The Time Traveler's Wife is a science fiction romantic drama[1] television series based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger.[1] The series was developed and written by Steven Moffat, who had previously taken inspiration from Niffenegger's novel for his work on the science fiction series Doctor Who.[4] It was directed by David Nutter, stars Rose Leslie and Theo James, and premiered on HBO on May 15, 2022.[5] The series was canceled after one season in July 2022.[6] The fans of the show started a petition to save the series by approaching other streaming platforms to pick it up for renewal.[7] It was removed from HBO Max in December 2022.[8]
| The Time Traveler's Wife | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger |
| Developed by | Steven Moffat |
| Written by | Steven Moffat |
| Directed by | David Nutter |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Blake Neely |
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Peter Menzies Jr. |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 45–56 minutes[2][3] |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | May 15 – June 19, 2022 |
Blending romance and science fiction,[1] the series follows the relationship between Henry DeTamble, a man with a genetic disorder which causes him to sporadically travel through time for short periods, and Clare Abshire, a woman who met an older version of Henry when she was a girl who told her they were married in the future.[9] Much like the novel on which it is based, the series raises questions about determinism, free will, and identity.[10]
Cast and characters
editMain
edit- Rose Leslie as Clare Abshire
- Everleigh McDonell as young Clare
- Caitlin Shorey as pre-teen Clare
- Theo James as Henry DeTamble
- Jason David as young Henry
- Brian Altemus as teen Henry
Recurring
edit- Desmin Borges as Gomez
- Natasha Lopez as Charisse
- Michael Park as Philip Abshire
- Jaime Ray Newman as Lucille Abshire
- Taylor Richardson as Alicia Abshire
- Peter Graham as Mark Abshire
- Kate Siegel as Annette DeTamble
- Josh Stamberg as Richard DeTamble
- Chelsea Frei as Ingrid
- Marcia DeBonis as Nell
- Will Brill as Ben
- Spencer House as Jason
- Finn Brown as young Mark Abshire
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Teleplay by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode One" | David Nutter | Steven Moffat | May 15, 2022 | 0.294[11] |
| 2 | "Episode Two" | David Nutter | Steven Moffat | May 22, 2022 | 0.224[12] |
| 3 | "Episode Three" | David Nutter | Steven Moffat | May 29, 2022 | 0.159[13] |
| 4 | "Episode Four" | David Nutter | Steven Moffat | June 5, 2022 | 0.245[14] |
| 5 | "Episode Five" | David Nutter | Steven Moffat | June 12, 2022 | 0.213[15] |
| 6 | "Episode Six" | David Nutter | Steven Moffat | June 19, 2022 | 0.203[16] |
Production
editOn July 31, 2018, it was announced that HBO had given the production a straight-to-series order. The series was set to be written by Steven Moffat, based on the novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger, who was also set to executive produce alongside Sue Vertue and Brian Minchin. Production companies involved with the series included Hartswood Films and Warner Bros. Television.[9][17][18]
In February 2021, Rose Leslie and Theo James were cast as the series leads.[19] In April, Desmin Borges and Natasha Lopez joined the main cast.[20] In May, Caitlin Shorey, Everleigh McDonnell, Michael Park, Jaime Ray Newman, Taylor Richardson, Peter Graham, Brian Altemus, Jason David, Kate Siegel, Josh Stamberg, Chelsea Frei, Marcia DeBonis, Will Brill and Spencer House joined the cast of the series.[21]
Filming began on the series in May 2021 in New York and ended in October with some filming also taking place in Chicago. David Nutter directed all six episodes.[22]
The series premiered on May 15, 2022[23] and was canceled on July 1, soon after the season finished airing.[6]
Critical reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 37% of 46 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "While it's easy to get swept up in the romance of performers as appealing as Rose Leslie and Theo James, The Time Traveler's Wife often kills the mood with its overdetermined conceit."[24] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[25]
Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph gave the series 2/5 stars, calling it "so lazy that episodes begin with the lead characters reading lines straight into the camera, rather than anyone making the effort to work them into the script."[26] Brian Lowry of CNN called the series "an admirable effort, but one that simply underscores how unadaptable this material might be".[27] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the setup of the romance, and added: "while things do improve from there, hollow characters, an uncertain tone and, most damningly, a total lack of chemistry keep The Time Traveler's Wife from ever quite rising to the level of swoon-worthy."[28] Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly gave it a D grade, saying that it had "Bad wigs, limp characterization, indifferent plotting".[29]
