But what about Rufus? This is bad news for Timeless fans — for a second consecutive year, NBC has canceled the time-travel series. This time, NBC postponed the renewal decision until after th…
I questioned whether or not I was going to type anything up about the Timeless cancellation, but since I had been posting about it while we waited for news I thought it’d be a little weird if I didn’t respond to NBC finally making a damn decision.
I’m going to preface this by saying this is not a “Ra-ra let’s save our show!” post and if that’s the frame of mind you’re in then it’s probably better to bypass this one. I just need to purge my thoughts because this show’s fate has consumed my brain for too long. I’m hoping some of this will comfort some fans, but I also recognize that I’ll probably tick some people off too.
This sucks. Plain and simple. I am so sorry Clockblockers. This one hurts and I know so many of you worked tirelessly on Twitter tweeting your support for the show. I don’t want anyone to think the reason Timeless didn’t get renewed is because the fandom didn’t do enough or there wasn’t enough fan support online. That’s not what happened. Fans did absolutely everything they could and, in my opinion, went above and beyond for this show.
I know networks love to say “fans saved the show” but one of my problems with that statement is implies it’s somehow the fans’ fault if a show is not “saved.”
This always boils down to money. I know many of you are probably thinking “duh” right now and I also recognize that attitude sounds very cynical. But the thing is... I am very cynical about this particular topic.
Networks enjoy looking like the fairy godmother when they choose to renew bubble shows or pick up cancelled ones and always credit the fans for saving it. It sounds better than “We can still make money off this show.” And sure, fans do have impact. Social media does have impact. Buzz matters. To deny that is silly and ignores the evolving way a show’s success is measured. That said, I firmly believe fan support is seldom, if ever, the deciding factor. Networks do not renew unprofitable shows because fans like it or are vocal online. There is no difference between Timeless fans, Brooklyn 99 fans or Lucifer fans. In my opinion, Timeless had the most vocal and longest running campaign. And yet here we are. But don’t feel bad Clockblockers. This wasn’t in our control. It’s not our fault.
Am I mad? Eh. Not really. It’s more sad for me at this point. I was so fed up with the never ending vortex of NBC’s indecision that I’m almost relieved we are out of it. Why do I think it took so long? I do think NBC and Sony were trying to make a deal. I don’t think they were at the table every day, but I want to believe the back and forth was ongoing until the decision was made. I also think Sony and creators were trying to make deals with other networks or streaming companies. I also think NBC was trying to wait out fans and let the roar of support die down online. #dicks
One of my frustrations with the Timeless renewal last year was I felt the announcement and subsequent story surrounding the renewal was a lot of PR fluff. It was a great story saying fans saved the show in three days, but what didn’t get reported on very much at the time is that after NBC canceled Timeless, Sony came back to the table with a very big check. Sony owned Timeless and NBC paid a licensing fee to air it. In order to secure a second season, Sony gave NBC 50% ownership of Timeless. Then, they cut production costs by A LOT and the show benefited from a land tax credit. That’s how the show was made profitable again. That’s how NBC and Sony made the deal last year.
I feel like I read somewhere that NBC’s 50% of the profits was advertising, while Sony’s piece of the pie was streaming rights and international sales. Don’t quote me on that though. I’ve been researching and reading on Timeless for a loooong time, primarily because this stuff interests me, but articles are starting to muddle together. However, if that is accurate, that could explain why NBC was so focused on live ratings.
Yes, I know the Nielson system is archaic, but it’s the system we got. The Big Four are becoming less dependent on advertising for profits because people are not watching as much live TV anymore. Everyone has had to branch out and find other ways to make money (Hello streaming). However, live ratings still determine ad buy rates and advertising is still the primary source of income for network television. (I do not include the CW in this. They have a different business model.) When a show drops 40% in live ratings it means the network cannot charge Tide as much to air a commercial. This makes the show less profitable and renewal less likely. It is always about the money. Again, I’m sure many of you are saying “duh” but I appreciate you allowing me to purge.
