NBC premiered the pilot for its new upcoming show on Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con, and based on the crowd’s reaction, Timeless is sure to be just that.
The pilot episode was shown first, and had fans begging for more by the end of it. The show centers around a group of three people – a history professor (played by Abigail Spencer), a soldier (Matt Lanter), and a programmer (Malcolm Barrett) – who have to use the prototype of a time machine to chase another one that was stolen by a dangerous criminal (Goran Višnjić) who has plans to destroy present-day America by changing the past. The first episode focuses around the Hindenburg disaster, and the group finds out that “making things up as they go” in the past can have dire consequences on the future. Still, they must push on and stop the criminal, traveling to who knows when.
After the screening, the cast and co-creators/executive producers (Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan) took to the stage for a short panel session to discuss the series and production. They teased at the plot of the second episode, saying that it would involve Abraham Lincoln and a “very important day” in 1865.
Spencer’s character, Lucy, will have to deal with the emotional turmoil of finding that her sister Amy has been erased from the timeline, which stresses how the show will not only have kick-ass action, but will really develop the characters into a group fans will love.
They also discussed how the show will allow them to give their take on history, as well as issues like racism, a particularly tricky topic with time travel. Malcolm’s character, Rufus, needs to create a distraction to help the group escape from jail in 1837, so he informs the cop of the “horrors” of what’s to come for racist people like him in the future, handling it in a beautifully hilarious manner.
The cast also shared what years or decades they would like to explore in future episodes. Spencer would like to go back to old Hollywood and Katherine Hepburn years to sneak around on the sets. Lanter said his answer kept changing throughout the day, but then gave the answer of the Last Supper (and added a quip about “13 disciples,” which earned big laughs). Barrett mentioned wanting to do something with music, such as seeing Jimi Hendrix burn his guitar at Woodstock. And finally, Višnjić said he would like to go to the Space Race age of the 1960s and do something with America’s mission in getting to the moon.
The panel wrapped up by talking about how Timeless is a good history lesson and how much they have learned from filming, and how it will be a good way to bring the family together to watch and learn about the past while following the story.
Timeless will premiere on October 3 on NBC.
