Spielberg's Canceled Time Travel Show Could've Been Huge

Steven Spielberg tried his hand at sci-fi in 2011. He helped create a 13-episode series called Terra Nova. The show was meant to air on Fox. It was inspired by the hit series Lost. Spielberg brought in Kelly Marcel and Craig Silverstein as creators. The concept was about saving humanity from overpopulation in 2149.

The story takes place in the year 2149. Earth's population was too high and threatened extinction. Scientists built time rift technology. This allowed people to travel one way through time. The government sent groups of people to a past that looked like the Cretaceous Period. The Shannon family of five was chosen to go back. They had to build a new civilization while dealing with dinosaurs. There were also other colonists with their own plans.

The first season was well received by critics. The visual effects were praised a lot. But the show had some problems. It spent too much time explaining things. The pilot cost $20 million. The producers didn't want to cut costs. The show didn't get enough viewers to make the money work. After one season, the network canceled it.

Terra Nova had real potential. The ending of season one hinted at more mysteries. An 18th-century ship's prow appeared as a clue. This suggested there were other rifts beyond what was shown. The show could have been a multi-season mystery. Instead, it was cut short. The experience shows how ambitious sci-fi projects can be. It also highlights the risks of high production costs.