Timeless
Genre
Created by
Starring
ComposerRobert Duncan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerBrad Van Arragon
CinematographySam McCurdy
Editors
  • Debbie Berman
  • David Kaldor
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC

Timeless is an American science fiction drama series, filmed in Vancouver, Canada, ordered by NBC for its 2016–17 television season.[1] It adopts a dystopian theme that revolves around the lives and circumstances of an unusual trio - a history professor (Abigail Spencer), a scientist (Malcolm Barrett) and a soldier (Matt Lanter).They are on a mission to stop Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic), a time-traveling criminal, from changing the course of American History. Also starring Paterson Joseph and Sakina Jaffrey, the series was created by Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke. Executive producers include John Davis and John Fox of The Blacklist. Long considered one of NBC’s hot pilots, it was ordered to series on May 13, 2016, after lengthy negotiations over the series’ in-season stacking rights, which allow a network to stream online all episodes of a series’ current season. The show is also competing with The Good Place, This Is Us and other new upcoming series that NBC has lined up for the 2016-2017 period.[2]

NBC announced that the show will premiere on October 3, 2016 .[3]

Plot

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The unlikely team of history professor Lucy, soldier Wyatt, and scientist Rufus is tasked to stop a time-traveling criminal from rewriting American history.[4] The pilot’s initial stages of narrative progression unravels the backgrounds of the protagonists as a way of introducing the lead characters of the series. The first hour highlights the personal tragedies of the protagonists. Lucy Preston’s primary concern is of her ailing mother. Master Sergeant Wyatt is shown grieving over the recent demise of his wife. Rufus, the scientist who helped develop the time machine, is distressed over the fact that criminal mastermind Garcia Flynn stole his invention.[5]

Premiere of the Series

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[6] A former NSA associate, Garcia Flynn steals a time machine constructed by scientist and engineer, Rufus Carlin. This compels Homeland Security to hire Lucy Preston, Wyatt Logan and Rufus Carlin to track him and his team of associates down in attempt to thwart Flynn from changing the course of American History. They use a prototype to follow him into the events of the past and find him landing on May 6, 1937 – the day of Hindenburg disaster.[7] The trio enter a bar in 1937 and encounter a popular reporter of the time in charge of Hindenburg’s arrival, Kate Drummond.

Wyatt is instantly drawn towards her given she reminds him of his late wife and intends on saving her from the day’s disaster but is admonished if he took any actions as it is forbidden to change any element of the past.[8] Meanwhile, Flynn manages to prevent the disaster from occurring, to the trio’s utter perplexity of his heroic actions.

However, it dawns upon Lucy that his true motive lies in destroying Hindenburg’s departure flight upon which significant figures that were important in setting the foundation of American history were to board. Nonetheless, in the midst of chaos and confusion, the team of three get arrested. Fortunately, Rufus distracts the police officers while Wyatt uses the underwire of Lucy’s bra to break them out of jail.[5]

Upon escaping, they reach the scene where Flynn’s ploy was set to unfold. Lucy and Rufus impersonate the Anarchist Black Cross members and command the ship to remain grounded while Wyatt is occupied with diffusing the bomb. The trio was able to prevent Flynn from setting the flight ablaze but unfortunately resulted in a few casualties, the most prominent one being Kate Drummond who was collateral damage during a showdown between Flynn and Wyatt.[8]

The pilot’s cliffhangers are as follows:

Flynn informs Kate of her connection to the situation she has been placed in and alludes to the fact that there was a reason as to why she was selected for the mission.

Meanwhile, Rufus is shown to be secretly recording the activities of Lucy and Wyatt throughout the course of the trip and reporting back to his boss.

By the end of episode, the trio return to present time only to discover that Lucy’s ailing mother was now perfectly healthy and alive, her sister has been erased and she is engaged.

