NBC has been really keen to give early renewals to some of its highest performing dramas and comedies, but one new series Timeless has remained right on the bubble. Despite not knowing what the future has in store for Timeless, the creative team ultimately opted to go with a huge twist during the drama's Season 1 finale. Here's why Timeless went with that big ending, according to executive producer Shawn Ryan:
We had thought for awhile about what the best way was to give some closure for Season 1 while also setting us up for a new dynamic in Season 2. We wanted to bring Garcia Flynn's journey to some kind of end, though I'm sure we'll see more of him going forward. So while many people might see our Season 1 conclusion as a cliffhanger, we see it as a wrap-up of Season 1 and a launch point for Season 2.
If you didn't catch the episode--and if you did miss it, now is a great time to leave this article without getting spoiled--a few major things happened during the Season 1 finale. And by a few, we mean a ton, as Timeless has never been one to slog through a plot. After last week's excellent Al Capone episode, the finale picked up with The Lifeboat returning to the present, where Rufus obviously had to deal with his gunshot wound. Through a series of events involving Lucy's grandfather, Lucy and co were able to get into the summit and later in the present she got the complete Rittenhouse records from her granddad. At the end of the episode, Rittenhouse was disbanded, Lucy got her journal back and gave Flynn the information he had been looking for regarding his family all season. It seemed like we could have been getting a happy ending... and then Lucy learned that her mother was actually a part of Rittenhouse.
Lucy's mom has only been a minor entity this season, so this was truly a shocker; however, since Lucy's grandfather was involved in Rittenhouse and since Lucy was also recruited to be part of The Lifeboat team, it did make sense that her mother (and her dad) would also be involved in this crazy world. From what Shawn Ryan told Deadline, though, this was the best way to wrap up what Lucy and co. were looking into during Season 1, all while planting a variety of narrative threads that could pick up during Season 2. Timeless was not always the best written show during its first season, but this ending was pretty masterful.
The co-creator and executive producer also said that the Timeless creative team has yet to pitch Season 2 to NBC, yet, so it's likely to be a while before the Peacock Network makes an ultimate decision regarding whether or not the show will be renewed or cancelled. Ratings have been middling for the freshman drama, although the series also has an avid fanbase. This happened to ABC's similarly performing series Forever a couple of seasons ago, and that show did not get a Season 2 pick-up, so I'm not going to hold my breath. Still, we'll let you know either way. For now, take a look at what NBC has coming up with our midseason TV premiere schedule.
