12 Reasons NBC’s ‘Timeless’ Needs to be Renewed

NBC’s fall freshman Timeless recently concluded its first season with hugely vocal cries of support for a Season 2. Here are twelve reasons we think NBC should listen!

1. It’s Good Fun

When Timeless is firing on all cylinders, it is unabashedly fun. It is unafraid to dive into any point in American history and tinker with our previously established conceptions of those events.

Whether it’s Lucy getting all wide-eyed at meeting her heroes, Rufus finding a home in 80’s pop culture, or Wyatt trying to be the epitome of Captain America at literally any turn, humour and a sense of adventure brim out of every scene. Plus, seeing the trio attempt to blend in with the likes of Al Capone is wickedly funny.

2. Lucy Preston, Feminist Angel

Lucy is a wonderfully complex and passionate character. Her desire to learn everything about the world around her is never extinguished, even in the face of unimaginable hardship that tries its best to keep her down.

She is also a strongly feminist character who is written to be a champion of every woman she encounters. Her love of her sister and her quest to find her keeps her fighting every day to right the timeline that took her away from her, and her love for history keeps her going. Lucy is a carefully drawn character with heart and kindness to spare.

3. Jiya (The New Desmond)

Will the real Desmond Hume please stand up? On ABC’s LOST, Desmond was able to travel back and forth in time thanks to a little electromagnetism and his own brain.

Jiya, after an unregulated trip in the Lifeboat, now seems to also possess the skill of unwilling time travel — she briefly flashed back to the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge before snapping back to the present.

This is possibly the most interesting development of the whole of Timeless’ first season, and a promising new avenue for the show to explore in Season 2. (Do you hear me, NBC? Get on it!) Plus, Jiya is fun, smart, and dying to try new things. She’s the exact addition the team needs. 

4. Representation

Those of us in the LGBTQ+ community are experiencing slow but steady progress in seeing ourselves represented on screen. Timeless also delivers on the representation front. Firstly, Lucy’s grandfather was a closeted gay man who she comforts when she accidentally meets him in his youth.

But secondly, and most importantly, Agent Christopher is married to a woman. Not only did we get to learn about this side of her, but we got to meet her wife and children, too. Her family plays a large role in her decision making going through the second half of the season.

And not only do we get to see her relationship normalized to Lucy, we see Lucy take a role in making sure that Agent Christopher will never forget her family, should history change. It may seem like a small bit to hang on to, but with representation, every tiny moment counts. This is true for gay women, and especially true for gay women who are over 40 and thus not nearly as visible in media as young LGTBQ+ women are.

In addition to that, the representation the show provides for people of colour is surprisingly rich. Rufus’ happy discovery that the Lone Ranger was in fact a black man was a poignant moment in television; until now, the identity of the Lone Ranger had always been coded as white in media. In fact, in the scope of the whole show, only Lucy and Wyatt are white. Rufus, as well as most of the supporting cast (from Mason, to Agent Christopher, to Jiya) are people of colour.

There is always room for improvement on both of these topics, but I’m choosing to see this as a glass half-full situation. It’s a good start with no where to go but up.

5. The Costumes

Honestly, Timeless should be reviewed based off of its costumes alone, but I digress. Not only does Mason Industries have an entire costume warehouse set aside for just three people, the costumes themselves are over the top detailed (who does their tailoring?!).

They blend seamlessly with their environments while also making sure to stand out enough with their individual beauty. Lucy’s gowns always shine as the centrepiece of costuming — no one will be forgetting her turn as a flapper anytime soon.

6. Historical Shenanigans

As blasphemous as messing with the past is, there’s something so intriguing about turning historical events on their heads. Wyatt, Lucy, Rufus, and Flynn don’t affect the past in the traditional sci-fi use of time travel — nothing they do is meant to be, or leads to the world we know it today.

Everything they touch changes the past and present, and thus creates an alternate timeline that is constantly in flux. The team is present for Lincoln’s assassination, solves crimes with Houdini, and teams up with Bonnie and Clyde, and that’s just to start. The delightful anachronisms caused by the team’s presence at these points in time scandalize and entertain in equal measure.

Next Page