The Time Team is getting a proper send-off!
Timeless fans have been heard!
On Tuesday, it was announced that NBC’s time-travel drama has been uncanceled for a second time for a special two-part series finale that will air during the holidays for its loyal fans. The news comes after heavy lobbying from the show’s diehard fans -- and the show's cast and producers -- for another season.
“While we wish we could’ve made another dozen seasons of Timeless, this is the next best thing,” creators Shawn Ryan and Eric Kripke 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?”
The two-part finale will give Ryan and Kripke the chance to end the story on their own terms, especially after the jaw-dropping season two finale cliffhanger. As fans know, the team was forced to say farewell to Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) who seemingly died in 1880s Chinatown as they worked to rescue Jiya (Claudia Doumit). Then, when the rest of the Time Team returned to the bunker, another time machine suddenly appeared, revealing Lucy (Abigail Spencer) and Wyatt (Matt Lanter) from the future.
Despite the shocking cliffhanger, the show was canceled again. But, just as news was breaking that the show was getting its series finale, Barrett took to Twitter to share a fun video in which he looks as though he’s packing for a trip. Afterward, he asks fans, “You guys ready to get me back or what? Timeless is back.”
ET spoke with Lanter before the season ended and he was candid about the future of the show. "I don't know that we're going to get 'back from the dead' that we got last year. I think if it's over, it's over. Our fans really need to show up," he said in early May. "If you love Timeless, get your friends, your family, everybody to watch live and jump in. Show up for these last three episodes and we'll get a season three."
A wrap-up movie would seem ideal, as the season two finale left us with huge unanswered questions when the Time Team said goodbye to Rufus and the future versions of Lucy and Wyatt were introduced. The twist was two seasons in the making. (Timeless writers posted the original final scene from the pilot that was ultimately cut, where future Lucy was seen lurking in the background.)
"What you see at the end of the finale was pitched to me in my meeting when Shawn and Eric asked me to play the part, so it's been two seasons of getting to that moment," Spencer told ET in May. "That was the sadness of when we got canceled [last year] was, 'But there's something really good coming!' That's just the heartbreak of narrative storytelling."
Get more details on Timeless in the clip below.
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