NBC thriller 'Timeless' is appointment television
The pilot episode of NBC's "Timeless," which premieres 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, is an efficient entertainment machine.
In 46 minutes, this time-traveling mashup of "Quantum Leap," "Doctor Who" and "Stargate" fleshes out its three lead characters, establishes a science-fiction premise with its own set of clearly defined rules, introduces a villain who might actually be on the good guys' side and good guys who might actually be villains, and leaves us wanting more.
Created by Shawn Ryan ("The Chicago Code") and Eric Kripke ("Supernatural"), "Timeless" stars Abigail Spencer ("Rectify") as Lucy Preston, a history professor who finds the Department of Homeland Security at her door. She is whisked away to a facility owned by an Elon Musk-type whose time machine has been stolen by a bunch of baddies led by Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic of "ER").
Wait, a time machine? Yes, and Lucy has the encyclopedic knowledge of history needed to help recover it. The computer aboard the stolen machine's counterpart can only tell when the "mothership" is, not where. Lucy teams up with Delta Force soldier Wyatt (Matt Lanter of "90210") and techie Rufus (Malcolm Barrett of "Dear White People") and quickly deduces that Flynn has taken the machine to New Jersey on May 6, 1937, to prevent the Hindenburg disaster. So they change into period clothing and climb aboard the second time machine, dubbed "the lifeboat," to try to preserve the airship's tragic history.
But wait, wouldn't preventing the Hindenburg disaster be a good thing? In theory, yes, but changing the past can be disastrous for the future, as "Timeless" keeps reminding us - never mind that sending people from 2016 back to 1937 would probably be enough to drastically alter history, no matter what they do while they're there.
According to "Timeless," a person cannot travel back in time to a point at which they have already existed, thereby avoiding the risk of running into yourself. The characters will undoubtedly break that rule at some point, just as they cannot ensure that their adventures won't alter the timeline.
There are holes in any time-travel plot, so the show's success will largely depend on its characters.
Spencer makes Lucy an instantly likable, credible lead. She can identify everyone at the Hindenburg site by name; she is not a pushover for anyone, including her soldier companion; and she doesn't hesitate to jump into action. Lucy is not the hero's arm candy or the damsel in distress.
The breakout character is likely to be Barrett's Rufus, a computer nerd who's uncomfortable with touring history. "I am black," he protests, "there is literally no place in American history that would be awesome for me." He's proven right almost immediately upon their arrival in 1937: "So, the back of the bus was amazing!" Barrett brings both joy and gravitas to his performance, the kind of balancing act you have to nail when you're in a show like this.
When the pilot closes, Lucy discovers her life in 2016 has changed dramatically as a result of their meddling in 1937, but the next adventure comes calling before she can process it. (Episode 2's title? "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.")
A new adventure in a new time period every week with endearing characters? Sounds like appointment television.
• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.