Time After Time

I've not seen the original movie, but with my love of history I really enjoyed the two hour premiere. Of course, that generally means (and judging by all of the horrible reviews here) that it will be another short lived show. Like many others, I've held a fascination with Jack the Ripper and am interested to see the story line. H G Wells, was clearly a man ahead of his time, and I think that they will do well with this character. Please give it a chance and stop being so negative all at once. Its refreshing to see something other than a political or hospital drama!!

First let me say that yes I did see the film version back in 1979 and yes it was very enjoyable and it still holds up well some 28 years later. As for this new television series that took 28 years for a brave producer to stick their neck out and have faith that there will be an audience for it, well I say congratulations to you!

What I fail to understand by the previous reviewers is why there is so much hate in their reviews? I just watched the two hour pilot and I found this series to contain adventure, romance, mystery, danger and a darn good cast of characters. I can only surmise that some of the other reviewers are either professional saboteurs working for competing broadcast stations who wish to retain their share of the Nielsen ratings, or they are less than impressive actors who did not make the cut and lost the part to some of this casts current performers who in my opinion succeeded where they failed and there is a hate on for them which is totally undeserved.

Freddie Stroma plays H.G. Wells and his nemesis Jack the Ripper is played by Josh Bowman. H.G. Wells unplanned travel to the year 2017 in pursuit of Dr. John Stevenson finds him falling head over heels for a Miss Jane Parker played by Genesis Rodriguez who is the assistant curator of the New York museum which has Mr. Wells time machine on exhibit.

During the second hour of the pilot H.G. Wells is introduced to his great, great grand daughter Vanessa Anders (played by Nicole Ari Parker). What was interesting about this particular reveal was how Vanessa explained to H.G. Wells how they first met several years earlier and how she convinced H.G. Wells that they did in fact meet previously, albeit several years ago which was the reason Vanessa kept waiting for Mr. Wells to re-enter not only into her life, but re- enter into her world over 100 years later.

I noticed in the series credits that none of the aforementioned characters appear in any more than 3 episodes so I can only surmise that the series will take some unsuspected twists and turns and maybe the spoils are rewarded to whom holds the key to the time machine? I quite enjoyed this television version which also included a cameo appearance by the great English actress Juliet Mills.

So to all you naysayers, I say try and close your eyes and consider that maybe this team of writers have a much more developed creative genius than the negative comments you attributed to the pilot episode. I for one will keep my eyes opened and I look forward to where this time machine will next takes us....time after time.

I give the series a perfect 10 out of 10 rating. Bravo!

I'm left scratching my head at the negative reviews this series has attracted. Maybe its mostly H.G. Wells purists, who don't like adaptations of his work?

Indeed, to be fair, there have been some horrible adaptations, of Wells stories. Thankfully, this is not one of them. Certainly, it by no means adhere's to the facts of Well's life or strictly speaking his stories as written but so what?

The fact is this is a well made series that's a mix of thriller and sci fi action. Viewed from this perspective its extremely enjoyable. The characterizations have depth, the sci fi elements meld into a Wells- ian centric universe and the action is well paced and enjoyable. I especially like how the series writers have creatively blended elements of H.G. Wells life and literature and the Jack The Ripper murder mystery.

Sure its a far fetched yarn but its still engaging stuff.I really like this series and plan to keep watching. Seven out of ten from me.

Sorry to hear about it's demise. Refreshing and informative. Good acting, well rounded cast and the writing is very good. Want it to stay on the air. Can't finally watch something entertaining rather than controversial? For a change - give us something rather than quickly taking it away.

This television series is an adaptation of the very enjoyable film from 1979. I don't think it is appropriate to judge a work by comparing it to another version, but I do think such a comparison can be useful in identifying ways it could be better.

The film starred Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen. McDowell was very successful in conveying the Victorian manners that one would expect from H. G. Wells--the British author who wrote science fiction classics and championed science as the key to a Utopian society. He also was very convincing in his portrayal of a nineteenth century man confronting the technological advances of the late twentieth century. While Freddie Stroma brings a certain charm to the television role, he comes up short in these two areas.

Genesis Rodriguez plays the role of Jane Walker, the modern American woman whose life is disrupted by Wells. She fits the role fairly well. But her characterization (as well as Stroma's) is handcuffed by the script.

As is common these days, the pilot launches pall mall into the story with barely a moment of character development, hoping to hook viewers on the action. This shortchanges the story and the viewers' understanding of the characters. Also, the writing advances the plot so quickly that it fails to establish the authenticity of the characters' motivations or emotions. The viewer is asked to bounce form one action scene to the next without time to consider or feel.

The way that Wells--and the man he chases--so quickly adapt to the surroundings of 21st century New York City with barely a question strains credulity. Modern Americans are incredulous at Wells' invention, despite the fact that modern technology advances so quickly, but Wells supposedly accepts and understands the modern miracles around him like someone who had already read books from 2017.

Despite the fact that the sci-fi aspects of the story have been minimized, the romance and suspense aspects of the story may suffice to make this an interesting show. Hopefully, the script's pace will slow enough for the characters to become more than names or titles, allowing the audience to become more emotionally invested.