Timeless: Could the NBC show return for another trip in the Lifeboat?

Could Timeless take another trip on the Lifeboat?

The series finale for the underrated time-travel show aired last night but fans already want to know if the show could return one day. It’s a valid question because Timeless has defied cancellation in the past. After NBC canceled the series after season one, they changed their mind only a few days later. When it got the ax in season two, passionate fan campaigns once again managed to get this movie greenlit. With that in mind, could the show ever return?

Caution: Spoilers below for the Timeless movie wrap-up “The Miracle of Christmas Parts 1&2”. 

In an interview with Deadline, co-creator Shawn Ryan did talk about the possibility of coming back for another run.

"“Listen, if I could choose my own path, it’d be great to be able to revisit the show every two or three years with a movie or a little four to six-episode arc. I would definitely be all in for that. We know the realities when you don’t have the actors under contract. All the actors love doing this, and if we were able to figure out the scheduling for this and maybe we’d be able to do it.”"

The Timeless finale did leave the door open for the show to pick up again with more stories to tell. While the characters all got their happy endings, the teaser at the end showed a teenage girl inventing a time machine of her own. A new generation is entering the time race, just as a new generation of viewers will begin to watch as the show hits a streaming service. Ryan himself also thinks streaming views will help interest in the series grow over time.

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"So when you’ve cheated extinction twice, there’s always something in the back or your mind, thinking that maybe you can cheat it again. So that’s why I refuse to talk about this as definitively finite, this-is-the-end terms, because our fanbase is so rabid…and I think it’s growing as people discover the show on Hulu and on nbc.com, as word of mouth spreads. I do think that there’s something in the air."

It wouldn’t be the first time a series has gained popularity well after it’s been canceled. This is also the golden age of revivals, with shows like Fuller House, Twin Peaks, Murphy Brown, Will & Grace, and Veronica Mars have all returned. Timeless has done a lot in its two seasons, with the show hitting a creative streak in season two. As new fans begin to check out the show, there will always be hope it can return.

Ryan also thinks the show could return in another format than just television. Other genre shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grimm, Firefly, and many others have returned as comic books.

"My brother, his stepdaughter is going to a college, and he wrote me that, “Oh, they’re teaching a history class based around Timeless,” at a college. And I was like, “That’s amazing.” When things like that happen, you feel like, “Oh, there’s something in the air, and maybe this show will live in some form or another.” Maybe it’s a comic book, a podcast, radio show — who knows? I have no idea what it might be, but it feels like the universe of Timeless doesn’t necessarily have to end tonight."

The fan campaign to keep the show going still hasn’t given up. It’s a small but passionate group, who are the ones to thank for the finale in the first place. The same day ratings for Timeless are also in, and while the numbers aren’t wild, they also aren’t bad. According to Hollywood Reporter, the show pulled in a 0.6 in the 18-49 age range and 3.22 million viewers. Already higher than the season two numbers, it does seem like more people are beginning to check out the show already.

Do you want to see Timeless return? Be sure to tell us in the comments below!