TV Show review
October 3, 2016 · 43 min · TV-PG
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Timeless is a 2016-2018 NBC sci-fi action series about a team of a history professor, a Delta Force soldier, and an engineer who use a prototype time machine to chase a terrorist stealing another machine to rewrite American history. The story grows into a conspiracy thriller against Rittenhouse, a secret society that has secretly shaped major events for power. The diverse modern team encounters historical racism and sexism during time jumps, and season two episodes deliberately center stories on women and people of color in the past, which some viewers called noticeable agenda elements amid the adventure and action.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Timeless.
Woke representation / casting
Modern team (white female professor, white male soldier, black male engineer) fits a 2010s tech/military setting naturally; producers actively highlighted racism and sexism faced by the black and female characters in historical periods as a key feature.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional talk of power, conspiracy, and past injustices appears in service of the plot; no frequent modern activist speeches or lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
Team members’ race and gender shape their experiences in different eras; season two deliberately spotlighted women and POC historical figures and events such as suffragettes and Harriet Tubman’s raid.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Rittenhouse is shown as a secret elite group secretly controlling American history for its own benefit; this critiques concentrated power but stays within traditional conspiracy-thriller territory rather than modern activist frames like patriarchy, present-day systemic racism, or toxic masculinity.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant; original concept that uses real historical events and figures in context without reinterpretation or identity-driven swaps.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Limited and mostly fringe online comments about agenda in season two; broader reaction was fan enthusiasm and media praise for inclusivity, with no significant “too woke” backlash or organized criticism.
Creator track record context
Eric Kripke developed a clearer pattern of political and social commentary in later work like The Boys; Shawn Ryan, Neil Marshall, and most other credited crew lack similar activist histories.
Production
