When NBC cancelled Timeless in May, fans and cast members alike took to social media to beg the peacock network to reverse the decision. After three days of protest, NBC made the decision to un-cancel the series and picked Timeless up for a second season that will consist of ten episodes.
Now that months have passed since the decision, the cast and executive producers of Timeless have had time to reflect on the major change in heart by the network. Entertainment Weekly spoke with the cast and executive producers at Comic-Con to reminisce on how they initially reacted to the news. Co-creator and executive producer Eric Kripke revealed what he and Shawn Ryan, who is also a co-creator and executive producer of the series, were doing when they learned the news of the revival. “Shawn and I got the call at 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday,” Kripke revealed. While Kripke was taking his children to soccer practice, Ryan was having a much more relaxing morning. “Shawn was in his Jacuzzi, as he does on Saturday mornings.”
Kripke and Ryan immediately took to social media to share the news. “We called everyone, except one person was getting her beauty sleep,” said Ryan. Abigail Spencer, who plays Lucy Preston, admitted, “I was asleep for all of it.” Malcolm Barrett, who portrays Rufus Carlin on the series, admitted he was late to learning the news because his phone was on airplane mode.
Unlike Spencer and Barrett, series regular Matt Lanter, who plays Wyatt Logan, was eager to get in touch with his co-stars following the good news. “I tried calling Abby because we live somewhat close to each other. I was going to go to her house and do, like, a skit!” Lanter revealed. “She loves skits. Who doesn’t love a good skit?!”
During a panel at Comic-Con, Deadline reported that Kripke further elaborated on learning about the un-cancellation. “I got a call from NBC and they said we made a mistake and we’re picking up the show.” The statement received a large amount of applause from fans that filled up Room 6BCF at the San Diego Convention Center. Kripke then thanked the dedicated fans for their support on social media.
The cast and executive producers kept quiet about spoilers for the upcoming second season, though Ryan said, “We’re at the beginning of the process.” He then added, “We have ideas, nothing set in stone.” Ryan did admit one aspect he’s looking forward to exploring in Season 2. “One thing I’m excited about in Season 2 is that we can dig deeper into the characters.”
A new change that is confirmed for Season 2 is the filming location. Due to the series being awarded a tax credit from California’s $330 million program, filming will now take place in Los Angeles instead of Vancouver. Filming for Season 2 of Timeless is scheduled to begin in November.