When, in May 2009, American television networks presented their fall line-ups, ABC s schedule was especially ambitious. Compared to the previous year when it had offered few original shows, the network now introduced seven productions based on a ‘portfolio approach’ that catered to different tastes and cost/production strategies (Berman, 2009). Among the additions to the line-up was FlashForward (ABC, 2009), a science-fiction drama that soon became the object of speculation. The series focused on a group of FBI agents investigating the consequences of a blackout that causes the entire world to lose consciousness for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, during which time everyone has a vision of themselves on 29 April 2010.