NBC has reversed course on its decision to cancel “Timeless.” The network has renewed the Sony Pictures Television-produced time travel drama for a second season. It’s unclear when season two of the drama will air. Co-creator/co-showrunner Eric Kripke initially noted that it would air in summer 2018 with 10 new episodes, but that is not set in stone. Spring 2018 is also a possibility. Producer Sony TV fought hard to keep the show going after the initial cancellation with both Kripke and co-creator/co-showrunner Shawn Ryan having pitched a family-friendly take on season two. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the independent studio had been offering the lion’s share of the profits to NBC in exchange for the renewal as SPT believe in the show’s creative team and that it has a solid chance to be a long-running, family-friendly franchise. Early buzz has the drama moving from its former 10 p.m. slot to a potential home at 8 p.m. as the show has been a favorite for co-viewing with parents and children. The freshman time-travel saga spent most of the season on the bubble in spite of landing the coveted post-“Voice” time slot that NBC used to launch “Blindspot” last season. The Shawn Ryan-Eric Kripke drama did not get a full-season pickup, with NBC instead opting for a 16-episode season. Unlike much of NBC’s drama slate, “Timeless” hails from outside studio Sony Pictures Television. The show starring Abigail Spencer finished with a 2.0 rating — an improvement over time slot successor and recently renewed “Taken” (1.5 adults). Initially, NBC opted to renew “Blindspot” after Warner Bros. Television offered an ownership stake in the series and greater financial incentives. Sony initially offered a financial incentive for the show to return but sources say NBC ultimately thought about more of the creative and the type of programming they’d want to invest in and picked it up without changing the terms of the co-production. The series also ranked as the fourth-highest scripted series when all delayed viewing is factored in. “Timeless” becomes the lone time-travel show to survive the freshman bloodbath. Since canceled are “Frequency,” “Time After Time” and “Making History.” (SD-Agencies) | 