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Goran Visnjic as Garcia Flynn, a master criminal who steals a time machine with the intention of changing American history.[9] He was approached by series creators Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke to play the antagonist. He was their first choice to cast for Garcia Flynn.[10]
  • Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston.[11] After having seen her performance in “Mad Men” and in an unaired pilot directed by his friend Lesli Linka Glatter, Shawn Ryan wrote Lucy Preston with her in mind. This is her first lead role.[12]
  • Matt Lanter as Wyatt Logan.[13][14] Former 90210 star was cast after Ryan and Eric watched his Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Commander in Chief[15].
  • Malcolm Barrett as Rufus.[16] Barrett was not expecting to partake in a historical adventure show until Ryan and Kripke offered him the part of Rufus. He based his decision to emulate Rufus Carlin upon encountering the creators’ previous projects, namely The Shield, Terriers and Supernatural[17].
  • Sakina Jaffrey as Agent Denise Christopher[18]
  • Paterson Joseph as Mason Lark[16]

Guest

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Production

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Conception

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Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke, creators and show runners of the series, expressed that science fiction and drama were their primary genres of preference to construct another world to introduce a new production.[22] Sources of inspiration were Quantum Leap, Back to the Future and Voyagers. These shows depicted a rather simplistic rather than complex narrative structure with more emphasis on character development and the capacity of drama. They claim there is no hard and fast rule that governs narrative structures for the concept of time travel – it doesn’t necessarily need to adopt a twisted, mind-boggling storyline.[22]

Lawsuit over Conception

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Timeless creators, Ryan and Kripke, Sony pictures and NBCUniversal are being sued by a Spanish production house called Onza Entertainment on the grounds of copyright infringement.[23] The suit was filed upon the claim that the concept of the series was stolen from the original Spanish production El Ministerio del Tiempo (The Department of Time). The Spanish series format follows the adventures of a three-person team comprising two male and one female leads, traveling through time to the past in the hope that the courses of past events are not altered.[24]

Sony and NBCUniversal are not providing any insight into the matter due to pending litigations. Onza Entertainment’s 19-page lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for Central California. Onza’s associate, Gonzalo Sagardia, claims they approached MIP-TV in April 2015 with the concept format.[25] Executives of Onza Entertainment then scheduled a meeting with TV lit head Roy Ashton and Gersh partner to pitch an American version of the series. Conditions were based upon the following: a) upon Ashton’s approval of the American rendition of the Spanish conception, he would search his U.S. network for contacts who will assist Onza on their endeavor to create an American series and b) the DVD would be used for no other purposes.[25]

Ashton recommended American writers/producers Ben Edlund and Eric Kripke for Onza’s series showrunners.[24] Later, Onza’s representatives negotiated for an American format of the new narrative and ensured to touch base with and update Ashton on the progress. The suit also claims that the Gersh partner assured Sagardia of Ashton having learned of the original idea being discussed between Edlund and Kripke.[26] By the end of July 2015, Sony approved production of the program and provided Onza terms and conditions in addition to an 18-month option. Additionally, the suit includes that towards the end of August 2015, a project previously named Time was sold to NBC by Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke.[24] This newly emerged project underwent a set of terms, conditions, copyrights and deals with Sony pictures entertainment and were approved for a pilot (recently released on October 2016) by January 2016.[3]

As per Deadline Release, shortly after the pilot was given the green signal to function in full-swing production, creators Ryan and Kripke constructed a narrative structure for the plot and characters for Time. Allegedly, Sony rejected the negotiations initially agreed upon with Onza entertainment with regards to the American version of El Ministerio del Tiempo. After Time was confirmed for a pilot pick-up in January 2016, it was renamed as Timeless for the series order.[23] The lawsuit names Kripke and John Davis from Sony (Davis Entertainment) as defendants and are being sued on grounds of copyright and contract violations.[23]

Music

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Timeless Trailer/Promo

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Eve of Destruction – J2 feat. Lola[27]

S01E01 – Episode 01 – Pilot

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Mess Around[27]Cage the Elephant

Eeny Meeny Miney Mo[27]Billie Holiday

Wish You Were Here[27]Audrey Assad

S01E02 – Episode 02 – The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

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Mad World - ADLT[27]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"[28]Neil MarshallEric Kripke & Shawn RyanOctober 3, 2016 (2016-10-03)101N/A
2"The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln"[29]UnknownUnknownOctober 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)102N/A