Not that NBC did much to help Timeless succeed their second season. They put a family friendly show on at 9c/10 pm on Sunday night. There was a long break in between Season 1 and Season 2. NBC did very little to promote Timeless’ return and that continued while the show aired. So, it’s not all that shocking ratings dropped another 40%. I wouldn’t be surprised if 40% of the audience didn’t even know the damn show was on again. I don’t know why networks set up their own shows to fail, but they do. And by networks I mean NBC and Fox.
Networks are also moving away from airing shows owned by other networks. The predominant trend is to air shows produced in house. NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox all have their own production studios. Sony has their own production studio but they don’t have a network to air their shows. So, Sony is struggling to sell shows right now. A lot of their pilots were not picked up for the 2018-2019 season. There’s a lot of factors I’m sure, but I think licensing fees are at play. People aren’t watching live TV as much anymore and therefore networks are not able to charge advertisers as much. If the profitability potential is less from the outset then networks want a bigger piece of the pie. So, instead of paying extremely expensive licensing fees they are simply airing shows they own. This is just my theory. My point is simply Timeless had an uphill battle that wasn’t necessarily all about ratings.
I’ve been seeing a lot of comparisons between the shows that were renewed or “saved” versus the ones that were cancelled. I think this is always a slippery slope because these are not apples to apples comparisons. The one I am hearing a lot about is Brooklyn 99, so I’ll just quick toss out my thoughts on that. Brooklyn 99 aired on Fox, but NBC owned the show. NBC sold Brooklyn 99 to Fox before Andy Samberg (their big SNL star) joined the pilot. Greenblatt said he regretted letting the show get away. So, the way I look at it Brooklyn 99 was never canceled. NBC was going to pick it up. They were just waiting to pounce.
Do I think Timeless will get picked up by another network or streaming company like Netflix or Hulu? I was very hopeful of that while we waited to hear on NBC’s decision. To be honest, I’ve always thought Timeless would be a better fit on Amazon or maybe even the History Channel. It works great as short episode series similar to The High Castle (which airs on Amazon). Hulu also owned the streaming rights to Timeless, so I thought it’d be an easy pick up for them too.
Yeah. I was wrong. I have very little hope of that now. The biggest shock to me wasn’t Timeless’ cancellation. I was anticipating that. The biggest shock was the talk of the two hour movie by Kripke and cast. It seems the two hour movie is Timeless’ best bet, which means the creators and Sony have already reached out to other networks and streaming sites like Amazon, Hulu and Netflix and were turned down. Even the movie sounds like a long shot.
Sony and the creators are encouraging fans to campaign again only to direct their efforts at Hulu and Netflix now.
Yeah, this annoyed me. It’s not like the Clockblockers’ efforts were secret while they campaigned loudly at NBC to pick up the show. Hulu and Netflix can see the online chatter just like everyone else. If the fan enthusiasm wasn’t “enough” to convince them Timeless is worth picking up, I don’t understand how tweets directed at Hulu and Netflix are suddenly going to change their mind. This is the disingenuous part of the “fans can save the show” for me. Whatever numbers Hulu and Netflix had is what made them pass on show. It sucks but it is what it is.
Before anyone starts yelling “Yeah but what about Lucifer?” at me - I don’t know what numbers these streaming companies look at. However, Netflix already has a deal with the WB which owns Lucifer. My bigger point is, Kripke wouldn’t be talking a two hour movie if the streaming company options hadn’t already been exhausted.
Would I love to be wrong? YES. Maybe they are trying to keep the buzz going to get the two hour movie made, but again I don’t think “buzz” will be the deciding factor with that either. Maybe the streaming websites left the door open and the creators & Sony are trying to capitalize on it. I don’t know. But at this point I am tired of seeing these people get the fans’ hopes up by selling this illusion of control. There’s very little in fans’ control. Yes, I acknowledge again this sounds cynical but I’ve danced this dance too many times. I’m old, tired and cynical about this process. I’m okay with it. If you are not - FANTASTIC. Do your thing. This isn’t a post telling fans to stop campaigning. This is just me... venting.
