‘Time After Time’ delivers Jack the Ripper to modern-day New York – Long Beach Press Telegram

TIME AFTER TIME Pilot Using the 1979 novel and movie as a launching point, Time After Time chronicles the adventures of a young H.G. Wells, as he travels through centuries, decades and days in the time machine he created. In the pursuit of the charismatic (yet secretly psychopathic) Dr. John Stevenson, better known as Jack the Ripper, Wells arrives in modern day New York City, searching for Stevenson after the doctor escapes authorities in Wells London home. But instead of the Utopia he imagined, Wells finds a world more aligned with Stevensons temperament in a series charged with danger and adventure, and centered in thrills, satire, humor and most of all, an epic love story, SUNDAY, MARCH 5 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Sarah Shatz) FREDDIE STROMA, JOSH BOWMAN

What: Premiere of series based on 1979 film about the novelist H.G. Wells chasing Jack the Ripper into the future to stop him from killing, starring Freddie Stroma and Josh Bowman.

When: 9 p.m. Sunday. Two episodes air back to back.

Where: ABC.

After Once Upon a Time, ABC is airing back-to-back episodes of its new series Time After Time.

Its the sixth time travel series this season, although to be fair the new show is a reboot of the 1979 movie from Nicholas Meyer, which starred Malcolm McDowell as the novelist H.G. Wells, who wrote The Time Machine. The premise is that the writer had really invented a time machine, but that his friend Dr. John Stevens (David Warner) steals it to go to the future when it is discovered he is the real Jack the Ripper. The movie worked as a charming escapist romantic thriller as Wells meets a bank teller (Mary Steenburgen) looking for an old-fashioned guy.

The reboot from Kevin Williams (Scream) isnt quite so charming. It begins very much the same with Wells (Freddie Stroma) in pursuit of Stevens (Josh Bowman) in present-day New York City.

The Ripper takes off into the city, where he finds after watching the news, including President Trumps dark vision of America hes in a world where he belongs, even calling himself an amateur when it comes violence.

Wells, however, meets Jane Walker (Genesis Rodriguez), an assistant museum curator, who eventually helps him after he is hit by a car. The first episode is much like the movie, but by the second episode the new show stakes out new territory.

Wells, we find, travels to other points in history. We meet his descendant Vanessa Anders. Shes an heiress who owns the museum housing the time machine and has a number of security men to aid Wells. The plan of the series is to explore other of Wells creations, including The Invisible Man and The Island of Dr. Moreau.

The original movie worked because Wells was played as a man out of time and Steenburgens character longed for a gentleman while still wanting to be a modern woman.

The new series doesnt let that relationship ripen enough; so it ends up diving too quickly into violence and sci-fi fantasy to get its grounding. There is little chemistry between the principals, though that is not really their fault. They need a little more time together in less frantic moments for that. There is a hint at the end of episode two all that was available to review that would happen. Otherwise, Time After Time is too much repeat and rinse.

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'Time After Time' delivers Jack the Ripper to modern-day New York - Long Beach Press Telegram