Greatest Time Travel Shows

The complex idea of time travel has long been a concept mined by science fiction storytellers in a variety of mediums. This includes television where a number of classic fan favorites. In this article we will look at the greatest time travel shows to grace our airwaves. While shows like Star Trek and The Twilight Zone have utilized time travel, this article will focus on shows where traveling through time is the core concept.

Doctor Who (1963-1989, 1996, 2005-present): Of course we start with the most obvious entry. What started as a show about an elderly man taking his granddaughter and her teachers on adventures through the past has become a generational television staple. With his/her TARDIS the Doctor has all of time and space to have adventures in with their companions. Initially running for twenty-six years, the series was resurected in 2005 to great success as Doctor Who has evolved beyond a British favorite with an international cult following, to a full-fledged global phenomenon. As we approach six decades and fifteen Doctors, Doctor Who shows no sign of slowing down.

Quantum Leap (1989-1993): In the near future Sam Beckett, steps into the Quantum Leap Accelerator with high hopes for his time travel research. However, things go awry and now he finds himself thrown into the lives of others at key points in their life with the responsibility of ensuring the timeline flows as planned. Assisting him along the way is a scene stealing Dean Stockwell as Al. With each episode Sam Beckett hopes he can finally make the leap to take him home. Despite ending three decades ago, the fandom for Quantum Leap continues to this day and a recent reboot has only added to this.

The Time Tunnel (1966-1967): Created by Irwin Allen who would become one of the most prominent filmmakers of the 70’s thanks to his disaster flicks, this short-lived series was never truly appreciated by studio suits. As part of a government project losing money, Dr. Tony Newman and Dr. Doug Phillips are challenged to demonstrate results. They do just this, and for their trouble end up being flung around in time with each episode. While the Time Tunnel brought in solid ratings, the network was never high on it, and cancelled the show in favor of a long forgotten western series. However, Time Tunnel has continued on the in form of reruns and even a remake in 2006.

Timeless (2016-2018): Another short-lived time travel series that found a devoted cult audience. Needless to say a terrorist who steals time travel technology is cause for alarm, this forces the US government to assemble the team of: historian Lucy, engineer Rufus, and soldier Wyatt. Together, this trio travels across time to fix the timeline and attempt to stop the NSA agent turned criminal Garcia Flynn, Along the way they learn the conspiracy they are involved in goes far deeper than they initially thought. Though the series ended after two seasons, the network gave in to fans and gave Timeless a massive two-part finale to wrap the storyline up.

12 Monkeys (2015-2018): Currently, TV creator Terry Matalas is the toast of fandom thanks to being the showrunner on the absolutely phenomenal final season of Picard. But he cut his teeth as a showrunner on this adaptation of the acclaimed Terry Gilliam movie. In 2015 the Army of the 12 Monkeys will unleash a horrible virus which devastated humanity. In 2043 James Cole is sent back in time as part of a mission to rewrite history and save the planet. From there he assembles a motley team including a pre-Schitt’s Creek Emily Hampshire as a mad math expert. Initially fans and critics were apprehensive about a new take on such a beloved cult classic, but eventually the televised version of 12 Monkeys won over a devoted audience.

Seven Days (1996-2001): A sadly underrated series from the early era of the now defunct UPN channel. Amid the remains of the Roswell crash the National Security Agency discovers the Blackstep Sphere which allows users to travel seven days to the past. This may not sound like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it is enough time to fix a disaster. But with a limited fuel source they have to pick and choose when to interfere with the timeline. Leading the team of soldiers and scientists is the troubled Commander Frank Parker who has to battle h

Russian Doll (2019-present): While being a genre show on Netflix has its cult fandom nervously awaiting the inevitable axe, Russian Doll still stands as a highly entertaining sci-fi/comedy. Leading an incredible ensemble, Natasha Lyonne plays Nadia, a game developer who dies on her 36th birthday…..every night. Stuck in a time loop, (and in season 2 a different time loop) Nadia has to figure out what is going on to break the cycle.