The series was adapted for television by Brannon Braga and David S. Goyer, based on the 1999 novel Flashforward by Canadian science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer.

FlashForward was originally developed at HBO, which sold its option because it believed the show would be a better fit for a broadcast network; ABC then purchased the series and ordered a pilot.

The show's finale, shot before its cancellation was announced, depicted a new flashforward event occurring more than 20 years in the future, which more closely mirrored the original novel's flashforward of 21 and a half years ahead.

In 2015, novelist Robert J. Sawyer publicly shared a memo he had sent to producers and staff writers on February 19, 2010, outlining his suggestions for a potential second season.

On October 21, 2009, executive producer Marc Guggenheim left the show, and co-creator David S. Goyer took over as showrunner; Goyer himself stepped down as showrunner on February 5, 2010 to focus on feature films, being replaced by his wife Jessika Goyer along with Lisa Zwerling and Timothy J. Lea.

Each episode's title sequence hides an image within the FlashForward logo related to that episode's plot, visible only when the sequence is paused at the right moment.

The series premiered to a large audience of 12.47 million viewers in the US, but ratings later declined to about one-third of that figure, with an unexpected extended hiatus cited as a possible contributing factor.

FlashForward received generally positive reviews, holding a Metacritic score of 71/100 and an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8.1/10.

ABC announced in May 2010 that FlashForward was cancelled due to declining viewership, with the news reported on May 13, 2010, concurrent with the airing of the episode 'The Negotiation,' two weeks before the season finale.