First time in 26 years a major US network has based a series on a Canadian novel

1983: HOTEL comes to ABC

2009: FLASH FORWARD comes to ABC
In the 500-channel universe, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the big-four American broadcast networks -- ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox -- still dominate in terms of audience size. Nothing on cable comes close in audience reach as far as dramatic television is concerned.

And it's with considerable delight and pride that I note that the Flash Forward TV series is the first time in over a quarter of a century that a big-four US network has based a TV series on a Canadian novel.

The last -- and, I believe, only previous -- time was in 1983, with the series Hotel, based on Arthur Hailey's novel of the same name (although Hailey was not born in Canada, and he left Canada for good in 1965, he was a Canadian citizen).

Now, as it happens, two of my favourite ABC TV series when I was a teenager were based on novels, but by Americans: The Six Million Dollar Man was based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, and The Night Stalker was based on a novel by Jeff Rice. Having my novel become a series on ABC, of all places, is extra-special to me because of that.

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