12 Best Time Travel Shows of All Time, Ranked (original) (raw)
Published Aug 3, 2025, 6:19 PM EDT
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Movies and television shows have explored time travel often—it's a fascinating concept with nearly endless possibilities for storytelling, so it's no wonder writers return to it time and time again. Time-travel stories can take many forms, from adventures through history to characters' attempts to change their own pasts, and they can also be convoluted and riddled with plot holes.
But some TV shows have tackled time-travel stories exceptionally well, from stories exploring the complexities of alternate timelines to unique characters exploring other times to help their people. Time travel can be a complicated device and things can quickly get convoluted, but the best series have proven how entertaining and compelling it can be when done right, as they can be smart and exemplary of what the genre can do.
12 'Manifest' (2018–2023)
Created by Jeff Rake
Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela sitting next to J.R. Ramirez as Jared on the ground in Manifest
Image via Netflix
After hitting some turbulence, Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely, only to find that although time had progressed normally for them, five years had passed in the NBC drama Manifest. For the loved ones of the passengers and crew, life changed dramatically twice—with the plane missing, they were presumed dead, and their unexpected return meant readjusting to life with them after they had moved on. Meanwhile, a larger mystery surrounding the flight began to unfold.
Manifest put an interesting twist on the time-travel story, as its characters experienced time differently, on top of other strange effects. With the mystery surrounding the plane and what happened to its passengers, as well as the theme of destiny, it was reminiscent of Lost, with a touch of Heroes. As the seasons progressed, Manifest's mystery became more convoluted. But it was also very much a show about second chances.
11 'The Time Traveler's Wife' (2022)
Created by Steven Moffat
Theo James and Rose Leslie as Henry and Clare, kissing on their wedding day in The Time Traveler's Wife.
Image via HBO Max
The HBO drama The Time Traveler’s Wife followed the romance of Clare (Rose Leslie) and Henry (Theo James), a man who was able to jump through time but was unable to control when it happened or where he traveled. Although Clare first encountered him when she was a child, for him, they never crossed paths until she was an adult. The series was based on the novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger and lasted a single season.
The Time Traveler’s Wife took a unique approach to time travel in both how time travel itself was done and how the story unfolded. Henry’s ability to time travel was something of a genetic anomaly he couldn’t control, and it created a time loop in which he would always meet and marry Clare. The premise also presented an interesting twist on the idea of destiny and fate in romantic relationships.
10 'The Umbrella Academy' (2019–2023)
Created by Steve Blackman
Emmy Raver-Lampman, Tom Hopper, Elliot Page and the cast holding shot glasses in The Umbrella Academy.
Image via Netflix
Netflix series The Umbrella Academy followed the seven adopted children of eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who prepared them to save the world. The children ultimately went their separate ways as teenagers, then reunited as adults after Hargreeves’ death and quickly learned they had to save the world, and doing so often involved time travel. The show was based on the comic-book series of the same name by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way.
The Umbrella Academy merged family drama with a superhero story and explored the idea of flawed superheroes, as it blurred the lines between good and evil and presented heroes who weren’t always competent. While the show’s greatest strength was the dynamic between the siblings, its plot was also a fun adventure. Its time-travel elements often got complicated—The Umbrella Academy Season 3 in particular involved a timeline reset, in which the Hargreeves children were given normal lives, without their powers.
Created by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer
Image via The CW
CW series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow followed Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill), a “time master” from the future who realized heroes alone wouldn’t be able to save the world and assembled a group of both heroes and villains to do the job—and even save time itself. After the first season, Captain Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) took over for Rip. The series was a sort of spin-off of Arrow and The Flash, and it ran for seven seasons.
Legends of Tomorrow got off to a shaky start, but as it found its footing, it evolved into a wonderfully entertaining series, especially as its plots became more over-the-top. Although it was a superhero show at heart, it handled time travel in a way that was fun and compelling, and the time-travel element became more central as the series continued. Unfortunately, although the series was beloved by fans, the superhero show was canceled and ended on a cliffhanger.
Legends of Tomorrow
Release Date
2016 - 2022-00-00
Network
The CW
Cast
Boyd Ferguson
Lieutenant Cadwalader
Cameron Bancroft
Mr. Blake
Chris Gauthier
Henry VIII
8 'Timeless' (2016–2018)
Created by Eric Kripke, Shawn Ryan, and Craig Sweeny
Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston, Malcolm Barrett as Rufus Carlin, and Matt Lanter as Wyatt Logan in Timeless
Image via NBC
After a mysterious organization called Rittenhouse tried to change the world by changing the events of the past, the trio of historian Lucy (Abigail Spencer), soldier Wyatt (Matt Lanter), and scientist Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) united to try to stop them in the NBC series Timeless. The group traveled back in time to various historical events, such as the crash of the Hindenburg, Chicago World's Fair, and Nazi Germany. Timeless was unfortunately canceled after two seasons.
