Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser in 'Journeyman'Image via NBC
By
Collier Jennings
Published 1 minute ago
Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's been able to tackle a wide variety of articles.
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Time travel is arguably one of the most popular sub-genres of science fiction stories. Whether you're using it for comedic effect, ala Back to the Future, or going for the epic scale of Doctor Who, the idea of visiting different points in time has fueled multiple sci-fi TV shows and movies. One of the most interesting shows, Journeyman, never had a chance to land on people's radars since it was canceled after a single season; it's a shame, as this sci-fi show brought something truly unique to the time-travel table.
Journeyman follows journalist Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd), who seems to have the perfect life. He's a highly respected writer, his wife Katie (Gretchen Egolf) and son Zack adore him, and he has a solid relationship with his brother Jack (Reed Diamond). Everything goes south when Dan suddenly finds himself randomly traveling throughout time, with the jumps being connected to saving someone who affects the course of history for the better. While this sounds like the perfect setup for a compelling sci-fi drama, Journeyman would take things a step further by exploring how time travel can affect someone for the worst.
'Journeyman' Focuses on the Tragic Elements of Time Travel
Image via NBC
Journeyman separates itself from other time travel stories by honing in on the tragic elements of a time traveler's life. Unlike other time travelers, Dan can't control what time he lands at or how long he stays in the past. It wreaks havoc on his life, as Katie initially believes he's cheating on her while Jack believes Dan has fallen back into his gambling habits. Even when Dan presents them with evidence of his time traveling, they're slow to believe him. The tragedy wouldn't hit nearly as hard if it wasn't for Kevin McKidd's performance. He infuses Dan with the necessary mix of dread and determination that keeps viewers hooked each episode, especially when it comes to figuring out who he needs to save.
If the idea of the protagonist being pulled back and forth through time wasn't already ripe with potential drama, Journeyman takes things one step further with the introduction of Dan's former fiancé, Livia (Moon Bloodgood). Believed to be killed in a plane crash, Livia herself is a time traveler who goes forward into the future, often encountering Dan in her travels. The idea of two former loves being pulled apart is heart-wrenching enough, but McKidd and Bloodgood's interactions will shatter even the hardest of hearts.
'Journeyman' Was Canceled Before It Could Really Take Off
Moon Bloodgood, Kevin McKidd, and Gretchen EGolf in 'Journeyman'Image via NBC
NBC made a major push to get Journeyman out into the world, pairing it with another sci-fi hit in Heroes — which ironically featured its own time traveler in Masi Oka's Hiro Nakamura — and putting it on a "fall preview" DVD for Blockbuster (yes, this was back when Blockbuster was still a thing), alongside other shows like Chuck. Sadly, that wasn't enough to stave off declining ratings, and Journeyman was eventually canceled after one season.
Fans would launch a campaign to save the series, mailing in boxes of Rice-a-Roni to reflect Dan Vassar being a San Francisco native and echoing the campaign to save another genre show with CBS's Jericho. Series creator Kevin Falls would eventually reveal where Journeyman's story would have gone in an interview, including a resolution to Livia's time travel story and a connection between all of the people Dan saved in his travels. The cast would even move onto bigger shows, as Kevin McKidd had a lengthy stint on Grey's Anatomy while Moon Bloodgood continued to star in sci-fi fare like Terminator Salvation and Falling Skies.
Journeyman is an example of a series that was truly cut down in its prime. Its tragic, yet poignant take on time travel was ripe with potential, and the success of other time travel series like Outlander proves it could have found an audience. Currently, it's not on DVD or any streaming service, but hopefully that mistake is corrected so that science fiction fans can watch this hidden gem.
Journeyman
Like Sci-Fi Release Date 2007 - 2006 Network NBCCast
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