Though the concerted and passionate campaign for a third season of Timeless failed to get the NBC time-travel another run, the show’s fans and its production team were hoping that an alternative could be found that would resolve the dramatic cliffhanger at the end of the recent season, perhaps another network or a final television movie? Despite the logistics and budget for such ‘closure’ often being too prohibitive to make on a practical basis it looks like it’s worked… No network snapped up the rights, but NBC have just confirmed that they will soon be going into production on a two-part television movie that they expect to air at the end of this year.
*Spoilers* The final broadcast episode left regular time-traveller and ‘Lifeboat’ pilot Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) dead back in the San Francisco Chinatown of the 1800s, killed – as prophesised – in a confrontation with the heroes’ nefarious conspirators Rittenhouse – a mission that also left several of Rittenhouse’s lead members no more. But in the closing seconds – and in a dramatic twist – future versions of fellow team-mates Lucy (Abigail Spencer) and Wyatt (Matt Lanter) appeared from the future in a shiny new time-travelling ‘Lifeboat’ to tell their ‘younger’ selves there was still a way to save him. Cue drum-roll and credits… but a real danger it would never be resolved. Thankfully fans will now see how it all works out…
“While we wish we could’ve made another dozen seasons of Timeless, this is the next best thing,” Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke (the show’s executive-producers) said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to take the Lifeboat out for one last spin and bring closure to our story. The studio, network, cast and crew are all doing this for one reason only: the fans. Because they deserve it. Because the fans made this happen and we thank them for their passion, support and helicopters. So? You guys want to get Rufus back or what?”
“We’re excited to tell one final chapter to this incredible story,” said Lisa Katz, the Co-President of Scripted Programming,NBC Entertainment added. “A huge thank you to all – our cast, crew, producers and partners at Sony – who have worked so very hard, and to the fans who kept us on our toes and made sure we did our very best week after week.”
No firm date has been announced for the start of production and the broadcast of the two-parter is scheduled simply for ‘the holidays’, but it appears it’s all systems go for an imminent departure…
