"Time After Time", the '79 time-travel film favorite (see "Time Travel Time #16: Feb '16) has entered the ABC series route, courtesy of Kevin "Scream" Williamson, beginning March 5. This will allow viewers to experience the ongoing adventures of H.G. Wells (Freddie Stroma) as he pursues John Stevenson/Jack the Ripper (Josh Bowman) on a 2017 (or thereabout) trial.
I suspect the series will adapt a predominately "Fugitive" format, as opposed to the frequent time-leaping antics of "Timeless", "12 Monkeys" and "Legends of Tomorrow", though Williamson promises that a quartet of time trips will nonetheless season the flavor. References to "War of the Worlds", "The Invisible Man" and "Island of Dr. Moreau" will also be planted throughout.
In keeping with Nicholas Meyer's film version of Karl Alexander's novel, romance will likely intervene along the fish-out-of-water way between Wells and Genesis Rodriguez's Jane Walker, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, but the cat-and-mouse escapades should remain (fingers crossed) front and center.
The show's time machine should please fans, conveying the expected Victorian, steampunk charm, though it looks more chamber-like than what we've encountered in previous "Time Machine" adaptations, or for that matter, the original "Time After Time". It also appears that the main characters' Victorian behavioral traits will fade as the saga progresses, making them hip and cool, if only in the present sense of such terms.
Comprising the rest of the main cast is Jennifer Ferrin; Nicole Ari Parker; Jordin Sparks; and Will Chase, who surprised his fan base by exiting the popular "Nashville" for this science-fiction, action/adventure endeavor.
Meyer actually wrote the initial half of the two-part opener, which gives this offshoot an immediate air of worth. However, "Time After Time'"s two-hour premiere will compete with AMC's "Walking Dead": not a promising start, but considering that folks these days seem to record everything under the sun, the series could still find its audience. In addition, the Meyer movie has gained a legion of fans over the decades, and with the acclaimed writer/director attached to the series, there's a good chance that many such folks will at least give this extension an honest try.
Nicole Ari Parker's Vanessa Anders, Wells' great great granddaughter, figured into the opener more than I was led to believe. I'm not complaining. It's generally good to inject some originality into a familiar format.
ReplyDeleteThe premiere also entered the hip, cool phase a lot sooner than I'd have expected. I must confess, I prefer the quirky, fish-out-of-water element of the '79 film. That approach feels more realistic to me.
Alas, from what I've read, the premiere's rating weren't so hot. Yeah, it was unwise to place this one against "Walking Dead". My hunch is that the new "Time After Time" will be short lived, but we'll see...
Not surprised by the cancellation. It's a real shame, but the writing was on the wall. ABC wasn't a good fit for this one. Appreciate the attempt in making this a series; just it's too bad it didn't get the chance to prosper on a source not so high brow (ha,ha).
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