Journeyman: The NBC Must-See of the Season

Not everyone trusted NBC’s instincts when they brought out a new little series last fall called Heroes. It seemed a little iffy on if a show about super heroes could really make a good primetime drama. But any doubts were put aside as Heroes became the most captivating new series of the season.

This season, Journeyman is definitely NBC’s new must-see. Like Heroes, there’s that element of the main character(s) having some sort of discovered and an uncertain mission those powers are meant for. Also like Heroes, there’s an element of immediate captivation with the intriguing story and unique characters.

Journeyman brings on the very strong lead of Rome‘s Kevin McKidd playing Dan Vassar, a San Francisco reporter who suddenly starts experiencing a strange phenomenon: waking up in different places… and no, he’s not sleepwalking… he’s time traveling. He finds himself waking up in different times and places when sometimes he’d been sleeping or sometimes he seems to just be pulled into this bright light into another time.

He realizes very quickly, despite his totally confused state, that there’s a trend to the places and times he ends up in which is connected to things he must do that will end up changing time hopefully for the better. But, while he’s discovering in different times how he’s meant to help, he’s disappearing for days from his regular life including his wife and kid and job which has just a couple of pressing tasks considering he’s a reporter. And of course, it puts a little strain on a marriage when the husband disappears for a couple days without a phone call.

Journeyman does an excellent job of creating a very intriguing and quality storyline of Dan Vassar’s time travel as well as establishing a very realistic life for him on “the other side” and the complications this new way of life has taken on for his regular life. The greatest part is that these two storylines are not so cut and dry as Dan being involved in other people’s lives while he’s in the past, and his own simple and ordinary life when he’s in the present.

There’s quite a past built for him with an ex-fiance who’d died in a plane crash, a complicated relationship with his brother, especially since Dan’s now married to his brother’s ex-girlfriend, and some moments of his own past that he unavoidably becomes a part of as his future self.

The premiere episode of Journeyman sets all of this up very well with only revealing the perfect amount of information to show viewers how much there is yet to be revealed, yet making us feel attached to the characters and their stories in a way that most definitely makes for an immediately addictive show.

Don’t miss the premiere of Journeyman tonight on NBC at 10/9c!

Watch the premiere early on SideReel: Journeyman Pilot

For all new and returning show premieres this week: Premiere Week is Here!

Photo courtesy of TVGuide.com