This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the quality of Timeless. It was a great show. It checked off so many boxes. Funny, socially aware and relevant, amazing cast chemistry, wonderful ships (no matter which one you loved), historically accurate and informative (you LEARNED watching this show), emotional and so much more. I wanted more seasons.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that we get a movie because I HATE when shows end on a cliffhanger. There should be a law against writing cliffhangers for shows on the bubble. The writers always think the cliffhanger will stop the executives at the network from canceling the show and it never does.
Alright enough ranting. Whatever the business reasons or factors that went into this decision in the end it doesn’t really matter. It still sucks. But I guess the way I’m looking at all of this is Season 2 was a bonus for me and I’m thrilled we got it. Timeless was an amazing show that I will miss and it will join the long list of shows I have loved and were canceled long before they should have been. Mostly I’m just thankful to the cast and crew for the many hours of entertainment.
Hi there, Clockblockers -- hope you’re having a swell day so far. Got a minute? We’d love to chat!
By now, it’s no surprise to anyone that Timeless ratings are crucial, and for those who are still not aware the show has been renewed. We’re two episodes in and it’s as amazing as ever, get on it and start watching. But in spite of its renewal, the show needs our help, and we’re not all Nelson viewers so there are very few things we can do to help ratings even though we watch it live. So this goes for all of us, especially those without Nelson boxes and overseas viewers who don’t get access to Hulu or the NBC app.
Wanna know the simplest, and perhaps one of the funnest ways to help? LIVETWEETING AND THEN REGULAR TWEETING using the hashtag #Timeless to show off your adoration for the show. (Seriously this is one of the funnest shows to livetweet about because the cast is so FUN!) Trending Topics are taken into consideration on a number of platforms and the buzz is heard. A very trustworthy source, let’s call them a little birdy (not the Twitter birdy) told me that the Timeless fans are blowing up Hulu’s search engines. Hulu hears our buzz and it’s one of the loudest they’ve ever heard. GUYS. PAT YOURSELVES ON THE BACK AND KEEP DOING IT.
Anytime the hashtag is used, especially within air date + the first two-three days following, it’s doing something. So far, we’ve been trending, but not worldwide, and it’s not impossible to get to #1. Here’s what you can do if the show isn’t airing where you are, tweet about it. If you don’t want to use your official twitter, totally understandable, make a separate one just for Timeless. Key terms like #Timeless are filtered and spread all over to different networks. Plus, this is bizarre but even if you aren’t watching the show while it’s airing in the US, you can still tweet about it with the cast + crew and it’ll help the numbers climb so that it’s not just trending here. Simple tweets such as “I love this scene #Timeless.” “This is awesome! #Timeless” help. And then tweet about when you do watch it, too. Share anything and everything you see about it. Tag NBC and also tag NBCTimeless -- tag em all and don’t stop talking about this show.
Watch it live. Tweet about it. Rewatch it again on Hulu, Demand, and the NBC app if you can. Listen folks, we’re all pretty darn busy, that’s a given, but on Mondays and Tuesday I’ve literally had it playing on Hulu in the background while I cook or clean. I’ve had it on Demand. And the app. And on your DVRs, please don’t skip commercials. The numbers are solid, but we need way more to be renewed and we need to be heard way more than we already are.
(Let’s not forget that Hulu ended up picking up The Mindy Project) create a buzz big enough and heavens forbid if NBC cancels, we still have a ton of hope for a renewal elsewhere. But we need to be loud enough.)
While some other time-travel shows failed to leave an impression on viewers (ABC's Time After Time included), expect to see NBC give Timeless another romp through time.
