With the fate of the series uncertain, fans are wondering if a Timeless season 2 is in the cards for this time travel favorite.
"Timeless is what they call a 'bubble show'," creator and showrunner Eric Kripke said on social media in mid-January, urging Timeless fans to watch the time travel series live. "It may come back next year, it may not." That was weeks ago, just after the show returned from its winter hiatus to a drop of over 25% in total viewers. Since then, the show has hovered around 3 million viewers, a lower mark than it would like.
The show has garnered plenty of critical acclaim, including here at Den of Geek, but its ratings have kept its viewership the lowest of the big networks on Monday night, second only to the CW's Jane the Virgin. With its primo post-The Voice timeslot seemingly guaranteeing a boost of some kind, this circumstance is far from encouraging and has puzzled some network execs.
“We really like it,” NBC Entertainment president Jenifer Salke told Deadline at TCA in January. “I didn’t think it was going to be like This Is Us, but I am a little surprised that it didn’t settle in at a higher number.”
That's not to say fans and Kripke aren't still trying. With a recent guest spot from Misha Collins of Kripke's other creation, the juggernaut Supernatural, the show has reached out to other fanbases. Just before the penultimate episode, in fact, Kripke sent a tweet to encourage the use of the #RenewTimeless hashtag as well as to promote Collins' appearance, and he continues to make appeals to the #spnfamily. His latest tweet encourages fans to stream the show on Hulu as well:
#TimeTeam: we still need your help to #RenewTimeless. Stream below or on #Hulu& tell your friends to. @nbc notices! Please RT. #spnfamilyhttps://t.co/E9SET7oeJF
— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) February 21, 2017
"We need to show NBC that people watch this show, and watch it live," Kripke said in his January missive. "While there's no sure thing, if our ratings maintain or improve, our chances for Season 2 greatly grow." Will Timeless season 2 get its chance? Will an amazing season 1 finale seal the deal? It may be a cliche, but with a time travel show it seems appropriate: only time will tell.