Those who mourned the disappearance of Julianna Margulies (ER, Mists of Avalon) with the cancellation last year of legal drama Canterbury's Law can dry their eyes and look towards The Good Wife (Hallmark, premieres on Thursday at 9pm). As Alicia Florrick, the wife of a disgraced Chicago politician who returns to the legal profession after a 13-year home-making 'hiatus', Margulies has lost none of the luminous screen presence that gave nurse Carol Hathaway her allure. In this legal-eagle incarnation, Margulies has traded the crusading idealism of Elizabeth Canterbury for the burdens of a cheating husband, jailed for using public money to fund his sexcapades, and two young children, the raising of whom her mother-in-law helps with. From the opening scene, in which Florrick stands, shell-shocked, next to her husband as he announces his resignation as state attorney of Cook County, to her first day at work as a 'mature' junior associate at a prestigious law firm, it is clear we've been introduced to a woman at her most vulnerable. Her husband's infamy follows her everywhere and she fights to come to terms with his betrayal and a lowly (re)start in the litigation game. Luckily, Margulies equips Florrick with an arch of an eyebrow that can unman the most cantankerous of state prosecutors and an inner strength that becomes more apparent with each case she takes on. Her journey through American law and politics should be most satisfying to watch. Just when we thought we could give the right side of our brain a break, ABC, the network that brought us Lost (now in its final season in the United States), introduces another mind-bending series. Its premise is so intriguing it prom- ises - or threatens - to suck us in again and leave us asking, 'Why?', 'Who?', 'How?' and 'Huh?' Based on a book by Robert J. Sawyer, FlashForward (above; TVB Pearl, Tuesdays at 10.35pm) opens with a scene of chaos in Los Angeles (which probably ate up the show's entire special-effects budget), which we quickly discover is part of a mysterious global event that causes everyone to black out simultaneously for 137 seconds. While unconscious, each person has a glimpse of their future, six months hence. When humanity comes to, it has to contain the death and disaster that has ensued and uncover the mystery - starting with the visions. The scenarios are dream-like and shake up the characters; including FBI agent Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes; Shakespeare in Love); his doctor wife (Sonya Walger; Lost); and his partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho; Star Trek). Before you decide to tune in, let's weigh the pros and cons. The cast is likable but the lines border on cheesy; the unifying nature of the premise, as well as the refreshing twist away from full-blown apocalypse, is tantalising; but, then again, are you ready to forgive and forget Lost, and subject yourself to another five or six seasons of mind-boggle?
