“The Time Tunnel” is a relic of early television science fiction, and it still holds up better than its reputation suggests. Irwin Allen’s 1966 series follows two scientists who accidentally get stuck traveling through time. It is campy, occasionally clumsy, and deeply committed to spectacle. What it lacks in subtlety it makes up for in sheer enthusiasm.
Trailer, via ScribasDotCom.
Premise
Project Tic-Toc is a secret U.S. government project to build a time machine. The device looks like an elliptical passageway, and the show calls it “The Time Tunnel.” The base is a vast underground complex in Arizona, 800 floors deep, staffed by more than 12,000 workers. The directors are Dr. Douglas Phillips, Dr. Anthony Newman, and Lt. General Heywood Kirk. The specialists include Dr. Raymond Swain, an electronics expert, and Dr. Ann McGregor, an electrobiologist who monitors how much force and heat travelers can endure.
The series is set in 1968, two years into the future from its broadcast season of 1966–1967. Project Tic-Toc is in its 10th year when Senator Leroy Clark arrives to investigate. He has spent $7.5 billion on the project, equivalent to about $74 billion today. Clark wants to know whether the money is worth it.
Clark delivers an ultimatum: either send someone into time and bring them back during the visit, or the funding stops. Tony volunteers, but Phillips refuses him. Tony defies that decision and sends himself anyway. Doug follows to rescue him, and both men are lost in time. Clark leaves with a promise that funding will continue, and General Kirk takes command of the project.
Characters
James Darren plays Tony Newman, the impulsive scientist who cannot resist a chance to see history firsthand. Robert Colbert plays Doug Phillips, the cautious director who tries to keep the project on track. Whit Bissell is General Kirk, the military overseer who runs the facility. Lee Meriwether plays Dr. Ann McGregor, and John Zaremba plays Dr. Raymond Swain.
The cast is competent, and Darren and Colbert share a chemistry that anchors the show. The supporting characters are less developed, but the show’s focus is on the time travel itself, not on personal drama.
Science Fiction
The premise is simple: a time machine that works by sending people through a tunnel-shaped portal. The show does not explain how it functions. That is fine. The show also does not explain why the travelers sometimes arrive in the past and sometimes in the future, or why the tunnel seems to have a mind of its own. That is less fine.
The writers lean heavily on historical events as set pieces. The show is at its best when it treats the time travel as a problem to solve, not a toy to play with. The special effects are dated, but they were ambitious for their time.
Pacing
Thirty episodes is a lot of ground to cover, and the show does not always manage it gracefully. Some episodes feel like filler, repeating the same basic structure of arrival, confusion, escape. Others, particularly the ones that tie directly into major historical events, are tighter and more focused.
The show’s weakest moments come when it leans too hard on the idea of moving the travelers between periods. This allows the writers to move characters forward and backward through time, but it often feels like a trick rather than a genuine narrative device. The show is at its best when it treats the time travel as a problem to solve, not a toy to play with.
Production
“The Time Tunnel” was made for ABC by 20th Century Fox Television. It ran for one season of 30 episodes, first airing on September 9, 1966 and last airing on April 7, 1967. The show was released in color, which was unusual for the time. It also used a large budget for visual effects, which shows in the scale of its sets and models.
The show’s look is bright and theatrical, with a mix of studio shots and outdoor locations. The production design is solid, and the show manages to make its underground base feel both massive and claustrophobic.
Legacy
A pilot for a new version of “The Time Tunnel” was produced in 2002, but it was not picked up. The original series has remained in reruns, available on cable and through internet streaming. It has a devoted following among fans of classic science fiction, even though it has never been remade.
The show’s influence is visible in later time travel stories, particularly in the way it treats history as a destination rather than a backdrop.
Verdict
“The Time Tunnel” is a flawed but entertaining show. Its strengths are its visual ambition and its commitment to pure adventure. Its weaknesses are its inconsistent pacing and its tendency to treat the laws of time as flexible. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a fun ride.
Key Facts Box
- Creator: Irwin Allen
- Network: ABC
- Season: 1, 30 episodes
- First aired: September 9, 1966
- Last aired: April 7, 1967
- Setting: 1968, two years ahead of broadcast
- Time machine name: The Time Tunnel
- Underground base location: Arizona, 800 floors deep
- Project cost: $7.5 billion (equivalent to $74 billion in 2025)
- Guest actor: Gary Merrill as Senator Leroy Clark
- New pilot: Produced in 2002, not picked up
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