Dan Einav of the Financial Times gave the series 3/5 stars, writing: "The show is buoyed by the charisma of the two lovers, and it succeeds in mining its conceit for some gentle humour and reflections on love and loss."[30] Lucy Mangan of The Guardian also gave it 3/5 stars, saying that Moffat "takes the melodrama down a notch and salts the schmaltz with wit where he can", but criticized the nature of the romance and Clare's passivity.[31] Nick Hilton of The Independent also gave it 3/5 stars, writing: "The Time Traveler's Wife does not have the power of the unexpected. But it has a modest, formulaic appeal that will likely keep you going back (and back) for more."[32]
Home media
editThe complete series was released on DVD, on October 18, 2022.[33]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Edwards, Belen (June 12, 2022). "How HBO's 'The Time Traveler's Wife' is different from the book". Mashable. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ "The Time Traveler's Wife". HBO Max. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ "The Time Traveler's Wife 06: Episode Six". HBO. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
- ^ Webb, Claire (April 21, 2022). "Steven Moffat on Doctor Who and The Time Traveler's Wife". RadioTimes. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ "TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, THE (HBO)". The Futon Critic. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ a b White, Peter (July 1, 2022). "'The Time Traveler's Wife' Canceled At HBO After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
- ^ "The Save "The Time Traveler's Wife" Campaign". Geeks. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ White, Peter (December 14, 2022). "'Raised By Wolves' & 'The Time Traveler's Wife' Among Other Titles Being Removed From HBO Max As Warner Bros Discovery Lines Up FAST Plans".
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (July 31, 2018). "The Time Traveler's Wife Adaptation From Steven Moffat Gets Drama Series Order At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
- ^ Falk D In Search of Time: The Science of a Curious Dimension (New York: Macmillan, 2008), 197.
- ^ Salem, Mitch (May 17, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.15.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 24, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.22.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ Salem, Mitch (June 1, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 5.29.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Salem, Mitch (June 7, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 6.5.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 14, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 6.12.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
- ^ Salem, Mitch (June 21, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 6.19.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ Holloway, Daniel (July 31, 2018). "HBO Orders Time Traveler's Wife Series From Steven Moffat". Variety. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (July 31, 2018). "Time Traveler's Wife Drama From Steven Moffat Scores HBO Green Light". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 25, 2021). "Rose Leslie and Theo James to Star in Time Traveler's Wife for HBO". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (April 28, 2021). "Desmin Borges & Natasha Lopez Join The Time Traveler's Wife HBO Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ Petski, Denise (June 4, 2021). "The Time Traveler's Wife: Jaime Ray Newman & Josh Stamberg Among 14 Cast in HBO Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (May 18, 2021). "David Nutter To Direct HBO's The Time Traveler's Wife". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (April 21, 2022). "The Time Traveler's Wife Sets May Premiere at HBO — Watch Full Trailer". TVLine. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ "The Time Traveler's Wife". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ "The Time Traveler's Wife". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
- ^ Singh, Anita (May 16, 2022). "The Time Traveler's Wife, review: the book was beloved but this TV adaptation is just creepy". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (May 13, 2022). "'The Time Traveler's Wife' turns the book into a time-killing HBO series". CNN.
- ^ Han, Angie (May 14, 2022). "HBO's 'The Time Traveler's Wife': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Franich, Darren (May 11, 2022). "The Time Traveler's Wife review: It's just so wrong". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Einav, Dan. "The Time Traveler's Wife review — schmaltz-coated sci-fi romance". Financial Times.
- ^ Mangan, Lucy (May 17, 2022). "The Time Traveler's Wife review – far too much ick factor to be truly great". The Guardian.
- ^ Hilton, Nick (May 17, 2022). "The Time Traveler's Wife review: Steven Moffat's adaptation lacks the power of the unexpected". The Independent.
- ^ Lovell, Kevin (August 17, 2022). "'The Time Traveler's Wife: The Complete Series'; Arrives On DVD October 18, 2022 From HBO – Warner Bros". Screen-Connections.
