Kevin Williamson’s new series Time After Time brings H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper into the 21st Century. Get a sneak peek of tonight’s two-hour premiere.

I always enjoy when my academic and pop culture interests intersect, and I have a strong feeling that the new ABC show Time After Time is going to make that happen!
I’m a huge history buff, and H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds are some of my most favorite sci-fi stories. So when I heard that Kevin Williamson’s a new project explores the possibility that Wells actually built a time machine, I was excited! (FYI: The show is based on the 1979 book and movie of the very same name.)
First, I haven’t come across a Kevin Williamson show that I haven’t loved: Dawson’s Creek, The Vampire Diaries, The Following, etc. And second, the idea of Wells chasing Jack the Ripper into the future has me sold.
Time After Time stars Freddie Stroma as H.G. Wells, Josh Bowman as Dr. John Stevenson (Jack the Ripper), Genesis Rodriguez as Jane Walker, Nicole Ari Parker as Vanessa Anders, Will Chase as Griffin, and Jennifer Ferrin as Brooke.
The TWO HOUR premiere is tonight on ABC and we have a sneak peek of what to expect.
In the series trailer, we see Wells chase his frenemy Stevenson/Jack the Ripper travel into the future. Wells is able to get help from Jane Walker, a museum curator.
Jack the Ripper has escaped and it’s up to H.G. Wells to catch the most dangerous man before it’s too late. #TimeAfterTime pic.twitter.com/CtKQVISsCs
— Time After Time (@TimeAfterABC) January 10, 2017
The fact that Jack the Ripper would find solace in our contemporary world is pretty scary. Also, Nicole Ari Parker as Wells’ great-great-grandaughter is giving me life!
The pilot teleplay was written by Nicholas Meyer, with the story by Karl Alexander and Steve Hayes. The second episode “I Will Catch You” was written by Kevin Williamson, and Marcos Siega directed both hours. Check out the synopses below:
“Pilot” – Using the 1979 novel and movie as a launching point, Time After Time chronicles the adventures of a young H.G. Wells, as he travels through centuries, decades and days in the time machine he created. In the pursuit of the charismatic (yet secretly psychopathic) Dr. John Stevenson, better known as “Jack the Ripper,” Wells arrives in modern day New York City, searching for Stevenson after the doctor escapes authorities in Wells’ London home. But instead of the Utopia he imagined, Wells finds a world more aligned with Stevenson’s temperament in a series charged with danger and adventure, and centered in thrills, satire, humor – and most of all, an epic love story. (via ABC)
“I Will Catch You” – Presented with the real possibility that Vanessa Anders is in fact Wells’ great granddaughter, H.G. and Jane continue to search for Dr. John Stevenson, but when their final face-to-face meeting goes anything but planned, the doctor is back on the loose. (via ABC)
In this sneak peek of the pilot we see Jane take Wells under her wing, and he is not only fascinated with her, but with 21st Century tech too:
Jack the Ripper has left a message for H.G. Wells and he's the only one who can save the day. #TimeAfterTime https://t.co/XiGGG1VWlc pic.twitter.com/W12slkpPU7
— Time After Time (@TimeAfterABC) March 3, 2017
Welps, Jack the Ripper strikes again. But how in the world does Well plan to stop Stevenson? 30+ images from the two episodes (below) give us more insight.
The Time After Time premiere starts at 9:00pm ET|PT on ABC, and you won’t want to miss it! Live tweet the East Coast showing with me over at @WeSoNerdy!