Timeless was a fun and exciting journey into history—it was thrilling yet lighthearted, providing great entertainment for fans of time-travel stories who weren’t interested in how complex they can get, while also providing some social commentary. As is often the case with good sci-fi, the show was tragically short-lived. It would’ve been a delight to see what other historical events and figures the series might’ve explored in additional seasons.
7 'Life on Mars' (2006–2007)
Created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, and Ashley Pharoah
Gene Hunt, Ray Carling, and Chris Skelton sitting in a row in Life on Mars.
Image via BBC
In the British series Life on Mars, Detective Sam Tyler (John Simm) found himself transported from the year 2006 to 1973 after being hit by a car. While he continued his work as a detective and often clashed with his superior, he was also determined to find out what happened to him and get back to his own time. It ran for two seasons, and a short-lived American remake was released in 2008.
Part police procedural, part sci-fi mystery, the UK and US versions of Life on Mars differed in some huge ways—most notably, while exactly what was happening to Sam was unclear, the American version ended up not being a time-travel story at all. But that ambiguity was also what helped make the show so interesting. It was a police procedural with a truly innovative twist, and the cultural differences alone provided plenty of conflict for Sam.
6 'Loki' (2021–2023)
Created by Michael Waldron
An arrested Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and TVA employee Mobius (Owen Wilson) standing together in 'Loki' TV series
Image via Marvel Studios
Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the Disney+ series Loki followed the titular villainous God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) after he created a new timeline and was introduced to the Time Variance Authority, or the TVA, an organization that dealt with fractures in the timeline. The TVA gave Loki a choice: be erased from existence because he was a time variant, or help fix the timeline. The series ended with Season 2.
Marvel’s exploration of time travel was nothing new, but Loki was a delight to watch—he has always been a fan-favorite, and putting him at the helm of his own series was a brilliant move. But the series was also an interesting look at the multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and, as is the case with so many time-travel shows, things could get confusing. The series was one of the most well-received and critically acclaimed in the MCU.
Loki
Release Date
2021 - 2022
Network
Disney+
5 'The 4400' (2004–2007)
Created by René Echevarria and Scott Peters
Image via USA Network
After a comet slowed and hovered, a group of 4,400 people, who previously went missing and were presumed dead over the course of decades, returned in The 4400. Not only did the group have no memory of what happened, but they also hadn’t aged at all and soon learned they had strange new powers, such as telekinesis or clairvoyance. The series first began as a miniseries, and a short-lived reboot premiered in 2022.
Saying much else about the show’s time-travel elements would spoil some of its biggest mysteries. Like Manifest, The 4400 featured characters returning to a world where, although no time had passed for them, years had passed, positioning the series as classic sci-fi. And while it was a fascinating premise, the show’s greatest strength was the characters—they all had different reactions to what happened to them and faced different challenges returning to their lives, leading to compelling storytelling.
4 'Fringe' (2008–2013)
Created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci
Peter (Joshua Jackson), FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) solves a case in Walter's lab on Fringe.
Image via Fox
The Fox series Fringe followed FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), who was assigned to the bureau’s Fringe division, dedicated to strange paranormal and otherwise unexplained phenomena. She was aided by Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), a scientist, and his estranged son, Peter (Joshua Jackson). The series often explored concepts like alternate universes and time travel, especially during its final season and the series finale, which dealt with the future in particular and the role of mysterious men called Observers.
With its premise of strange FBI cases, Fringe had a lot in common with The X-Files—but where The X-Files was typically more episodic, Fringe had more story arcs, among the most notable of which dealt with time travel and alternate timelines, which often dealt with larger questions about humanity. Overall, it was a great sci-fi series, and it handled its complex storylines well while leaving plenty open to interpretation.
Fringe
Release Date
2008 - 2013-00-00
Showrunner
Jeff Pinkner
3 '12 Monkeys' (2015–2018)
Created by Travis Fickett and Terry Matalas
Netflix's 12 Monkeys protagonists staring seriously.
Image via Syfy
The Syfy series 12 Monkeys followed James Cole (Aaron Stanford), a man from a post-apocalyptic 2043 who traveled back in time to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that almost ended humanity entirely and was orchestrated by the Army of the 12 Monkeys. As the series progressed, it moved away from this premise and took on larger ideas, particularly dealing with religion. The show was loosely based on the 1995 film of the same name.
12 Monkeys merged time travel with post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and to great effect. While it can be difficult to wrap up a time-travel story in a way that is both satisfying and makes sense, 12 Monkeys managed it, ending with a great finale that wonderfully wrapped up the story. And although 12 Monkeys pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s impossible not to think of it when discussing and revisiting the series.
12 Monkeys
Release Date
January 5, 1996
Runtime
129minutes
