TV Titbits Two; Flash Forward and Cougar Town

OK, so I haven't exactly fulfilled my mission of picking the best new US series on TV and reviewing them for future viewers in Britain.

I don't have a real excuse, other than that the Littleboys are still being bad about going to bed on time, so that there is often not time to watch much on TV. And I was going to review Flash Forward, and then I realised that in a rare moment of UK/US sychronisation, it's on Channel Five anyway. But, for the benefit of those not in the UK or US, can I just say that this one is a winner. A sort of mash-up of Lost, 24 and Heroes, it starts with the whole world blacking out for two minutes and having visions of their futures. Or, more specifically, of what they will be doing on a specific date in about six months' time.

It stars the rather gorgeous Joseph Fiennes (who I'm sure I once read an interview with saying he'd never sell out to Hollywood - times must be tough, Joe) and also Jack Davenport, Miles from This Life. (In fact one of the chief female characters is in a dilemma because she's married to Joseph, but in her vision of six months' time was having an affair with Jack. Hmmm - can't feel TOO sorry for her....)

Anyway, it's got it all - handsome hero, exciting premise, weird goings-on, philosophical debate (is what happens to us fated, random or of our own making, and does knowing the future make us make it happen?). I'm hooked.

What I can tell you - thanks to the New York Times -is that the series has been picked up by ABC for a full season, so it won't have to stop before we get to the date in question (which would have been a bit of a shame...).

The other series I was going to review was Cougar Town. This stars Courteney Cox as a fortysomething divorcee who starts shagging younger men. I thought it sounded like quite a laugh. And I've tried to like it, I really have. There have even been some funny lines in it. But, I'm sorry, Courteney Cox really annoys me in it. She's basically Monica from Friends on speed. I know it's supposed to be a comedy, but it's more like a cartoon - a kind of rollicking, thigh slapping cartoon about cartoon mums having affairs with young studs. Bring back The Graduate and Anne Bancroft as Mrs Robinson.

So I stopped watching Cougar Town. What else can I tell you? The new series of House is developing intriguingly, Mad Men series 3 is fabulous, Grey's Anatomy is dangerously close to jumping the shark (when they bring in a whole new lot of characters, you know things must be wobbly). I'm still vaguely pursuing the Julianna Margulies series, The Good Wife, and reserving my judgement. Other than that, I think the DVD section of the library might be doing quite well of me this winter....