Reception

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Ratings

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Viewership and ratings per episode of Anushkabg/sandbox
No. Title Air date Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)
1 "Pilot" October 3, 2016
2 "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" October 10, 2016

Critical Reception

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References

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  1. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 28, 2016). "NBC Orders Drama Series Timeless from Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan". Variety. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Petski, Denise (May 15, 2016). "NBC's New Series Trailers: 'The Good Place', 'Timeless', 'This Is Us'". Deadline. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Thomas, Kaitlin (June 15, 2016). "Here's When All NBC's Fall Shows Will Premiere". TV Guide. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  4. ^ "Timeless: Don't Think Too Hard About NBC's New Time Travel Series". TVGuide.com. September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  5. ^ a b June (October 3, 2016). "'Timeless' Recap: 'Pilot,' Season 1, Premiere Episode". Empty Lighthouse Music & Arts Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  6. ^ Gelman, Vlada; Gelman, Vlada (October 4, 2016). "Timeless Premiere: Will Your Future Self Tune in for More of the NBC Drama?". TVLine. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "May 6, 1937 – The Hindenburg Disaster". Airships.net: A Dirigible and Zeppelin History Site. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "'Timeless' Premiere Recap: TV's Latest Time-Travel Show Kicks Off With an Explosive First Episode". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 9, 2016). "Goran Visnjic To Co-Star In NBC's Time Travel Pilot From Eric Kripke & Shawn Ryan". Deadline.com.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 9, 2016). "Goran Visnjic To Co-Star In NBC's 'Time' Travel Pilot From Eric Kripke & Shawn Ryan". Deadline. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  11. ^ "Rectify's Abigail Spencer to Star in NBC's Time Travel Drama Pilot From Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan". TVLine. February 17, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  12. ^ "How Abigail Spencer Nails It Every Time". Backstage.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  13. ^ "Matt Lanter To Star In NBC's Time Travel Pilot From Eric Kripke & Shawn Ryan". Deadline.com. February 29, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  14. ^ "Pilot News: Matt Lanter Finds Time, Once Vet Lands Kicker and More". TVLine. February 29, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  15. ^ "Wyatt Logan - NBC.com". NBC. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Time: Paterson Joseph & Malcolm Barrett Cast In NBC Drama Pilot". Deadline.com. March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  17. ^ "'Timeless' Interview: Malcolm Barrett on the Effects of Time Travel, Rufus' Journey and More". Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  18. ^ "Sakina Jaffrey Cast In NBC Pilot Time; Lilah Richcreek Joins Vladimir Caamaño Project". Deadline.com. March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  19. ^ "My Time/Your Time CBS Comedy Pilot Casts Utkarsh Ambudkar; Claudia Doumit In NBC's Time". Deadline.com. February 26, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  20. ^ "Sean Maguire cast as Ian Fleming". Entertainment Weekly. August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  21. ^ "Shantel VanSanten". Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. October 4, 2016.
  22. ^ a b "Timeless Interview: Producers Shawn Ryan & Eric Kripke". Slashfilm. October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  23. ^ a b c Pedersen, Erik (September 28, 2016). "'Timeless' Creators Shawn Ryan & Eric Kripke Sued Over "Ripped Off" Format". Deadline. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  24. ^ a b c Mitovich, Matt Webb; Mitovich, Matt Webb (September 28, 2016). "NBC's Timeless Sued by Creators of Spain's El Ministerio del Tiempo". TVLine. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  25. ^ a b "In a Tale As Old As Time, Timeless Creators and NBC Are Sued for 'Ripping Off' the Show's Format". Vulture. September 28, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  26. ^ "'Timeless' Creators Being Sued for Infringement by Spanish Producer | Cultjer". Cultjer. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  27. ^ a b c d e "TIMELESS (Season 1) - Song/Music List". Soundtracks Songs Lyrics. September 23, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  28. ^ "(#101) "Pilot"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  29. ^ "(#102) "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
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