USA TODAY — Timeless has run out of time on NBC.
The network has canceled the two-season drama due to low ratings, despite a coordinated fan campaign to save it. NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, in unveiling the network's fall schedule on May 13, said he hadn't made a decision on its fate: "We tried to give the producers the courtesy of letting shows run and seeing what they do," he said on the day of the show's two-hour season finale.
Since then, there's been radio silence from the network, as producer Sony Pictures Television tried to sell the show elsewhere, and NBC considered making a two-hour movie that would provide closure to fans. But even that plan didn't make economic sense for either side, and NBC passed. (The network has until June 30, when the actors' contracts expire, to change its mind.)
The sci-fi series, in which a trio travels back in time to stop a mysterious organization from changing history, starred Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter and Malcolm Barrett. It cheated death last spring, after NBC reversed its decision to cancel the series, citing fan support evidenced by USA TODAY's Save Our Shows poll. It also came out on top, by a wide margin, in this year's poll, after a season that featured more diverse historical figures and a major cliffhanger.
Ultimately, the show's low average of 4.6 million viewers (with 7-day viewing counted), down from 8 million for its premiere season, doomed it.
