Hey, NBC. Come over here for a second. Closer. Yes, closer. Perfect.
So, we need to have a little chat. And by little chat I mean a really important chat that will determine the fate of the thing you have going for you right now, as well as the people that instantaneously recognized just how important and special it is. I’m sure you already know where this is going (and not because you cheated and read the header.)
Stop me if you’ve heard me before — because I’ve no doubt been shouting at you for quite some time now — but we’ve got to talk about Timeless. More specifically, we need to talk about why you haven’t renewed Timeless already.
Because: Why?
Why haven’t you given a third season to one of television’s most brilliant, compelling, inclusive, and heartwarming shows? Why have you renewed something called AP Bio (which apparently consists of a dude deciding students don’t need to learn the importance of science, and is the antithesis of the show I’m about to gush about) over Timeless? Why do you continue to torture us with this anxiety that’s currently burning a hole in my chest? Why do I even need to ask about Timeless getting renewed? It should be a foregone conclusion at this point.
1. It’s the best show on television.
And that’s not hyperbole. Timeless manages to teach us weekly history lessons while giving its flawed characters moments to grow and weaves a complex plot that leaves us breathless. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
2. It’s better than our history teachers.
And this show doesn’t get enough credit for that. Timeless brings us weekly history lessons that expand upon even the most well-known historical moments or figures. More than that, it teaches us moral lessons through history in poignant ways.
3. It’s inclusive.
What a novel concept! A show that manages to reflect the world that we live in? Go figure. Representation is so important. And Timeless understands that.
4. It’s about family.
Again, it reflects the world we live in. Family isn’t defined by blood. That might’ve been in the past, but family is about love. And there’s no one that teaches us more about love than our Time Team.
5. It has strong women.
Who runs Timeless’ world? Girls. From the heroes to the villains, the women are the ones that run this show. And we appreciate just how many strong women we get on this show when most shows don’t even know where to begin. We’re truly blessed.
6. It has well-rounded men.
Well, when they’re not f***king up because, let’s be real, Wyatt and Rufus haven’t had their finest moments this season. But the men on Timeless aren’t your typically unaware and egotistical men that fall into the social trappings of mansplaining and douchebaggery.
7. LYATT.
This ship had our hearts from the pilot. The chemistry is fire. The journey is beautiful. Even the angst is delightful. This is one ship that sails itself.
8. It’s fun as hell.
While it’s easy to get lost in the emotional aspects of this simply breathtaking show, don’t forget that this is a show involving time travel. And while we can get lost in the emotional and gut wrenching moments, this show is fun as hell! (When we’re not busy holding our bleeding hearts in our hands.)
9. Hollywoodland.
Seriously, that’s all that needs to be said.
10. RIYA.
A couple that on any other show wouldn’t get the attention or care that it does on Timeless. And there is not enough thanks for that.
11. It allows its minor characters to shine.
If you’re a minor character, forget about it. You don’t stand a chance of getting your voice heard the way it should. Unless you’re on Timeless. Then you get multiple chances to shine.
12. It can and will wreck you emotionally.
Which might sound like a bad thing, but in television that’s always a good thing. When done right. (And not because it’s just so bad that it makes you weep, like some other shows that shall remain nameless.)
13. It has the most iconic trio on television.
Lucy Preston. Wyatt Logan. Rufus Carlin. Seriously, name a trio more iconic. I’ll wait. Okay, that’s what I thought.
14. It’s more than a television show.
Timeless has transcended art. It’s so much more than an hour on a Sunday night at 10/9c on NBC. It encourages people to embrace who they are, what they believe, and give us hope in mankind.
15. It has the most passionate, deserving fandom.
This fandom deserves everything. It’s so incredibly supportive of the show, its cast, its crew, and (most of the time) the opinions and views of other fans.
16. It embraces fangirling/fanboying.
It’s refreshing to not have a television show mock the fangirls and fanboys that tune into it each week because their passion and love for it is just that great.
17. It has the best cast on this planet.
Seriously, we do not deserve this beautiful, talented, kindhearted, hilarious, and x cast. They appreciate their jobs and fans so much and seem to have just as much fun making this show as we do watching it.
18. Its antagonists are three-dimensional.
It’s not easy to make a good villain. I mean a good villain. One with dimensions. One with believable motivations. One with a layered backstory where fans can sympathize but not necessarily root for them. Good villains.
19. The writing is simply phenomenal.
You really don’t appreciate just how important good writing is in television until you have to deal with multiple seasons of horrific writing in which characters are dragged through the mud. Timeless is near flawless.
20. It doesn’t ignore the past.
History isn’t pretty. And Timeless doesn’t ignore that. It allows Lucy and Rufus (a woman and a black man) multiple opportunities to confront and learn from a grim, cruel history that tells them they’re nothing.
21. Everyone’s a hero.
It’d be easy to focus on the importance of physical superiority and how that translates to “being a hero,” like on superhero shows, but Timeless acknowledges the soul of what it means to be a hero. Whether you’re the gun-wielding badass like Wyatt; whether you’re the incredibly intelligent badass like Lucy; whether you’re the courageous and witty badass like Rufus.
