With romance, adventure, and fun plot twists, these time travel TV shows are sure to entertain.
The time travel trope is quintessentially romantic, with different themes and elements giving it a desperate, romantic air. There is the lone time traveler, bouncing across time in search of lost love. Or, a group of travelers unable to return home due to a rift in the space/time continuum. Better yet, the star-crossed lovers fated only to get snatches of time together. Swoon. There is so much to love about time travel TV shows!
At the Silver Petticoat Review, we love time travel TV shows so much we thought a list of binge-worthy shows was necessary. Depending on your taste in time travel stories, below are 21 binge-worthy dramas, romantic comedies, and Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories (plus some bonus recommendations at the end). Not all are traditional versions of the trope, but each one includes an element of time travel.
Get ready! Your watch list is about to become longer!
21 Binge-Worthy Time Travel TV Shows
(In No Particular Order)
#1 Timeless*
Synopsis: With history threatened by an evil consortium, a historian, soldier, and scientist join forces to travel through time to save history. Their adventures take them across history, where they cross paths with some famous and lesser-known figures in history. Yet, each time they save history, they risk changing the future.
Where to Watch: Hulu (with subscription), Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu
*One of my favorite time travel TV shows! A lovely, action-adventure romance with time travel!
#2 Doctor Who
Synopsis: Doctor Who follows the trials of an extraterrestrial Time Lord. Known as the Doctor, he/she travels through time to solve problems and battle injustice across the universe.
Using the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) to travel, the Doctor recruits companions to assist him/her. With various incarnations, Doctor Who is a sweeping adventure in space and time.
Note: There are many iterations of Doctor Who. Any would make our list of time travel TV shows. Pick your favorite!
Where to Watch: Philo (with subscription), Prime Video (also with subscription), YouTube, iTunes, Vudu
#3 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Synopsis: With the world and timeline in catastrophic danger, time-traveler Rip Hunter sets out to save the world. Rip brings together an unlikely group of heroes and villains previously seen in Arrow and The Flash.
These heroes and villains must come together before they can save the planet. But can they put their differences aside before time runs out?
Where to Watch: The CW App and CW Seed (free), Netflix (with subscription), Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play
#4 12 Monkeys*
Synopsis: Cole travels from a post-apocalyptic future to save the world from a deadly plague. He meets Dr. Cassandra Railly, a virologist, who joins him in his crusade. It’s a race against time, as they trace the epidemic to its source and discover that appearances are deceiving, and time itself is an enemy.
Where to Watch: Hulu (with subscription), Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu
Related Post Romantic Moment of the Week: 12 Monkeys: Cassie and Cole
*Another personal favorite! When it comes to time travel TV shows, 12 Monkeys hits all the right notes!
#5 El Ministerio del Tiempo (The Department of Time)
Synopsis: A secret government agency recruits three people from different eras to protect Spain’s history. They bounce through time, chasing time-traveling intruders bent on manipulating history for their own purposes.
Where to Watch: Netflix (with subscription)
#6 Travelers
Synopsis: Several hundred years into the future, the last humans discover a way to send their consciousness back in time. These “travelers” assume the lives of random individuals. With only their knowledge of history and social media profiles to guide their way, the travelers quickly discover that experience in the 21st Century is as challenging as their mission.
Where to Watch: Netflix (with subscription). Buy on Amazon Video, iTunes, or Google Play.
Content Warning: Rated TV-MA, the show has strong language, violence, and implied nudity.
#7 Scarlet Heart
Synopsis: A near-fatal accident sends Zhang Xiao, a 21st Century woman, back in time to the Qing Dynasty. It is Kangxi Emperor’s reign, and Xiao is now the teenage daughter of a Manchu general.
Known as Ma’ertai Roux, Xiao attempts to return to the future. Navigating new relationships and love, Xiao adjusts to her new life until one day, it disappears.
Where to Watch: Viki
Note: There is also a Korean version of Scarlet Heart, called Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Read our review here.
#8 Making History
Synopsis: Misunderstood college facilities manager Dan Chambers discovers time travel, using pop culture to become a beloved 18th Century figure. However, Dan fails to realize the impact time travel has on the present.
When Dan causes Paul Revere to delay his famous ride, he alters the events of the American Revolution. Dan then recruits well-liked history professor Chris Parish for help in correcting history.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu
#9 Sleepy Hollow
Synopsis: Ichabod Crane comes back to life 250 years in the future, where he must solve a mystery going back to the time of the founding fathers.
However, he is not alone. Due to a blood curse, the headless horseman also comes back from the dead. The headless horseman begins a murder spree in present-day Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod realizes that the headless horseman is the first of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.
Enter Detective Abbie Mills. Familiar with the supernatural, Abbie joins forces with Crane to stop the evil infecting Sleepy Hollow.
