By Lauren Clifford

Two minutes and seventeen seconds. That’s all the time it takes to change the course of humanity forever. For two minutes and seventeen seconds, the world stands still as the entire human race blacks out simultaneously, for the same exact duration. This phenomenon is the mysterious reality for the characters of ABC’s new action-packed drama, “Flash Forward.” Every human being on earth catches a small glimpse of his or her future, played out like a movie in the subconscious; and just like that, all at the same time, everybody wakes up.

In those essential minutes during the black out, FBI Agent Mark Benford sees a vision he cannot ignore: addiction, a cluttered mosaic, a mysterious crime, and armed men looking to kill him. This quick, frightening glimpse of the most crucial moment in his future is all Agent Benford gets before he, too, wakes up.

“Flash Forward” follows Agent Benford and his fellow FBI colleagues as they assemble a conspiracy theory (and everybody loves a good conspiracy theory): Benford is determined to figure out what, or who, caused the black outs, and ~ more importantly ~ if they will happen again. His journey to solve the mystery intertwines with subplots bursting with adultery, death, resurrection, love and confusion, as those close to him expose what they saw during the black outs. The moral dilemmas that the visions evoke leave the show’s characters (and we the viewers) questioning their ability to control their own destiny.

“Flash Forward” airs every Thursday night at 8 p.m. on ABC, the same network that kept viewers on the edge of their seats with suspense thrillers like “LOST.” As is the case with “LOST,” “Flash Forward”’s action packed, one hour episodes are full of thickening plots and intense cliff-hanger endings. The fast-moving scenes and storylines are a reflection of the directors and writers of the show, including David Goyer and Brannon Braga, who also produced “24.” Make no mistake, Agent Mark Benford is no Jack Bauer, but then again, Jack Bauer never held the knowledge of the future in the palm of his hand.