Why Netflix's Time-Jumping 'Travelers' Is A Sci-Fi Drama With A Social Media Hook And Tons Of Promise

All 12 episodes of #Travelers debuted on #Netflix on December 23, and it's a #timetravel series unlike any you've ever seen. Starring Emmy Award winner #EricMcCormack of Will & Grace, the drama puts a unique spin on hopping through time by eliminating the core clichés we've seen over the years. You won't see a portal, a wave rider, a wormhole or a DeLorean.

It's only the essence (or consciousness) of the traveler who jumps in time, as they inhabit a host body just as it passes from life to death. The travelers not only reside in the body, but they inherit the deceased person's former life and the incumbent problems.

Though a sci-fi program, Travelers is more about drama and action than droids and lasers.

The draw of the show is that these characters must live the lives of people whom they don't know while they follow the commands of an unknown/unseen "director." Unfortunately, the travelers only know of the hosts' lives through what they've learned on social media — which, as we know, isn't always accurate.

The original concept has earned Travelers glowing reviews.

The series, a co-production between Netflix and Showcase, a Canadian channel, brings together some of Canada's finest talent like MacKenzie Porter (Hell on Wheels) and Patrick Gilmore (You Me Her) as a small team of five unite to save Earth from a horrible future. Created by Brad Wright (Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe), Travelers has been hailed by critics as a fresh take on time travel. The New York Times praised its "attention-grabbing flourishes and fine acting," and the series has an 8.4 score on Metacritic.

When asked at Fan Expo Canada what makes time travel so popular, Travelers creator Brad Wright offered an explanation that also gives viewers a better idea of how time travel works in this reality:

"I think people embrace time travel because...of 'what if I didn't make that decision in my own life?' The thing that makes Travelers different in terms of other time travel shows that are out there...is that it takes place very much in the here and now. We're not going back and stopping Hitler from being assassinated — and in fact, our structure, our science model, doesn't even allow for that."

So though Travelers is considered a time travel series, the travel is limited in scope. No one travels to the future, and those who travel here from the future can't come as who they were. They give up their own lives to create a better future. When you think about it, Travelers is also a show about heroes.

You can watch the entire first season of Travelers on Netflix. There's no word yet on renewal for Season 2, but with the positive reviews, I'd be surprised if this show didn't get a second season.