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Timeless deserves to be renewed for another season and here’s why

By Kelly Shanaphy

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Timeless is still awaiting news about its fate, but the time-traveling show deserves to be renewed.

Last year, Timeless made history when it was canceled and then renewed a few days later due to a massive fan campaign. Once again, the show finds itself in limbo with viewers still waiting on a decision from NBC.

A major reason for the network to renew the series is because “Chinatown,” doesn’t work as a satisfying conclusion to the story. Like last year, the massive cliffhanger sets up an exciting new story for Timeless to follow. Who doesn’t want to see Lara Croft-Lucy and Nathan Drake-Wyatt become time-traveling vigilantes?

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However, the most upsetting part of the Timeless finale was that shocking death. Since the beginning, Malcolm Barrett’s Rufus has been the heart and soul of the show. It’s doubtful there’s a viewer out there who could stomach an ending where he’s not brought back.

Getting an audience to care so greatly for the characters is something which this NBC show excels at. On a lot of ensemble shows, it’s easy to write off one person as the weak link but the entire time team has a special place in everyone’s hearts. Whether it’s the impulsive Wyatt, the lovable rogue Flynn, the surprisingly tough historian Lucy, or the king of one-liners Rufus, it’s hard not to root for everyone.

Speaking of the cast, it’s rare to have such a diverse roster of characters that never feel forced. No one on the team ever feels like a “token” minority. Audiences like to be represented on screen, and all of the characters do so seamlessly. It’s a huge achievement by Timeless to be able to represent people from all walks of life.

The NBC show also manages to introduce some amazing characters from history. This season had some great additions like Harriet Tubman, Hedy Lamarr, and Wendell Scott. In fact, Timeless has gotten attention from the Smithsonian because of this season. Other time traveling shows have included history but this is the first one that feels truly educational.

Tubman’s arc didn’t focus on her time leading the Underground Railroad, but her tenure as a Civil War spy. Viewers got to learn about NASCAR’s history of bootlegging with Wendell Scott and Lamarr’s underrated inventions. Timeless shined a light on a lot of history which has been overlooked by other shows.

Yet, the series makes sure to never idealize history. The truth is, a lot of terrible stuff happened in the past but it still shaped the future. Timeless has always managed to balance an optimistic tone with a darker one to highlight some problematic periods. Often times, characters like Lucy and Rufus face discrimination in their trips to the past simply because it was a more obvious issue of the time period.

Of course, broadcast television ultimately comes down to ratings. All season long, Timeless has been a bubble show due to lower Nielsen scores. However, the 10 P.M. timeslot on Sunday’s didn’t do the show any favor this year. It’s impressive that the series managed to maintain pretty consistent numbers throughout these past ten episodes.

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So NBC, please renew Timeless for another season. The show is one of the few family-friendly shows left which educates viewers. Any person is able to tune into the series and find something they can relate to. At the very least, allow the fans to get closure with a true series finale.

Do you want to see the series renewed? Sound off in the comments or join the #RenewTimeless campaign on Twitter!

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