'Timeless' Review: Abigail Spencer and Company Go Back to the Past

Joe Lederer/NBC

Hindsight may be 20/20, and this TV season we are seeing an awful lot of looking back. Time travel, which emerged as one of the central themes of this fall’s docket during the upfronts last May, lands on the schedule this week with the premiere of NBC’s “Timeless.”

Thanks to a strong behind-the-scenes team consisting of Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) and Eric Kripke (“Supernatural”) there’s been plenty of early buzz surrounding the series, which also happens to star small-screen darling Abigail Spencer (“Rectify,” “Mad Men”), former “90210” kid Matt Lanter, funny guy Malcolm Barrett (“Better Off Ted”) and Goran Visnjic (“ER”) as the history-changing bad guy.

The premise is simple enough considering the high time-travelling concept. A special and top-secret machine is stolen by a bunch of bad guys who have decided to go back and alter the course of history. It’s then up to an unlikely trio to follow the terrorists back in a secondary machine and stop them, without causing a butterfly effect or ruining mankind. So you know, no pressure.

Also Read: 'Timeless' Star Abigail Spencer on Reliving History, Favorite Era for Fashion (Exclusive Video)

At the outset the pilot is a fun and adventurous romp without ever feeling campy or overdone. The trio, consisting of historian Lucy (Spencer), muscle Wyatt (Lanter) and technician Rufus (Barrett), works well together in that misfits-trying-to-get-along kind of way. Wyatt’s stoic faces and serious nature pair well with Rufus’s nervous tendencies (as a black man travelling back in time no one could blame him), and Lucy’s reluctant but fascinated take on the whole collective.

Having an entire index of impressive historic events to draw on each week doesn’t hurt either, as it opens up the narrative and can often serve as an educational tool for younger viewers watching with their parents. The Hindenburg disaster is fodder for the pilot, and although special effects are called upon to pull off the re-creation they’re top notch, used sparingly and elevate the show’s overall tone. In fact were the series to stop at a procedural about avoiding the alteration of these sorts of historic events (no matter how awful), “Timeless” could make for a great weekly family adventure series, despite the later timeslot.

Where the plot gets bogged down is in the overall mysteries introduced in the pilot, namely those surrounding the Lucy character. Viewers quickly learn that the professor may have been chosen for the mission for more than just her historic expertise, and that the impacts of going on such assignments could have a larger influence on her personal life. The motives of the organization in charge are also called into question by the end of the first hour (as they usually are in such series), raising questions as to who the bad guys in this show truly are.

Also Read: NBC's 'Timeless' Will Be Chock-Full of Racism

It’s a typical problem of series these days trying to stand above the rest; as shows continuing throwing a twist into otherwise solid procedural premises the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method of storytelling gets tossed to the curb. These days procedural and serialized hybrids seem to be a must ,with a few too many showrunners and networks hoping for appointment viewing, when sometimes all people really want is to escape their long day on the couch for an hour or so.

Those who fall into that later camp will certainly be able to escape for at least a little while with “Timeless,” but if they’re consistently faced with more twists than they care to think about, NBC could find those viewers settling for another CBS-procedural type instead.

“Timeless” premieres Monday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. on NBC.

'Downton Abbey' and 10 More Excellent Shows That Never Won the Top Emmy (Photos)

On Sunday night, "Downton Abbey" became the latest critically-acclaimed series to never win an Outstanding Series Emmy. Though it received high praise from critics, a loyal fanbase on both sides of the Atlantic and three Emmys for Maggie Smith, its hopes for the top prize fell over the last five years to juggernauts like "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones." Here are some other series that never won -- and in some cases weren't even nominated -- or Outstanding Series.
PBS
Though it defined a decade and a generation's sense of humor, "The Simpsons" has never been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. It has won ten Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program, most recently in 2008 for an episode parodying "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
Fox
While "Parks and Recreation" was as much of a hit for NBC as "30 Rock" and "The Office," it didn't enjoy the Emmy success those shows did. "Parks and Rec" got two Outstanding Series nominations but lost to "Modern Family" and "Veep."
NBC
Before HBO became known as the king of Sunday night dramas, there was "Oz," a racially diverse and deeply disturbing drama inside a maximum-security prison. Though it paved the way for "The Sopranos," it only received two Emmy nominations in its entire six-year run for casting and guest actor.
HBO
"The Shield" earned Michael Chiklis a lead actor Emmy in 2002, but it never got a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, even after its critically-acclaimed final season.
FX
Louis C.K. is one of the most talked about comedians today, but the show that helped push him into the mainstream, "Louie," has never been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, though it did get C.K. a writing Emmy in 2012.
FX
"Deadwood" was a gripping Western that helped continue the momentum for HBO that began with "Oz." But while it won the West in the creative categories, it lost its only Outstanding Drama Series potential victory to "Lost."
HBO
While "Game of Thrones" has opened up the Emmy voters to awarding genre shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" did not have such a luxury. Though it made Joss Whedon a household name and had an enormous influence on the Golden Age of Television that followed, it only received one nomination outside of the creative categories, even as the media outrage grew in fervor with every passing year.
The cast of "Roseanne" got plenty of Emmy nods with four wins and 17 nominations. But when it came to Outstanding Comedy Series, it was completely shut out, as "Frasier" went on its famed five-year winning streak.
ABC
"Friday Night Lights" gave an emotionally honest look at a part of the world some casually dismiss as "flyover country." After five years of quietly doing its magic without much Emmy recognition, it finally got a writing award and lead actor award in its final season. Unfortunately, its one bid at an Outstanding Series trophy lost out that year to "Mad Men," which won in that category for the fourth straight year.
NBC
David Simon's classic, "The Wire" never received an Outstanding Drama Series nomination. In fact, it didn't get any acting nominations either. Although it received two writing nominations -- including one for its series finale -- it lost both. Some critics have labeled its omission as the equivalent of Stanley Kubrick never winning a directing Oscar.
HBO

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The period drama now joins famous Emmy snubs like “Parks and Recreation,” “Louie” and “The Wire”

On Sunday night, "Downton Abbey" became the latest critically-acclaimed series to never win an Outstanding Series Emmy. Though it received high praise from critics, a loyal fanbase on both sides of the Atlantic and three Emmys for Maggie Smith, its hopes for the top prize fell over the last five years to juggernauts like "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones." Here are some other series that never won -- and in some cases weren't even nominated -- or Outstanding Series.

View In Gallery

'Downton Abbey' and 10 More Excellent Shows That Never Won the Top Emmy (Photos)

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