Synopsis (courtesy ABC):
“THE RIVER follows the story of wildlife expert and TV personality Emmet Cole. Emmet set course around the world with his wife, Tess, and son, Lincoln, while filming what would become one of the most popular shows in television. After he goes missing deep in the Amazon, his family, friends and crew set out on a mysterious and deadly journey to find him.

Famed explorer Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) went looking for magic deep in the uncharted Amazon and never returned. The shocking truth about his disappearance is out there, somewhere, just waiting to be discovered. To the millions of kids who grew up watching his nature show, Dr. Cole was a hero. To his own son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), he was more of an enigma. Now, six months after he vanished, Lincoln is finally ready to bury the past when Dr. Cole’s emergency beacon suddenly goes off. At the urging of his mother, Tess (Leslie Hope), Lincoln reluctantly joins her on a search for his father. To fund the rescue, they agree to let Dr. Cole’s cagey ex-producer, Clark (Paul Blackthorne), film the mission documentary-style. The mixed crew of old friends and new acquaintances includes the sexy and resourceful Lena (Eloise Mumford), loyal mechanic Emilio (Daniel Zacapa) and lethal bodyguard Captain Kurt Brynildson (Thomas Kretschmann).”

(Images: ABC)

Coincidentally, ABC is streaming all seven of the show’s initial episodes for a limited time, so now is your best chance to get caught up on one of the most buzzed about new programs to transition into the new year.

ABC’s brand-new fairy tale drama ONCE UPON A TIME premiered its pilot episode last night, managing to win the network its best ratings performance in regular programming schedule in over three years. The story follows Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), the unknowing daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, whom lives in present day Boston. After being approached by a 10-year-old boy named Henry, claiming to be her son given up for adoption, Emma drives the boy back to Storybrooke, Maine, where time supposedly stands still and all the inhabitants of the town are really fairy tale characters.

The premiere is available to watch online here. ONCE UPON A TIME airs on Sundays, 8/7 central.

Did you watch the premiere? Are you interested in where the show is going? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Roland Emmerich is working with ABC on a series called 2013, a follow-up to his epic disaster pic, 2012, which hits theaters next week. The TV show will follow the few remaining humans on Earth as they establish their new life in Africa, which is once again the cradle of civilization. In general, Emmerich told i09, he hates sequels, but this is “something different… like Lost, which has a totally different feel to it.” He was also quick to draw comparisons to District 9, citing possible struggles and animosity between the different groups of survivors.

How different will the tone really be? The writer/director insists that “It has no visual effects, it’s all about characters… it will only be what happened between people. We can do that on a TV show week after week after week.”

Hmmm. That’s a big claim coming from a man who has built his career on visual effects, from Independence Day to The Day After Tomorrow to 10,000 BC. But from ABC’s perspective? I’m sure he had them at “like Lost.”

We get to see a fighter jet go down in a crowded city street, its pilot parachuting down, unconscious, a moment later. Then, the first of the ships, which is massive enough to blot out the entire sky, shows up, and there’s plenty of panicking as a number of devious-looking gears shift and lights come on on its underbelly. Then, it’s revealed to be a video screen that spans the entire bottom of the craft, and Morena Baccarin’s face looks benevolently down on the people below. And that’s where they leave us.

It’s a strong opening, and it should slake your thirst, if only for a little while. This is one of the most anticipated sci-fi series in a long time, and tonight, we’ll finally get to see if it’s worthy of all that hype. From just 8 minutes, it’s pretty hard to tell, but I gotta say – I’m lovin’ it so far.

Written by Goyer and Star Trek visionary Brannon Braga, based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer Flash Forward is looking to be a jigsaw-puzzle series based on the effects of the human race collectively jumping 20 years into the future for two and a half minutes. For the diehards that want to know the entire synopsis, you can check out the plot outline of Sawyer’s novel at http://sfwriter.com/ouff.htm. Otherwise, have fun dreaming up the different plot lines Goyer and Braga might captivate us with. Flash Forward will be set for ABC sometime next year.

Most recently, Laura Ziskin Productions and Seligman Entertainment in association with the Noreen Fraser Foundation teamed up for an unprecedented program that premiered on NBC, ABC, and CBS simultaneously, devoting one hour of commercial free prime time to speak for the cause.  Over 50 of the most renowned personalities in TV, film, sports and music came together for this unparalleled undertaking.  If you missed the premiere, you can still tune in at Standup2cancer.org to get involved.  Cheers to a wonderful team effort.

The novel has previously been a feature film, released in 1987 and starred Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer.  It did very well despite criticism of Nicholson being even more over the top than usual.

Since then, there have been other attempts to turn the novel and film into a series starting with Warner Bros. Television in 1992 when writers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Jeffrey Boam (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) produced a pilot that starred Catherine Mary Stewart, Julia Campbell, Ally Walker and Michael Siberri.

Fox and Warner Bros. TV tried again in 2002 although that project was dubbed just Eastwick. This attempt was from writers Jon Cowan (Bionic Woman) and Robert Rovner (Crossing Jordan) and rather than be about the women — Lori Loughlin, Marcia Cross, and Kelly Rutherford — it was to be about their sons.

More successful was the musical version, which premiered in England from producer Cameron Mackintosh, and was performed most recently last year in the states.