) who takes after Eliot Spitzer, forcing her to return to her work as a lawyer after taking 13 years off. As long as they don’t fall into a procedural trap, could be a rich piece of drama.  

HUMAN TARGET (FOX)
Mark Valley stars in this adaptation of the DC Comic, about a private investigator/bodyguard who works by impersonating people close to his clients. A lot of explosions and running around in the trailer – could be campy fun as long as it keeps itself from going too far over the top.  

MERCY (NBC) 
It’s the GREY’S ANATOMY spin-off nobody asked for: a hospital drama about “feisty” and “complicated” nurses who can save others, but can barely save themselves. The cast (which includes newcomer Taylor Schilling, MEN IN TREES’ James Tupper and GOSSIP GIRL’s Michelle Trachtenberg) could save it from being utterly insufferable.  

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
The first of what I expect to be many spin-offs of the popular procedural that everyone seems to be watching but not talking about. The backdoor pilot already aired a few weeks back on NCIS, and looks to be about the same: the cast (which includes Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J) is perfectly capable, the stories nice and easy, and the tensions is about as tight as seatbelt – comfortable. It’s perfectly harmless TV. That’s either good or bad, depending on how old you are.  

PARENTHOOD (NBC) 
Based on the 1989 Ron Howard film starring Steve Martin and Dianne Wiest, it sounds exactly like what it’s about, and marks NBC’s second attempt to launch this series, its previous foray having been swiftly cancelled in 1990 (but coincidentally starred a then unknown Leo DiCaprio). This one looks more promising (and stars Peter Krause and Maura Tierney), if a bit of a BROTHERS & SISTERS knockoff.  

SONS OF TUCSON (FOX)
Tyler Labine (REAPER) plays oafish sporting goods store employee Ron Snuffkin, who is hired by three boys to play their father after their own is sent to jail. Also reminds me of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE (appropriately seeing how MITM’s Todd Holland directed the pilot), it will be entirely up to Labine, who’s shown his comedic chops before, to keep interest from waning.

THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (THE CW)
I don’t why the CW didn’t just call it a MODELS INC. remake, because it’s essentially what THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE is: Pretty young models livin’ really hard, really expensive lives, except this time in New York.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW (FOX)
FAMILY GUY’s brand of irreverent, arbitrary, largely childish humor looks as if it will serve this spin-off well. Starring the otherwise harmless second banana Cleveland Brown, it follows him and his son as they start their new life with their new family. Just like FG, you’ll laugh, but it will probably be twice as empty.