
Flash Forward
Flash Forward is a show about possible (and not so possible) future scenarios. What would the warranty on a sex robot look like? How would diplomacy work if we couldn’t lie? Could there ever be a fecal transplant black market? (Complicated, it wouldn’t, and yes, respectively, in case you’re curious.) Hosted and produced by award winning science journalist Rose Eveleth, each episode combines audio drama and journalism to go deep on potential tomorrows, and uncovers what those futures might really be like. The future is going to be weird, so let's get ready for it together.
Latest episodes

Oct 31, 2022 • 2min
HOW TO LISTEN: Welcome To Vanguard Estates
Hi friends, it’s Rose and I’m back with a new series from Flash Forward. It’s called Welcome to Vanguard Estates, and it’s in your feeds … now! The gist is simple, but I wanted to offer up this little explanation in case you’re like “what the heck why are there thirty new episodes of Flash Forward all of a sudden???” So here’s the deal. Welcome to Vanguard Estates is a choose your own path story. Each episode has a number, and a short title, and at the end of every episode you’ll be presented with a choice. All you have to do is follow the numbers, or titles, whichever works best for your brain, and you’ll be on your way. Simple, yeah? I personally think that this story is best experienced in audio — we worked really hard to score and sound design this thing and have some amazing voice actors along for the ride. But if you’d rather read the story, you can go to flashforwardpod.com/vanguard to play through online.Starting next week, you’ll get a series of explainer episodes, where we talk to experts about all the things that inspired this story. We'll cover everything from the neuroscience of aging, to potential image tampering in Alzheimer's research, to robots that can put your clothes on, to the dire economics of care, to whether we should have nursing homes at all. But for now, head to episode one, and begin your journey into the not so distant future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 2min
27. Keep Quiet
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 3min
26. Break the News
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 5min
25. Report Him
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 5min
24. Keep His Secret
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 7min
23. Trust the Robot
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 5min
22. Stop the Robot
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 6min
21. Take Out a Loan
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 6min
20. Drop Out of School
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2022 • 3min
19. Pay for Help
The End.Vanguard Estates is a production of Flash Forward. The story was written by me, Rose Eveleth; edited by Ace Tilton Radcliffe and Georgia Wyatt; and produced by Ozzy Llinas Goodman. The sound design is by Mischa Stanton and music is by Ilan Blanck. The voice actors for Welcome to Vanguard Estates are:
Marcus Jones -- Keith Houston
Imani Jones -- Shara Kirby
Robot #1 -- Ashley Kellem
Amy -- Chelsey B Coombs
Vanguard Estates Representative -- Aiya Islam
Missy -- Anjali Kunapaneni
Robot # 2 -- Brett Tubbs
NPR Host -- Sandhya Dirks
An earlier version of Vanguard Estates was originally performed live for Pop-Up Magazine. You can also play through a web version of the story at flashforwardpod.com/vanguard, which features really cool illustrations by Mattie Lubchansky.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices