Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Time After Time

TIME AFTER TIME












Starring: Freddie Stroma, Josh Bowman, Genesis Rodriguez, Nicole Ari Parker, Jennifer Ferrin, Will Chase

Developed by Kevin Williamson
Written by Nicholas Meyer, Karl Alexander, & Steve Hayes, Directed by Marcos Siega

Once again, I am writing a review of a time travel show. It is certainly one of the major oddities of the 2016-17 season that there were so many shows playing with time travel. And I have said in each one that I find the concept of time travel fascinating. But I may have finally hit my limit.

In a rather preposterous premise, Time After Time starts at a dinner party in Victorian England hosted by H.G. Wells (Freddie Stroma). He shows his dinner guests that he has created a time machine and when police come looking for John Stevenson a.k.a. Jack the Ripper (Josh Bowman), Stevenson hops in the time machine and ends up in present-day New York City followed by Wells. In the current day, Wells begins pursuing Jack the Ripper while working together with museum curator Jane Walker (Genesis Rodriguez) as well as his great granddaughter Vanessa Anders (Nicole Ari Parker).

While I'm still interested in some time travel aspects of this show, I thought this show was a little too absurd. There was a whole lot of cheesiness especially Wells inspecting (and at one point crying) while watching 2017 in action. There was also unnecessary and forced beginnings of love stories. And finally, I just don't buy Josh Bowman as Jack the Ripper. He just didn't seem to be diabolical enough or charming enough to be this charismatic serial killer. Throwing in the fact that he seems to have had no problems adjusting to 2017 while focusing (sort of) on Wells having trouble integrating was an odd inconsistency.

Time travel shows work best when there is a purpose to them and this was seemingly thrown together with a time travel element. I mean, why does a pursuit of Jack the Ripper need to be a show set in 2017 New York City. I almost would have preferred one set back in Victorian England even if they did play with the truth. But instead, we got a silly connection to H.G. Wells and the unnecessary setting of present day. Not that it's going to run forever given its DOA ratings, but I also don't see how this show could have possibly become a long running drama with a seemingly narrow narrative.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
I started the second hour that aired on Sunday night but I'm not even sure I'll finish that.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SEASON IN REVIEW: 2017-18 Miscellaneous Awards

As usual, I am ending the season with a few miscellaneous awards. The blog will be quiet this summer but I will continue to do the week ahead posts with broadcast TV news as it happens this summer. Then I'll be back for previews, pilot reviews, and more in the fall! BEST RETURNING COMEDY Superstore (NBC) - Superstore was awarded my "Best Returning Comedy" last year, but it only got better in season three. The funniest ensemble on TV took another step forward with some truly hilarious moments (the season premiere, the Golden Globes party, and the Christmas episode to name a few) and some major plot points moving forward. It also has the potential to be surprisingly sentimental at times. I think back to the first year of the show and how I felt like it had so many funny elements but didn't always bring it completely together. Well now it does on a weekly basis and it is one of those shows that just seems to be in the sweet spot of what will hopefully be a long run. ...

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Five (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE 1977-1978 27 episodes Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while  Happy Days  does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (27 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (27 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (27 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (27 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  ...

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...