Although now Doctor Who is back on TV, there was almost a year and a half of television in which the Doctor was absent. However, time travel was not.
In the interim, multiple other shows featured or revolved around time travel. Time travel has been a popular element in media for over two centuries. Although this is no new device, for some reason, recently, time travel has overwhelmed television. Here are a few time travel shows.
‘Legends of Tomorrow’
Who: The Time Master, Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill), and various DC heroes and villains.
When: From the present to any point in time, past and future.
How: Rip’s ship, Waverider, can travel in space and time.
Why: Rip recruits this team to stop Vandal Savage from taking over the world.
Where: CW starting January 2016, the second season ended April 2017.
What: Many fan-favorite, supporting characters from the Arrowverse were given their chance to shine in Legends of Tomorrow. This was an opportunity for CW to expand this universe in a way that stands out from their other shows.
Its fate: Legends of Tomorrow has been renewed for a third season
‘11.22.63’
Who: English teacher, Jake Epping (James Franco), assisted by a diner owner (Chris Cooper).
When: From the present to the 1960s.
How: A portal in a closet at the diner goes directly to a specific date in 1960.
Why: To stop JFK’s assassination.
Where: Hulu starting February 2016.
What: Based on the book of the same title (except with slashes instead of periods) by Stephen King, and was produced by J.J. Abrams. King is a prolific author, and thus has been often adapted for both film and television. Although many of his short stories have fared well in film, his novels can reach over a thousand pages. This does not always work best for film, although some of his books have been successfully adapted to film. However television could be a strong platform for works of this length. This is was a successful attempt, enough to lead to another team-up of King and Abrams with Hulu.
Its fate: 11.22.63 was a miniseries. It is contained within eight episodes, with no planned continuation, following loosely the plot of the book.
‘Time Traveling Bong’
Who: Cousins Sharee (Ilana Glazer) and Jeff (Paul W. Downs).
When: From the present to various points in the past and future.
How: A bong.
Why: At first to test it out for fun.
Where: Comedy Central in April 2016.
What: There is not really a context for Time Traveling Bong, besides that it is completely along Comedy Central’s brand. The first episode premiered the day the third season of Broad City (which stars Glazer and features Downs) ended, which happened to be April 20.
Its fate: Time Traveling Bond was a miniseries. It is contained within three episodes, with no planned continuation.
On Page 2: The time travel shows of the 2016-17 season
‘Timeless’
Who: A history scholar, Lucy (Abigail Spencer); a solider, Wyatt (Matt Lanter; and a programmer/pilot, Rufus (Malcolm Barrett).
When: From the present to various points in history.
How: A government agency’s top secret time machine.
Why: To stop a man who wants to change history.
Where: NBC starting October 2016.
What: Even though Timeless is such a cliché time travel show, following every convention of the genre, it was still entertaining. The show’s strength largely derived from strong characters. Although it brought nothing new, it was still fun seeing these characters interact with historical figures. They decided to throw in a weird conspiracy plot which did not make a lot of sense, but it at least gave the show a plot for at least the first season.
Its fate: It has yet to be announced whether Timeless was renewed for another season.
‘Time After Time’
Who: H.G. Wells (Freddie Stroma), yes that H.G. Wells, who wrote The Time Machine.
When: From 1893 to 2017.
How: H.G. Wells time machine, the one that the upon which novel that he has yet to write is based.
Why: H.G. Wells chases Jack the Ripper to the present.
Where: ABC in March 2017.
What: Time After Time is based on a novel from the 1970s, which was adapted into a movie the same year the book was published. It was a cute gimmick having Wells adjust to the present but there was little more to Time After Time. It is only notable for making H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper attractive, but also inappropriately romanticizing Jack the Ripper’s murders.
Its fate: Time After Time was cancelled after its fifth episode. There are three episodes that have not been aired. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
‘Making History’
Who: A janitor, Dan (Adam Pally), at a university and a history professor, Chris (Yassir Lester).
When: From the present to various points in the past, especially to the American Revolution.
How: A duffle bag.
Why: At first for Dan to visit his girlfriend Deborah (Leighton Meester) who lives in 1775.
Where: Fox starting March 2017.
What: There is little context for Making History’s presence. It is just an addition to Fox’s comedy slate. Similar to Time Traveling Bong, Making History satirizes various social and political aspects of the various times to which the characters travel. Making History still has a lot of room to explore, not including every point of history. It has yet to describe the duffle bag’s past and explore whether it can travel to the future.
Its fate: It has yet to be announced whether Making History was renewed for another season.
Overview
There is really no connection between the presence of all of these shows. This is somewhat strange considering all the memes and jokes regarding time travel’s interference with the 2016 election, 2016 in general, and the 2017 Oscar mix-up. In fact the shows that premiered in late 2016 or early 2017 were all announced in the earlier half of 2016. So this all just seems like a coincidence or more likely a forecasted trend that all the networks wanted to pursue.
Thankfully, these six shows were different enough to be entertaining in their own ways and appeal to a variety of demographics. Some provided self-contained storylines, others have long lasting potential, and then there is Time After Time. At least Doctor Who is back now to bring some much needed consistency to this genre, Game of Thrones may soon return to this again, and The Flash also dedicated some time to time travel this season. There is so much possibility in the use time travel that, probably for the good, this genre will likely not disappear. We will have to get a time machine to find out.