Netflix can be a treasure trove of sometimes solid, sometimes humorously bad movies or TV shows — and this is especially true for science fiction content. With Netflix Sunday Time Dumps, I’m making it my duty to shine a light on whatever unique content I stumble across in my Netflix wanderings.
Last week we checked out a movie called Kill Command. This week’s dumpage: Travelers.
Billed as yet another Netflix original, this (clearly) Canadian show should feel right at home to anyone that is a fan of your typical SyFy television show. It’s about a group of future time travelers that are sent back to a present time to have their consciences possess the body of a person who is moments away form death. They basically slide in on the coattails of the person sliding out. It’s a bit confusing — which led to a number of questions on my part — but the sooner you just roll with it the better.
Led by Will of “and Grace” fame, these travelers are tasked with shaping events in the here and now to alter the there and then of the future. Add to the mix that each body comes with a load of baggage, and things aren’t quite as simple as our travelers had hoped.
The guy responsible for memorizing historical events is a heroin addict. The medic is in the body of a woman that was mentally handicapped. The enforcer lands in the body of a battered spouse of a dickhead cop. The wise old dude is in the body of a young high school jerk.
And Will is an FBI agent with… a wife.
It’s all pretty fun and a little heady at times, but it never gets bogged down by trying to explain the inner workings of time travel. This is a great marathon show, and it can be quite gripping at times with a few moments of awesome action and inspired comedy.
There’s one scene in which the old guy in a young guy’s body is tasked with making food, but the future they come from doesn’t have the bevy of food products we do. This, of course, results in a hilarious smorgasbord. the sandwiches are especially ridiculous.
As I write this, only one season is available, but it ends on a cliffhanger that has me looking forward to the next season. Season 2 has already been ordered — and it will most likely air by year’s end — so now’s the time to get in on the ground floor and give yourself some time to digest the first season before everybody’s moved on to the next.
You can check out the Travelers trailer below.
