Ah, September.
The time where we start getting out favorite sweaters out, sip apple cider (or pumpkin spice lattes if you’re a coffee fan), and look forward to the return of our favorite shows.
The trend for shows to feature time travel have waned over the last couple of years but nevertheless, I have a full lineup to discuss with you today.
We’ll start with Network, go to premium channels, and then move on to the streaming services.
General spoiler warning ahead. If it’s been reported on, I might comment on it during this article.
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Manifest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwc27Lsr1EY?rel=0
I decided to kick this off with NBC’s freshman drama because I have to admit, I’m extremely intrigued by the concept. Take a look at the official description:
“When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. But in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years – and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible.”
It seems like this mystery is a mix of how they managed to travel in time and weird things to happen around them.
Out of all the new shows premiering this Fall, this is the one that has caught my interest the most. And not just because it features a time travel related mystery.
Manifests stars: Josh Dallas, Melissa Roxburgh, J. R. Ramirez, and Athena Karkanis.
You can catch it on Monday, September 24th. But, in the meantime, check the out the entire first act below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScHuEYxcG7E?rel=0
2. The Flash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oOTUP-Hpx4?rel=0
I made it no secret that I wasn’t the biggest fan of The Flash’s fourth season. I will admit that the cliffhanger did intrigue me.
It turns out that Nora Allen, Barry and Iris’ daughter from the future has somehow managed to get herself stuck in the past and needs their help to return to her own time. From what we know, Nora is from about 30 years in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lxncrmX_tU?rel=0
Cecile, Ralph, and Nora join Team Flash as main cast mates joining everyone else.
And of course, we will get new versions of Wells from the amazing Tom Cavanagh. Honestly, just the way he manages to do them (sometimes multiple versions in the same episode) is one of my favorite things about the show.
The big bad will be Cicada, played by Chris Klein.
Check out season 5 of The Flash on Tuesday, October 9th.
3. Supergirl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw30raSbrhE?rel=0
Supergirl is moving to Sunday nights this Fall which is an unusual move for CW who tends to keep their superhero shows to primetime weekend nights. Depending on the time slot, it may be on at the same time as Doctor Who (more on that below).
Winn will no longer be a series regular having been demoted to a recurring character (Jeremy Jordan is performing in American Son on Broadway this Fall). Instead, Brainiac 5 will become a series regular.
We don’t know a lot about the big bad for this season. We’ve heard of some characters that will be appearing. There was this interesting bit at the end of the season 3 finale that I’m curious how it will play out in the upcoming season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG90eknQuxM?rel=0
Superman will return during the crossover and we’ll even meet Lois Lane.
You can find out what the Girl of Steel when she returns on Sunday, October 14th. Check out the new trailer for the premiere!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=29&v=wyswYomalVo
4. Legends of Tomorrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoSjI3N3_rA?rel=0
This one is actually a birthday present to me, returning the day before my birthday on Monday, October 22nd.
Out of the Arrowverse shows I watch, this one had the strongest season last year. It kept my interest, made me laugh, and really didn’t take itself too seriously which is what it does best.
What do we know about Season 4?
We know Constantine is joining the team as a series regular. We know Ada has been promoted as well as Nora Darhk.
Sadly, there will be no Rip this season. But even though he sacrificed himself to help them stop Mallus, the writers haven’t ruled out his eventual return yet. Just not right now.
Amaya’s actress will return playing a new character which might prove interesting to the team who just said goodbye to her.
5. Supernatural
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHW0RkFStng?rel=0
Supernatural earned its spot on the list purely due to speculation on my part. With Jensen Ackles leaving Dean behind for now and playing Michael, Angels may come to the forefront of the season.
When that happens, that’s when we usually get a time travel episode so I won’t be entirely surprised to see it happen.
Season 14 is only going to be 20 episodes, something new they’re trying. Jared Padalecki says that that doesn’t mean the show is going to end, rather it’s for the actors all of which have small kids.
We’ll see how Ackles takes to his new role when Supernatural returns on Thursday, October 11th.
6. The Orville
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lavy7qZ1aoo?rel=0
Fox renewed The Orville for a second season but announced it would be premiering late on Sunday, December 30th. The rest of the season (13 episodes) will premiere in 2019.
Seth MacFarlane has teased that there will be a lot of variety in this second season. He does want to include more science fiction elements.
It looks like all of the main crew will be returning for the season.
7. Agents of Shield
This one officially earned its spot on the list after the time travel filled season 5 (post coming soon). It seems that the Agents have averted the distopian future they found themselves in during the first half of the season.
But, how will the events of Infinity War (which the last few episodes of the season subtly referenced) affect the team.
We may not find out. Agents of Shield will not return until midseason though I’ve heard that it might actually be next summer after Avengers 4 premieres.
As we wait, here’s a scene from midway through last season, in which Fitz discovers evidence of time travel…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wANU-gnDfjk?rel=0
8. Timeless
This show doesn’t seem to be able to end. It’s not been cancelled twice and manages to return. But I think once it airs one last TV movie, we will finally say goodbye to this one.
