In the first episode, the entire world blacks out at the same time for two minutes, 17 seconds, and everybody gets a glimpse of their life six months in the future. A happily married woman sees herself in bed with a man who's not her husband. One gentleman is in the bathroom. An FBI agent sees himself investigating what happened, and why - and is hunted by gunmen. His partner sees nothing. Does it mean that he'll be dead by then?

The impressive cast includes Joseph Fiennes ("Shakespeare in Love") as the federal agent, who's also a recovering alcoholic. As you can imagine, a global blackout is just the kind of thing that calls for a drink. Scores of people died, whether they were driving when they flashed forward, or in surgery. A helicopter crashes into a L.A. building. A bus explodes. Worst of all, there are no cell phone signals.

Sonya Walger ("Lost") plays Fiennes' wife, and John Cho (Sulu!) is his partner. Courtney B. Vance puts in an appearance as an FBI boss. Gabrielle is a defense attorney. Dominic Monaghan (also "Lost") has been cast in upcoming episodes, and recurring roles have gone to such eclectic names as Seth MacFarlane (creator of "Family Guy"), Shorheh Aghdashloo (whose new Emmy is probably still being engraved), and "ER's" Alex Kingston. (Interestingly, she was once married to Ralph Fiennes, making Joseph a former in-law. It's all about who you know, isn't it?)

Obviously, there are just too many characters to get too invested this early. If the episode's intention is to disorient you, mission accomplished. At the end, there is a clue to what happened that suggests there is an enormous conspiracy involved.

"FlashForward" shoots for the moon with some big questions. Can you do anything to change your future? Or would NOT doing anything change it? What repercussions would that have? Do you believe in free will, or in fate?

You should know that exactly six months from now is the first Thursday of spring sweeps. What luck! If you get sucked into "FlashForward," you'll have plenty of time to obsess. It's not every show that gets you to ponder your place in the universe.