Where to Watch: Hulu (with subscription, YouTube, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu
#10 Torchwood
Synopsis: Former time agent, Captain Jack Harkness, leads the Torchwood Three to investigate unexplained extraterrestrial events on Earth. Part of a covert agency called the Torchwood Institute, the group, battles supernatural threats outside the protection of the British government and law enforcement.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu
Content Warning: The series is TV-MA for strong language in a few episodes. It also includes sexual content and violence.
#11 Being Erica*
Synopsis: During therapy, Erica Strange shares her list of regrets with her therapist. In a twist in treatment, Erica goes back in time to those moments with a chance to make different decisions. Faced with rewriting her past or leaving things as they are, Erica faces each moment with humor and a new appreciation for her choices.
Where to Watch: Prime Video (free with subscription) Hulu (with subscription), iTunes, Vudu
*The writing in this show is fantastic!
Content Warning: Rated TV-14, it is at times TV-MA. There is sexual content as well as nudity and some bad language.
#12 Heroes
Synopsis: Around the world, a group of ordinary people is discovering they have superpowers. One man wants their powers for himself. To protect themselves, they must learn to help each other before he destroys them all.
Where to Watch: NBC (free), YouTubeTV (with subscription), IMDB TV (free), Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Vudu
#13 The Librarians*
Synopsis: Based on the popular TV movies, The Librarians are a group of people who protect magical items throughout time. Consisting of an art historian, a thief, a mathematician, and a warrior, they travel through time to find supernatural objects and bring them under the protection of the Library.
Where to Watch: Hulu (with subscription), Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu
#14 Early Edition*
Synopsis: Having lost his job and his marriage, Gary Hobson wakes up one morning to find a cat sitting on a newspaper bearing the next day’s date. Gary quickly learns that this early edition allows him 24 hours to try and save many people’s lives.
Where to Watch: All seasons are available for DVD purchase on Amazon Prime.
*When it comes to time travel TV shows, this one is an outlier. The only thing that travels in time is the newspaper. Still, it’s Kyle Chandler…..swoon!
#15 Erased
Synopsis: Satoru goes back 18 years to prevent the death of his mother and three classmates.
Where to Watch: Netflix (with subscription)
#16 Outlander
Synopsis: British Army Nurse Claire Randall is on her second honeymoon and looking forward to a career as an Oxford historian. Suddenly transported back to 1742, Clair finds her freedom and life are in danger.
To survive, she marries Jamie Fraser. An unexpected passionate relationship develops, and Claire becomes caught between two very different men in two very different lives.
Where to Watch: Netflix (with subscription), YouTubeTV (with subscription), Starz (with subscription), Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes
Content Warning: Explicit sexual content and graphic violence
#17 The Eternal Love
Synopsis: Unhappy with a forced marriage, Qu Tan Er attempts to end her life. She awakens from her failed attempt with the spirit of another woman inside her body. The modern Xiao Tan is Tan Er’s opposite.
Stuck in the past world, she is unable to return to the present day. Whenever one of the women lies, the other person takes control. Soon, complications in love arise, as the differing women fall in love with two different men.
What will become of the foursome? And will Xiao Tan be able to find her way back to her own time?
Where to Watch: Viki
#18 Lost in Austen*
Synopsis: This smart take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, finds modern, working girl Amanda Price trading places with Elizabeth Bennet.
Unable to return to her time, Amanda must try her best to fit in among the Bennets, Bingleys, and Darcys. Yet, her presence in the lives of these beloved characters sets changes to the course of the classic tale.
Where to Watch: Tubi (free), BritBox (with subscription), Amazon Prime
#19 Continuum
Synopsis: Detective Kiera Cameron, a cop from the year 2077, and a group of deadly criminals called Liber8 are trapped in present-day Vancouver. Kiera must stop Liber8 before they destroy the corporate world, altering the future as she knows it. She enlists the help of tech genius Alec Sadler to find a way back home.
In the meantime, Kiera takes a job with the Vancouver Police Department. With help from her partner, detective Carlos Fonnegra, they keep tabs on Liber8. Different beliefs and backgrounds lead to suspicion, but slowly, Kiera and Carlos learn to trust each other.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime, iTunes, Vudu
#20 Frequency
Synopsis: Detective Raimy Sullivan lives with the pain and resentment of her father’s death for 20 years. She believes her father, NYPD Officer Frank Sullivan, was corrupt, resulting in his death. However, everything changes when she hears his voice coming from an old ham radio.
With Raimy’s warning in his ears, Frank survives the attempt on his life. Yet, the change in the past ends in tragedy for the future. Separated by time, connected by an old radio, the two detectives work together to find a way to rewrite the past without losing the ones they love.
Where to Watch: Netflix (with subscription), Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play
#21 Seven Days
Synopsis: CIA Agent Frank Parker receives a special assignment by the NSA. He must travel back in time to prevent current-day catastrophes. Yet, there is a catch – he must do so within seven days. Using a time machine built from alien technology, Frank races against time in the past to save the future.
