One of Netflix‘s best time travel shows had immense potential, but it never achieved the same level of attention as Dark. Even though close to a decade has passed since Dark premiered on Netflix, it is touted as one of Netflix’s best sci-fi shows. Considering how brilliantly it executed its closed loop story in three seasons, Dark deserves all the love it still gets.
However, Dark is not the only Netflix original that mastered time travel storytelling. One year before Dark, Travelers premiered on Netflix and proved to be one of the most compelling sci-fi outings on the streaming service. Like Dark, Travelers, too, lasted for three seasons and earned almost unanimous acclaim throughout its runtime from both viewers and critics.
Unfortunately, after all these years, it looks like Travelers‘ legacy has not stood the test of time. While Dark remains etched in Netflix’s history as one of its best sci-fi shows of all time, Travelers has largely been forgotten. Perhaps the biggest reason behind this is that Travelers, like many other ambitious sci-fi shows on Netflix, was canceled before it could reach its natural conclusion.
Like Dark, Travelers Is an Incredible Time Travel Show On Netflix
Dark on Netflix deserves all the acclaim it has earned for its masterful portrayal of meticulous, closed-loop determinism. However, Travelers is another brilliant time travel show on Netflix that deserves the same level of appreciation for its ability to bring something distinct to the genre. Although Travelers does not follow a casual loop with its time travel narrative, it adheres to a fixed set of rules.
Instead of exploring the possibility of physical time travel, the show gives the concept a more metaphysical spin by showing how humans have the ability to transfer their digital consciousness into a host body right at the exact recorded second of their historical death. Even its core story conflict is incredibly compelling as it unfolds more like a spy thriller while emphasizing the human condition.
Through different characters who become hosts for time travelers from the future, the Netflix sci-fi show brilliantly switches genres and navigates the mundane struggles of people living in the 21st century. From stories about drug addition to the struggles of those in toxic relationships, the show walks through it all with its clever time travel plot device.
Travelers eventually became a victim of Netflix’s unfair cancellations. Despite this, the show managed to end its run on a fairly conclusive note with season 3. While its premature cancellation left many underlying story beats unresolved, the show ended on a satisfying note, which is another reason why it deserves to rank among Netflix’s best sci-fi offerings.
Travelers Would Have Been More Popular If It Hadn’t Been Canceled
Some of the best shows from every genre are known for blowing up in popularity after their first few seasons. Travelers had the potential to achieve something similar, given how it consistently landed in critics’ good books with each new season.
Since Travelers was also a co-production between Showcase in Canada and Netflix internationally, it was never promoted as heavily as Netflix’s other original sci-fi IPs. Its early slow-burn storytelling approach also seemingly held it back from gaining a solid following when it first premiered on Netflix.
Owing to this, it is hard not to wonder if Travelers would have gained more commercial success if Netflix had given it the chance to complete its original story plan. This massive “what if” applies to many other original Netflix sci-fi shows, like Sense8 and The OA, that still have cult followings even after all these years.
Since Travelers first premiered almost a decade ago, it will never get the opportunity to expand its run with more seasons. Even with its existing three seasons, however, it is the perfect sci-fi show for viewers who loved Netflix‘s Dark.
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Travelers
- Release Date
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2016 – 2018-00-00
- Network
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showcase, Netflix
- Directors
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Andy Mikita, Amanda Tapping, William Waring, Helen Shaver, Martin Wood
- Writers
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Ashley Park, Pat Smith, Jason Whiting, Ken Kabatoff, S.B. Edwards, Mika Collins, Amanda Smith-Kolic, Tara Armstrong
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Eric McCormack
Grant MacLaren
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MacKenzie Porter
Marcy Warton
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Dark
- Release Date
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2017 – 2020
- Network
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Netflix
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Louis Hofmann
Jonas Kahnwald
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Lisa Vicari
Martha Nielsen