Not many details exist yet on the movie, but we’ll be keeping an eye on it. I expect it may air sometime next year. Season 2 ended on a major cliffhanger, so most likely the conclusion will follow from there. Rufus has been killed during their last trip to the past, and as the team struggles to come to terms with that reality, they receive an unexpected visit…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O-R1ykKgno?rel=0
9. Outlander
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUxrcpg2l4w?rel=0
Claire and Jamie return for season 4 of the hit Starz show and this time, we find them in the New World.
On top of the fact that Claire is from post World War 2 England, it seems like there might be an extra element of time travel in the upcoming season. The trailer shows her finding a skeleton with silver fillings, something that won’t be invented for another 100 years.
Who did it belong to? How did they get there? Is Claire right and it’s a warning?
Hopefully Outlander will answer all these questions when it returns on November 4th.
10. Milo Murphy’s Law
It seems like nothing can quite go right for poor Milo but in the case of getting renewed, it did. Season 2 will premiere in early 2019 and feature a crossover with Phineas and Ferb.
Besides the crossover, there aren’t a lot of details yet, but it does promise to be quite fun. Time travel is more of a background story in the show, with Milo unaware of Cavendish and Dakota’s (the temporal agents) activities for much of the show. Here’s a non-Milo clip featuring the time agents…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GswnLeemiLY?rel=0
11. Doctor Who
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEc-OQ_oqDk?rel=0
Had I published this article a week ago, I wouldn’t have been able to give you some of the information we now have.
Doctor Who FINALLY announced the debut of Jodie Whitaker’s Doctor. Doctor Who moves to a new day and will premiere on Sunday, October 7, 2018.
With a ten episode season, there wont’ be much of a gap before the Christmas special.
Not much is known. She has three companions: Ryan, Yasmin, and Graham. The premiere episode is called “The Woman Who Fell To Earth.”
Beyond that, there’s speculation about what a few episodes will hold but the BBC is being rather tight lipped about the season.
I guess we’ll see next month.
12. Future Man
Josh Hutcherson returns to this Hulu original series with a second season. Beyond that, not much else is known. We’re looking at a late 2018 to early 2019 release. As we ended the first season, Josh Futterman has been tried and convicted as a terrorist, having blown up a building in his efforts to save the future. He’s relatively happy in prison, since now he’s free from the demands of the future placed on him. Until…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSH9W0ISn8U?rel=0
13. Travelers
Some of these don’t have a lot of details and Travellers is that way. With a possible premiere date of December 2018, we may hear something soon?
While we don’t have many clues about what’s coming next, let’s look back at how the season 2 ended. The team from the future have inhabiting the bodies of people in the past, and the family members of those lucky bodies have gone through hell because of it. They’re not too happy with their “loved one”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtRCWC9m8GQ?rel=0
14. Dark
Dark seemed to be what everyone needed last year after people binge-watched Stranger Things. It was renewed for a second season that will air sometime in 2019.
As we ended Season 1, Jonas wakes up to finds that he unknowingly has traveled in time – not to 1986 or 1953, as have other characters in the series, but to a dark, militaristic future. Since time leaps in the show seem to come in 33 year increments, perhaps this is 2052? 2085? Perhaps we’ll learn in Season 2.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar2DXXsqLx4?rel=0
15. Star Trek Discovery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDIlBDRkPDI?rel=0
After a couple of episodes that involved time travel last season, the CBS All Access show has shown that it won’t completely rule it out.
One thing that could potentially involve time travel is the return of Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz). Cruz took to social media to say he was returning to film season 2.
The new season is going to heavily feature Section 31, who first appeared in Deep Space 9.
And that’s your time travel television preview! What shows are you looking foward to the most?
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Hi, Mary Helen!
Nicely written!
From the new shows, I’m looking forward to Manifest. Yes, I worry that it’ll turn into a soap, but I have high hopes that they’ll do a good job bringing the how question to the forefront. Is there a natural explanation? Is it a divine act? Aliens? (That would be a cop-out.)
I binge watched the fifth Season of S.H.I.E.L.D. in July. I like the thought that somewhere in outer space lies Fitz in suspended animation. Deke must still be around: Fitz and Simmons both should have realized that there is no consistent scenario in which he “blinks out”. Meaning that either there is one self-consistent timeline (whatever happened this time around happened last time, too) or they have all (including Deke) crossed to an alternate timeline. I shall watch Season 6.
But the returning show that I’m most looking forward to is The Orville. That’s a little surprising because the lead-up to Season 1 turned me off completely. But somehow, the whole thing worked both as a homage to Star Trek and some reasonable sf, too. (And time travel, of course.)
Two other shows: It looks like the third season of The Good Life might start off with a bit of time travel and a reset for the main characters. And I’m hoping that we’ll get another installment of the U.S.S. Callister on Black Mirror. That episode had time travel. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Also looking forward to watching Season 1 of Future Man. I’m a bit behind the times there.
All good things,
Michael