22. It shies away from stereotypes.
This is what historians are like, this is what women in STEM are like, hey, even this is what black men are like – Timeless has no time for stereotypes, because it takes the time to develop real characters in a way that showcases who they are and why they act the way they do.
23. It allows for growth.
Who would have thought we’d be actively rooting for Garcia Flynn after how he behaved in Season 1? But here we are, with a show that didn’t just make this character morally grey, but redeemed him up to a point where we like him, want more of him interacting with other characters, a place where we really, really hope he gets his happy ending: his family.
24. Rufus is not just the comedic relief.
The character of Rufus Carlin is like a precious unicorn that should be protected at all costs. In any other show he’d just be there to make a quip or two, he wouldn’t have any actual character development, he wouldn’t get a romance and he wouldn’t be an equal in the team. But on Timeless, Rufus is the center that must hold, and that’s beautiful.
25. Because it sends the message women can be what they want.
You want to be a historian? That’s amazing! Go, do it. Historians are important and they can save the world. You want to go in STEM? That’s amazing. Go do it. Women in STEM can save the world. You want to go into law enforcement? That’s amazing. Go do it. Women in law enforcement can save the world.
26. You never know what to expect.
We watch a lot of TV and we will admit that we’re rarely shocked by what TV does. And yet, Timeless has managed to surprise us time and time again, by going against trope and the expected. How many shows can say that?
27. It’s different.
How many more cop/doctor dramas do we really need? How many more procedurals? What people need is heartfelt, smart, different television – especially when it’s as good as Timeless.
28. Critics love it.
Shows don’t usually get the kind of universal adoration Timeless has gotten, and when/if they do, it’s cable shows, not network. NBC has one of the best-reviewed shows on TV. It makes no sense to let it go.
29. It’s a female-led show.
Yes, this is in many ways an ensemble show, but the main face on ads and the first name on the call sheet is still a woman. And we don’t have enough female-led shows around.
30. It has a diverse writers room.
How can you tell diverse stories? Well, by allowing diverse writers to share their life experience, and by supporting the vision they want to bring to the screen, even when that vision is not the one you typically see on TV.
31. It doesn’t sugarcoat history.
The show might take artistic liberties sometimes, but it doesn’t fall into the trap of sugarcoating history or pretending sexism and racism weren’t a thing. No, Timeless is here to show you the real history.
32. It has tremendous potential.
A show that gets better with every episode is not the kind of show you want to cancel, but the kind of show you should nurture, and allow to become the best it can be.
33. The Rufus/Mason relationship.
Mason and Rufus, for all the ups and downs of their relationship, have been allowed to develop the kind of loving, supportive, almost father/son relationship that black men rarely get to embody on TV. And we’ve only scratched the surface of what they could be.
34. Agent Denise Christopher.
A LGBTQ+ woman of color with a happy family is a big deal on TV, one that isn’t relegated to the background, but who was the one to actually bring the team together and remains the glue? That’s amazing.
35. Love for this show is international.
Timeless is one of the most international shows there is – which fans all over the globe, fans who sometimes stay up till the middle of the night to catch the latest episode. Now that’s commitment!
36. The Lucy/Jiya friendship.
TV doesn’t have enough female friendships, and it really doesn’t have enough friendships that consist of two women doing more than commiserating about the men in their lives. But Jiya and Lucy have that bond, and we just want a chance to see more of it!
37. The Rufus/Wyatt friendship.
Male friendships are often presented in a way as to make one of the characters feel like the hero and the other one like the sidekick. Not on Timeless. This is a friendship made of equals, and a friendship built on mutual respect and affection.
38. Balance.
You love Lyatt? You’re in for a treat. You love the Time Team? You’re in for a treat? You like Riya? Hey, Timeless has your back. Because this show is not telling just one story, it’s telling a multitude of stories, and they understand that all stories deserve respect.
39. Because they’re not afraid to take risks.
Season 2 has basically been one big risk after another, and as nerve-wracking as that can be as a viewer, it’s also pretty refreshing. No one wants a show that just does the same thing over and over and over.
40. Because they highlight the importance of choice.
Lucy could have been Rittenhouse. By all intents and purposes she should have been. And yet, Lucy made a choice, and Timeless has taken the time to express that we all have a choice about who we become.
41. Because they are not afraid to go deep.
This season has centered around the choice versus fate debate, and Timeless has no shied away from presenting both sides of an argument that likely has no actual answer. It’s for us to decide.
42. Because it will send you on a Google spiral.
Every damn week, as you look up not just the time period, but the historical figures and why they’re important.
43. Because this show has stolen our hearts.
This is the kind of show that comes once in a lifetime, the kind that leaves fans thinking about it even when it’s not on the air, the kind that brings people together to theorize, and to celebrate the good. Don’t take it away from us, NBC. Please.
44. Because we can’t afford to lose it.
After everything Timeless has shown us, how it’s opened our eyes to amazing television and beautiful inclusivity and inspiring messages, this television world just cannot afford to lose a show of this caliber. And neither can NBC.
Timeless‘ two-hour season finale airs at 9/8c on NBC.
