Flashforward

Based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer, Flashforward tells a complicated story about what happens the world goes dark for 137 seconds and then survives to have to deal with the consequences. The story is about what it means when we see the future too clearly, and if we are predestined to follow visions of that future. The stories of those who survived range from surprising to joyous to dark to just plain weird. There's international spying, there's some perfectly light moments, and there's a lot of consideration about what it means when we lose control of our world, even briefly. No other science fiction show of the last decade covers as much personal trauma on such a grand scale, and then presents it with so much impact. Every character has a story, both in the present and in the future (well, almost everyone...) and the way the brilliant cast plays with those stories is where the series moved from being merely an interesting concept into something truly remarkable... and canceled far too soon. Why it's on the list: One of the best novel-to-television adaptations ever made.