Travelers Season 1 Overview: "Travelers" Is My New Favorite Show. Let The Binging Commence!

"Travelers" is NetFlix's latest offering, The show was created by Brad Wright (of "Stargate" fame) and originally aired on Showcase in Canada. There are 12 episodes total. I haven't heard much buzz about the show yet which is a shame because it's surprisingly good. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I watched it twice. What makes "Travelers" so much fun? If you've read my reviews before, you know I'm a big sucker for time travel. "12 Monkeys" is my #2 pick for best show of last year. See Top 10 TV Shows Of 2016 The travelers here dont use a time machine though. Their consciousness is instead downloaded into people's bodies the split second before they expire. We see the "recorded time of death" countdown for each.

Four travelers arrive during the pilot. Marcy is a mentally challenged women who dies during an attack. Trevor is a high school student who has his head bashed in during a fight. Philip is a junkie who ODs with his buddy. Carly is a single mom who is attacked by her abusive cop boyfriend. FBI agent Grant McLaren is on their trail. He thinks they might be a terrorist cell communicating via the deep web.

While travelers know the time/circumstances of their host's death they dont always do a good job with other intel. When Traveler 3569 ends up in Marcy's body she doesnt know the woman has severe brain damage and is subject to seizures. Yes, this will be a problem later. Traveler 3326 ends up in Philip's body and is therefore addicted to heroin. The moral of the story is don't just rely on social media FuturePeople!

At the end of episode 1, Traveler 3468 inhabits Grant's body. He is the leader of group and has a thing for Carly (who is the tactician). Philip is the historian. Trevor is an engineer (and apparently much older than the others). Marcy is the team's medic/doctor.

We dont see what the future but it sounds very bleak. Mankind is on the brink of extinction. We do see Future Grant making love from who I assume is Carly. She has no hair and a number on her neck. We also see that the Travelers are amazed by nature, wildlife and food. Their future apparently sucks!

The team's first mission is to prevent an antimatter device from exploding and killing thousands of people. I'm not sure of the specifics except that it's the most devastating weapon ever unleashed. Dr Delaney (Kyra Zagorsky from "Helix") is its creator. The military is trying to use it for their own agenda. Later our crew must prevent an asteroid (Helios 365) from colliding with Earth and wiping out the East Coast. Is this their primary mission? Nope, cause they're all still with us after it's completed.

There are a number of protocols that the team much adhere to. Protocol 3 states that they must not save (or take) a life unless specifically instructed (because this may cause cataclysmic changes in the future). Philip has an especially hard time with this rule. He tricks the team into saving a boy from a serial killer couple. Grant also breaks protocol by saving a politician plus his wife Kathryn during a plane crash. See Traveler protocols here: Traveler Directives

Thousands of travelers are already on Earth (but we're not sure of their missions). Everything is very compartmentalized. In later episodes we learn that warring future factions are trying to change the past. Traveler 0027 inhabits Trevor's guidance counselor Grace's body. She has special inside knowledge. Farmer Ellis (traveler 0014) also has a secret mission. The "Director" coordinates all traveler activity as part of it's grand plan. We later it's on AI program (and not an actual person). Does anyone else see a HAL-type problem coming? Several travelers arrive to kill our crew and destroy Ellis' backup equipment. We're not sure who to believe at this point. I wont give away the season ending but suffice to say, the stage is set for a season 2.

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). Perfection! I highly recommend "Travelers". Just dont get bogged down in the specifics of time travel or it will decrease your enjoyment. NetFlix, we need more episodes STAT!

"Travelers" has a compelling and the actors really sell it. Mackenzie Porter is a standout as Marcy. I especially enjoy her relationship with social worker David. I hope he and Marcy 2.0 get together in the end. Eric McCormack is also great as Grant. He is wonderful as always.

I also enjoy the show's quirky humor. After Grant says his team was tortured, engineer Bloom (who is an old woman) says "I know what happened dear. I'm from the future". Traveler cult members headed to a mission must keep stopping their bus for a guy aboard who has bladder control issues. And Guidance counselor Grace is freaking hilarious. LOVED her! She's not much of a people person.