Where to Watch: Buy on DVD.
Whether you are a fan of pure romance or romantic comedies, or simply love the adventure of time travel, there is something for everyone on our list of binge-worthy time travel TV shows. So dip in and travel back in time with some of the most swoon-worthy characters out there.
Want Even More Time Travel TV Shows? Check Out This List of Bonus Recommendations:
- 11.22.63 (TV-MA)
- The 4400
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Alcatraz
- Charmed
- The Crossing
- Dark
- A Discovery of Witches
- Faith
- Felicity
- Find Me in Paris
- The Flash (and other Arrowverse shows)
- FlashForward
- Fringe
- Journeyman
- Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes
- Lost
- Nine
- Primeval
- Queen In-Hyun’s Man
- Quantum Leap
- Rooftop Prince
- Splash Splash Love
- Star Trek TV Shows
- Steins;Gate
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
- Terra Nova
- Tomorrow, With You
- Time After Time
- Tru Calling
- The Umbrella Academy
What are your favorite time travel TV shows? Drop me a line below!
*Denotes a personal favorite of mine!
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thank you – have beeen looking forever for timetravel— y r we soooo fascinated– et me out of here i do not belon in this time — beeen this wy sincei ws 9 and read a book of a little boy being sent to mars after climbing a tree—- love fairies also — ok i am an old fashioned girl they used to call my pollyanna – then i became an out law—- my son in law does not beleive in annnnnythin but $$$$ and power– borrrrrring give me a gooood romance to live in.. oxoxoxoxoxoxox
This is a great list! I love the Korean drama Time Travel series. My favorites are Faith, Rooftop Prince, I love Lee Tae Ri, Signal and Tunnel.
Have you ever seen “Voyagers!”? It was like a predecessor to Quantum Leap and lasted 1 season on NBC. It stared one of the most beautiful men to ever grace television, the late Jon-Erik Hexum. He’s a roguish time-traveling pirate, Phineas Bogg, a Voyager that travels throughout time with a smart young boy and they have to fix moments where history’s gone wrong. It was a fun show. It’s definitely binge-worthy and Hexum was such a charming young actor. Although it was made with kids and education in mind, (Co-Produced by Scholastic) there’s plenty of romantic moments for Bogg!
He and Meeno Peluce (the boy, Jeffrey Jones) made a great team. I run a fansite and FB page for the series. You can watch it on Amazon Prime, and it’s currently free on NBC.com.
I own the series and I was heartbroken when Jon died. I recently bought the 30 episode tv show from the 60’s The Time Tunnel…. Now this was where most time travel shows spawned from. Especially Quantum Leap.
Nice list! Back to the Future made me a sucker for time travel plots. So would the cartoon count as one?
How can Outlander be #16?
You NEED TO READ – It clearly states that the shows are in No Particular Order!
You forgot ‘The Time tunnel’ – The first American time travel show
Goodnight Sweetheart is THE ultimate time travel show!
Maybe you guys can help me….. I’m looking for a series perhaps a movie….. not sure. only saw a piece of it and have been searching ever since. I even looked trough all the male actors to cross reference, nothing. It seem to involve time travel an attempt to shift history. Almost achieve the goal by manipulating the son of the leader – I know its horribly vague…. but he ends up speaking to his son. He explains the situation from a watchmakers point of view- His hobby is watchmaking….the comparison he draws between ‘leading’ or directing humans where they need to be is similar to the watchmaker making a clock. its been almost two years…. but so far no luck finding this series. Help 🙂
think you may be thinking of inception (link removed)
How could you not have Netflix’s Dark on this list?
I agree. Dark is a pretty good series (3 seasons on Netflix). It’s a German show so you have to up with English lip syncing, but once you get used to it, it’s a good show.
Absolutely the best time travel show ever made imo
12 Monkeys needs to be #1 … Pretty sure it’s the only show that properly does time travel and causality! Love it
You NEED TO READ – It clearly states that the shows are in No Particular Order!
Continuum seems to be right on the money as we see a few corporations [e.g., Amazon] displacing small business, and taking over government.
Science Fiction frequently becomes Science.
Looks like Continuum is no longer on Amazon Prime (unless you want to buy it. Is it anywhere else?
It looks like it’s only available to buy on Digital and DVD/Blu-ray now.
Netflix’s DARK is the best Time Travel show ever made. Never believe anything else!
Timeslip UK kids show from 60`s predates all these and deals with past , future, global cooling(remember that) and cloning.
I’ve never heard of it! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
It’s a indian movie named Time
Brødrene Dal og Spektralsteinene and Brødrene Dal og Mysteriet om Karl XIIs Gamasjer both have time travel as a key element. I prefer the former but both are pretty well planned out, although only the latter seems to remember concequences.
Thanks for the recommendations! 🙂