It's been an absolutely insane week for TV. With the upfronts fast approaching, various networks have started making their renewal and cancellation announcements, with tons of shows suddenly getting the axe. One of these was unfortunately NBC's ambitious time travel drama Timeless, to the chagrin of its fans. But now it seems like NBC has changed its tune, and Timeless has actually been renewed for a second season.
This shocking news comes to us from THR, although details are fairly scarce. While NBC reversed its decision for cancellation, it's unclear when Season 2 of Timeless will actually begin production, or when we can expect to see new time traveling adventures on the small screen.
Creators/showrunners Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan reportedly went to bat for Timeless, offering to re-work the series to make it more family friendly, and therefore more profitable for the network. If this is the case, we can expect Timeless to move from its current time a lot at 10pm to the more family oriented one like 8pm. No news as to whether the series will also see a change in day of the week, but it seems like anything is possible at this point.
The news of Timeless' renewal is sure to be a surprise for its fandom, who have had a few days to mourn its loss. The series was cancelled likely due to a major decline in viewership. While the premiere started strong (assisted by airing after the massively popular reality competition series The Voice), their numbers consistently dropped week after week. But the possible reworking of the series may just help the show grow legs for a longer run.
Timeless revolves around a motley crew of time travelers, led by Professor Lucy Preston (Abigail Spencer). The group uses time travel to stop a criminal from attempting to rewrite American history, taking them to a variety of interesting times and locations. Season 1 ran for 16 episodes, as the mythos of time traveling was fleshed out and explored. The series was one of the most highly anticipated new shows of the season, alongside This is Us. Unfortunately, it wasn't able to maintain that level of excitement throughout Season 1.
It should be interesting to see how both the series and the fandom changes if Timeless goes more family friendly for Season 2. If they're able to reshape the series to appeal to a broader audience, then will the original fans jump ship? And how do the various writers, actors, and directors feel about having to have more censored performances? Alas, show business is still a business, and a more friendly family show can get more sponsorships and commercials, and therefore make more of dat cash money.
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