Warning: General spoilers ahead

I screened the Pilot of NBC’s Timeless back in July just prior to San Diego Comic-Con, and I’ve been counting the days for its premiere. Fortunately, the wait is over, and the highly-anticipated time-travel drama finally makes its debut tomorrow night.

The series features an incongruous trio tasked with saving the world from a bad guy who plans to rewrite history by changing the past.  In their second-rate time machine that execs likened to the Millennium Falcon, Lucy (Abigail Spencer), Wyatt (Matt Lanter), and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) will try to leave a small footprint as they chase baddie Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic) through historical timelines.

Producer Shawn Ryan says that unlike other time travel shows (Syfy’s 12 Monkeys, for instance, and yes, even Doctor Who), the physics of the journey will be different.  Characters can’t go back to a timeline where they’ve already existed or visited, and so in a sense, they’re always moving “forward,” even as they go back.  Ryan claims the producers and writers don’t want a show with a “convoluted timeline” that “falls down a serialized rabbit hole.”  From what we have seen thus far, they seem to be going for gritty realism with a smathering of violence.  Thankfully, the trio adds enough wise-cracking to lighten the mood a little.

I can’t help but think Steven Moffat would have a thing or two to say to Ryan, but maybe he’s nonplussed.  Moffat is stepping down from Doctor Who at a time when ratings are down and the show’s momentum seems to be flagging.  It’s hard to imagine NBC isn’t trying to draw viewers on this side of the pond with an accessible time travel drama.  And, with Netflix no longer streaming the Whoniverse, it may be an easy temptation for sci-fi junkies.

All in all, Timeless has an enticing premise that’s focuses on American history, with tomorrow’s Pilot featuring a rewrite of the Hindenburg disaster, and future episodes promising events from Lincoln’s assassination to the lunar landing.  Even with all of this, perhaps one of the most interesting aspects is exploring how saving or changing history could potentially affect each team member’s life.  Consequences are real, and the stakes are high as our heroes make choices and play with the strings of time. Personal moments for each trio character shine in each episode as they each struggle with their inner demons.  Hopefully the writing will live up to the promise of the pretty trappings of high-budget camera angles and explosions.  And the costumes…from 1750’s fashion to threads from 1962. Well, the series didn’t hold back, that’s for sure.

The series premiere of Timeless  airs Monday at 10/9c on NBC. In the meantime, check out the below sneak peek clips as well as interviews with the cast at San Diego Comic-Con 2016 as they talk about this exciting new series.

PHOTOS

 

VIDEO

Sneak Peek Videos:

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Abigail Spencer (“Lucy Preston”) Interviews:

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SDCC 2016 Cast Interview:

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