Time travel TV Series

Time manipulation as a core mechanic.

Ranked by how defining this tag is for each show · 76 series

10/10 means the show is a defining example. Shows scoring below 7/10 don't make the list.

Filter & sort

Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 21 Adult 0 Adventure 23 Animation 10 Biography 0 Comedy 12 Crime 14 Documentary 0 Drama 63 Family 1 Fantasy 32 Game-Show 0 History 3 Horror 0 Music 0 Musical 0 Mystery 17 News 0 Reality-TV 0 Romance 6 Sci-Fi 15 Short 0 Sport 0 Talk-Show 0 Thriller 3 War 0 Western 0

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 30 2010s 31 2000s 10 1990s 2 1980s 1 1970s 0 1960s 2 1950s 0 1940s 0 1930s 0 1920s 0 1900s 0

Specific year

2025 2 2024 4 2023 6 2022 12 2021 4 2020 2 2019 4 2018 2 2017 5 2016 10 2015 2 2014 2 2013 1 2012 3 2011 1 2010 1 2009 1 2008 3 2007 2 2006 2 2005 1 2003 1 1998 1 1993 1 1989 1 1966 1 1963 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 3 Stuck the Landing 3 Grew the Beard 2 Rock Solid 1 Past Its Prime 1 Roller Coaster 1

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 2 Gritty 0 Dark tone 14 Feel-good 1 Cozy 0 Wholesome 0 Melancholic 5 Tense 24 Unsettling 7 Whimsical 3 Campy 1 Cynical 0 Hopeful 4 Sentimental 3 Nostalgic 7 Bittersweet 14 Chaotic energy 3 Deadpan cool 0

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 0 Fast-paced 2 Episodic 7 Serialized 37 Procedural 2 Mystery box 29 Anthology 0 Cliffhanger-driven 8 Sprawling saga 4 Tight limited run 13 Puzzle plot 20 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 0 Absurdist 2 Satirical 0 Cringe comedy 0 Slapstick 0 Witty banter 1 Dark comedy 1 Warm humor 0 Raunchy 1 Parody 1 Ironic & meta 0

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 1 Detective mystery 10 True crime 0 Heists & cons 0 Legal 0 Medical 0 Political intrigue 1 Espionage 0 War & military 1 Family saga 4 Coming of age 2 Workplace 0 School & campus 0 Love story 14 Friendship 1 Found family 2 Survival 1 Post-apocalyptic 2 Dystopia 1 Supernatural 2 Space & sci-fi 3 Near-future tech 1 Time travel 76 High fantasy 2 Urban fantasy 0 Monster horror 0 Psychological horror 4 Addiction & vice 0 Mental health 1 Faith & religion 0 Sports 0 Music scene 1 Food & cooking 1 Nature & science 0 Real history 9 Royalty & aristocracy 3 Small town 2 Big city life 0 Rural & frontier 0 Suburban underbelly 0 Class divide 0 Immigrant experience 1 Queer stories 0 Female perspective 5 Social commentary 2 Philosophical 3 Existential dread 10 Revenge 0 Redemption 2 Secrets & lies 9

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 1 Morally gray 2 Villain's POV 0 Ensemble cast 7 Central duo 0 Strong female lead 10 Child's perspective 2 Outsider lead 1 Genius lead 1 Working class 0 Elites & privilege 0 Unreliable narrator 2 Character study 5 Banter chemistry 0

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 9 Adrenaline 2 Intellectual challenge 6 Comfort rewatch 0 Romantic yearning 12 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 4 Mounting dread 1 Warm glow 0 Gut punch 5

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 0 Visually striking 2 Stylized direction 3 Naturalistic 0 Big-budget spectacle 1 Lo-fi charm 1 Atmospheric 5 Distinctive score 2 Experimental 1 Deep worldbuilding 5 Tight writing 2

Format & audience

Sitcom 1 Adult animation 1 Anime 10 Kids & family 1 Young adult 2 Soap & telenovela 0 Event miniseries 1 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 0 Docuseries 0 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 0 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 13 Contemporary life 0 Long-runner 2 Built to binge 0

Viewing-culture clusters