May can be an absolute bloodbath when it comes to TV shows being cancelled, and TV fans don't always get a lot of good news this time of year. Now, we've learned of one more show that has officially gotten the axe. Freshman series Timeless has been cancelled by NBC and will not return for Season 2. Alas that time travel does not exist and we can't go back and do things differently!
Timeless has been on the bubble of cancellation for a while now due to ratings that just haven't been what NBC was looking for. The Live+same day numbers for the entire first season averaged only 4.62 million viewers and a 1.10 in the important 18-49 age demographic, but they fell as low as 2.92 million viewers and 0.64 by the end of the first batch of episodes. It did tick up for the season finale, but apparently not enough for NBC to want to order a Season 2.
That said, viewers did have reason to hope that the unfortunate Live+same day ratings didn't mean automatic cancellation. Deadline reports that Timeless experienced a big jump in the 18-49 demo by the time Live+7 day ratings could be tallied, averaging a 2.2. While the 2.2 wasn't anything phenomenal, it did prove that there was a significant audience for Timeless that was catching up on episodes after the original airing. Sadly, post-live ratings weren't enough to justify the cost of prolonging to series to NBC.
Perhaps most tragic of all is the fact that the Season 1 finale ended on an epic twist that involved a cliffhanger and a set-up for what was sure to be enthralling action throughout time in Season 2. Executive producer Shawn Ryan was optimistic about the odds of a Season 2 back when the finale aired, and NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke praised the show as recently as January. Salke also mentioned that the brass at NBC were surprised that the ratings didn't settle higher than they did, however, so NBC's decision to cancel doesn't come as a huge shock.
The low ratings certainly weren't helped by all the advantages Timeless should have had going into Season 1. It was the first of a number of time travel shows to hit the airwaves in the 2016-2017 TV season, had a strong cast, an experienced team behind the scenes, decent critical praise, and an enviable post-Voice time slot on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET. The recipe for success of the heroes traveling back in time to major events in history was there; it just didn't deliver. Now, we can only mourn.
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