BLOGS
Shows like Doctor Who and Quantum Leap are entirely based on the premise that they send their lead characters all throughout various points in time. Terra Nova isn't jumping all over the place, but instead just sends a handful of people 85 million years back, in some sort of alternate timeline, in order to save a few members of mankind. While they seemingly can't save the folks in our existence who can't see the sun, or breathe on their own or eat oranges or have more than two children without getting arrested, they do have a plan on saving humans as a race by sending them through a portal back 85 million years to create a new society. Or something. We're a little fuzzy on the details.
Why not send folks back to an alternate timeline that's only 50 or 100 years ago, or to the Industrial Revolution, or to the colonial period, or the Renaissance, or, you know, any time that included a modicum of civilization instead of the dino-infested Cretaceous period? And how is it that people can't return from the past but messages can still be sent to the future timeline? It's all so much more complicated than falling into the abyss and ending up playing with dinosaurs Land of the Lost-style. So while we're still trying to wrap our head around Terra Nova's confusing logic, we've compiled a few other somewhat recent examples of time travel on TV shows that just went to waste. We've left off Charmed (because those witches went back to change history all the time with varying results), anything to do with Urkel's time machine and Family Guy, because using a tanning bed to time travel was intentionally be comical.
Turning Japanese (Heroes)
Aside from bringing Adam Monroe/Takezo Kensei into the fold, Hiro's entire jaunt to the 17th century was quite annoying and was the beginning of a downhill spiral that involved Hiro engaging in some inconsequential romance that didn't involve that girl from Glee, and learning to send notes via ancient scrolls.
Back to the '70s (Lost)
We appreciated the jumpsuits, and the way people dealt with younger versions of people they knew, and their lack of modern conveniences, but after all was said and done, did we need to be hopping along in a time shift in order to arrive to the conclusion we got? We blame the frozen donkey wheel for this one.
Tribbles: the Ewoks of Star Trek (Star Trek: Deep Space 9)
We never saw the point of this aside from "Hey, we got this cool technology that allows us to digitally insert our actors into classic footage so we might as well use it." That and because they must have wanted to capitalize on the success of the always adorable Tribbles. Was it a fun episode? Sure. Necessary? Not really.
We're On a Boat (The X-Files)
If you go back in time, you can totally make out with a girl that is a doppelgänger of the partner that you've wanted to kiss for ages. Sure, it was dressed up with Nazis and period clothing and involved Mulder falling into the ocean of the Bermuda Triangle and winding up in 1938, but really this trip through time was all about the kiss and his present day confession of love.
Somebody Save Me (Smallville)
Lana Lang gets hit by a bus and a devastated Clark can't possibly leave her for dead, so he finds a way to restart the day and save her life. Only to have his dad get killed in her place. That's a major downgrade. Lesson learned: never save Lana. Ever.
Just how insanely expensive was the Terra Nova pilot? Find out.
What are people saying about your favorite shows and stars right now? Find out with Talk Without Pity, the social media site for real TV fans. See Tweets and Facebook comments in real time and add your own -- all without leaving TWoP. Join the conversation now!
MOST RECENT POSTS
Today's TWoP News: Wednesday, February 20, 2013
New Girl: Roomate Do's and Don'ts of the Week
Wednesday, February 20, 2013: American Idol
Today's TWoP News: Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Saturday Night Live: The Best Sketches of the Night
TV on DVD: Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013: Cult
I Want My DVD: Tuesday, February 19, 2013
BLOG ARCHIVES
The Telefile
February 2013
21 Entries
January 2013
62 Entries
December 2012
44 Entries
November 2012
59 Entries
October 2012
69 Entries
September 2012
66 Entries
August 2012
65 Entries
July 2012
51 Entries
June 2012
58 Entries
May 2012
68 Entries
April 2012
71 Entries
March 2012
68 Entries
February 2012
64 Entries
January 2012
78 Entries
December 2011
49 Entries
November 2011
56 Entries
October 2011
74 Entries
September 2011
77 Entries
August 2011
61 Entries
July 2011
56 Entries
June 2011
57 Entries
May 2011
57 Entries
April 2011
78 Entries
March 2011
73 Entries
February 2011
57 Entries
January 2011
65 Entries
December 2010
39 Entries
November 2010
45 Entries
October 2010
46 Entries
September 2010
62 Entries
August 2010
55 Entries
July 2010
53 Entries
June 2010
65 Entries
May 2010
59 Entries
April 2010
57 Entries
March 2010
67 Entries
February 2010
53 Entries
January 2010
59 Entries
December 2009
32 Entries
November 2009
47 Entries
October 2009
65 Entries
September 2009
66 Entries
August 2009
58 Entries
July 2009
72 Entries
June 2009
71 Entries
May 2009
50 Entries
April 2009
57 Entries
March 2009
66 Entries
February 2009
52 Entries
January 2009
56 Entries
December 2008
51 Entries
November 2008
71 Entries
October 2008
88 Entries
September 2008
86 Entries
August 2008
120 Entries
July 2008
115 Entries
June 2008
90 Entries
May 2008
44 Entries
April 2008
30 Entries
March 2008
26 Entries
February 2008
30 Entries
January 2008
44 Entries
December 2007
31 Entries
November 2007
66 Entries
Comments