Timeless has come to an end. On Thursday night, the NBC show aired its two-hour finale in a Christmas special, meant to answer questions to the many cliffhangers that were left after season 2. But fans are still wondering why the show was canceled.
While NBC has never talked about why Timeless was canceled, there are a few things that could have led to the cancelation. For one, the ratings were not outstanding. That’s not to say that a show can’t continue with mediocre ratings, but it may not have been enough for NBC.
When Timeless was canceled after the first season, the show averaged 1.2 in the key adults 18-49 demo. They also managed 5 million total viewers, and the season two finale got an increase in viewership.
Three days after NBC announced that the show would be canceled after the first season on May 10, 2017, the network negotiated with Sony Pictures Television to keep the show on the air, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A 10-episode second season was ordered. But a year later, NBC pulled the plug on the show again. At the time, NBC was willing to wrap up the show with a special episode – the two-hour finale, which aired last night.
As previously reported by Monsters & Critics, the news of the cancelation was already confirmed months ago. The cast members expressed disappointment but returned to film the last two episodes to give fans some closure.
Another reason why NBC didn’t want to continue with Timeless could also be a lawsuit. According to TV Line, NBC and Timeless creators were sued by the producers of Spain’s time-travel series, El Ministerio del Tiempo.
The defendants responded to the lawsuit, saying that time-travel is nothing new in the television world. As of last February, Sony tried to get the lawsuit dismissed, but the notion was denied. In May 2017, the lawsuit was settled.
At present time, Timeless remains canceled with no plans of reviving the show.