10 Great Time Travel Sci-Fi Shows Like La Brea

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If you enjoyed watching La Brea and helped make it a hit on Netflix recently, here are 10 similar time travel shows you might also love. It’s a bit surprising, but La Brea is finding a new wave of popularity on streaming platforms.

Even though the show La Brea—about a mysterious portal opening up in the La Brea tar pits—received mixed reactions at first, it’s become a huge hit on Netflix, with many people watching all 30 episodes quickly. If you enjoy La Brea, you might be searching for other shows that involve time travel.

Lost

2004-2010

The TV show Lost first aired on ABC in 2004 and quickly became a huge hit, captivating audiences for many years. It centers on the people who survive a plane crash and find themselves stranded on a strange island, where they encounter mysterious creatures like a Smoke Monster, polar bears, and a group of people known as ‘The Others’.

For the first few years it was on TV, everyone talked about Lost – had you seen the latest episode? The show was full of puzzles, surprising turns, and thought-provoking ideas, making it endlessly debatable. While the quality dips a bit towards the end, it’s still a worthwhile watch, especially if you enjoy time travel stories.

Primeval

​​​​​​​2007-2011

Primeval is a sci-fi series lasting five seasons. It centers around a group of scientists investigating strange time portals appearing across the UK. These portals are bringing creatures from both the past – like dinosaurs – and the future into the present day, and things don’t always go smoothly when they arrive.

The show starts a bit slowly, but it really hits its stride in the second season and ultimately delivers a distinctive and memorable science fiction adventure. Primeval has also grown into a substantial franchise, expanding beyond the original series to include novels, a Canadian spin-off titled Primeval: New World, and even merchandise like greeting cards and role-playing games.

Steins;Gate

2011

The anime Steins;Gate is based on a 2009 visual novel and takes place in 2010. It follows Rintaro Okabe, an 18-year-old who discovers he can send text messages to the past, allowing him to change the future. He and those around him begin using this ability, which brings them into conflict with a dangerous organization.

Steins;Gate expertly blends humor and drama. The first season is lighter and focuses on the characters discovering the possibilities of time travel, while the second season gets more serious as they face the repercussions of their choices. With a truly rewarding conclusion, Steins;Gate is a show you’ll want to watch all at once.

Outlander

2014-2026

If you enjoy time travel stories with plenty of drama but prefer to avoid complicated plots, Outlander is a great choice. Based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon, the show centers on Claire Randall (played by Caitríona Balfe), a WWII nurse who unexpectedly finds herself transported back in time to 1945.

Okay, so picture this: a woman unexpectedly finds herself transported back to 1743 Scotland. It’s a wild ride from the start! She quickly gets caught up with a group of Scottish Highlanders, and that’s where she meets Jamie Fraser – seriously, Sam Heughan is fantastic in this role. What follows is a sweeping romance that spans not only time, but continents, all set against the backdrop of some truly pivotal historical events. It’s a beautifully crafted story that really pulls you in.

12 Monkeys

2015-2018

The movie 12 Monkeys takes place in 2043, after a devastating virus has wiped out most of the world’s population. James Cole (Aaron Stanford), a survivor, is chosen by a secret organization called “Project Splinter” to travel back in time to 2015. Their mission: prevent the virus from ever happening.

Although the time travel logic isn’t always perfect if you think about it too hard, it doesn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the show. 12 Monkeys isn’t afraid to bend the rules of time travel to create a story that’s easier to follow, resulting in a gripping and complex narrative with a particularly rewarding conclusion – one of the best you’ll find on television.

11.22.63

2016

The TV series 11.22.63 is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. It tells the story of Jack Epping (played by James Franco), a divorced high school English teacher from Maine who finds a portal to 1960. He’s tasked with preventing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, but while living in the past for three years, he starts to build a new life for himself.

As the mission hangs in the balance, Jack understands that his past decisions will have consequences for his future, and surprisingly, his future will also change his past – creating a complicated and unsettling loop. The series is more focused on emotional themes like hope, bravery, and taking ownership of your actions than on the details of how time travel works.

Timeless

​​​​​​​2016-2018

I’m totally hooked on Timeless! The show starts with this really intense situation: a terrorist named Garcia Flynn manages to steal a prototype time machine. Then, they assemble this incredible team – a history expert named Lucy Preston, a super-skilled Delta Force operator called Wyatt Logan, and a brilliant engineer and programmer, Rufus Carlin – and their mission is to track down Flynn before he can mess with history.

Timeless is an exciting action series that immediately pulls you into the story. It’s a welcome change to see a time travel show where the plot is easy to follow. The series improves with each episode, and the two-part holiday finale provides a satisfying conclusion.

Travelers

​​​​​​​2016-2018

I’m a huge fan of the show Travelers. It starts in the future, a really bleak one where things have gone terribly wrong. To try and fix it, they send special agents back in time – but not in bodies, exactly. They transfer their consciousness into people who are already about to die, basically taking over their lives. It’s a clever way to avoid messing with the timeline too much, and it makes for a really gripping story!

The travelers use information from their hosts’ social media profiles to blend in and maintain a normal appearance while secretly working to save the world. The show, Travelers, functions much like a superhero story, especially given the characters’ extensive knowledge of the past, which leads to exciting and imaginative scenes.

Dark

2017-2020

The German sci-fi mystery series Dark takes place in the town of Winden, where a number of disappearances over the years begin to connect. It’s revealed that a dark secret involving time travel has been causing problems for four families across generations.

Dark is a truly exceptional science fiction show – brilliantly written, perfectly paced, and arguably among the best ever made. While the story is complex and requires focus, it’s presented in a way that keeps you from feeling lost. The show doesn’t try to mislead you; instead, it presents a challenging puzzle and carefully leads you towards understanding it.

The Lazarus Project

2022-2023

Despite being canceled after just two seasons, The Lazarus Project is a really exciting action thriller that’s worth watching. The show follows people who have a special gene that lets them realize when time is stuck in a loop.

After George (Paapa Essiedu) learns about his unique ability, he’s brought onto a team of others like him, dedicated to preventing world-ending catastrophes. While the details of how their time travel works aren’t always clear, the straightforward plot lets the show focus on well-developed characters and a thrilling story.

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2026-05-08 18:02