Travel In Time With '12 Monkeys' & These Series

I hate to bring a chill to your summer good times, but amid all of this season's TV premieres, we've also unfortunately got to say goodbye to some other shows. Thankfully, this show's adieu is not for good but for a little bit of time. Syfy's 12 Monkeys airs its Season 2 finale Monday night at 9 p.m. ET. However, you won't have to worry too much once those end credits roll, because we already know that Season 3 of 12 Monkeys is happening.

That's right. Before Season 2 even wrapped up, Syfy announced that it had renewed 12 Monkeys for Season 3 in late June, Entertainment Weekly first reported. The network later confirmed the news in a press release that stated Season 3's 10 episodes are expected to begin airing sometime in 2017.

We don't yet know the specific date on which Season 3 of 12 Monkeys will bow, so we'll probably have to wait until we get closer to the premiere date to find that out. The time travel thriller has premiered in both the winter (Jan. 16, 2015) and the spring (April 18, 2016), according to TV Guide, so Season 3 really could come at any time of the year.

Though 12 Monkeys is based on the 1995 film of the same name, it is an incredibly unique show, detailing the adventures of a man named Cole (Aaron Stanford), who is tasked with going back in time to try and stop the creation and spread of a virus that wipes out the world's population in 2043. But if time travel is your jam, you don't have to build a time machine to go back to when Season 2 of 12 Monkeys premiered to enjoy its temporal exploits. Time travel is just one of those subjects TV loves to explore these days, and there are several series out there that will satisfy your decade-hopping cravings.

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is the perfect mix of sci-fi, historical fiction, and campy fun. In each episode, the Doctor and his trusty sidekick travel through time to solve mysteries, defeat baddies, and help those in need. As time marches on in real life, so do the actors who play the Doctor, but using the concept of regeneration to replace them on the show (in which Time Lords get a new body and sometimes even a new personality), has helped this British series stay fresh for more than 50 years. Luckily, we won't have to wait that long for more new Doctor Who. The latest actor to play the Doctor, Peter Capaldi, will be back to lead the series in its latest Christmas special premiering in December 2016, which will be followed by a new season in 2017 in the U.K., according to the BBC. Doctor Who should then be back on U.S. TVs sometime after that.

LOST

LOST is definitely not your typical time travel series. In fact, there's really nothing typical about LOST. With flashbacks, flashforwards, and even flashsideways (yeah, you read that right), time has clearly challenged both the LOST creative team and its audience as much as the series has been a meditation on it. Immerse yourself in the world of LOST with all six seasons currently available to stream on Netflix.

Heroes/Heroes Reborn

Heroes isn't a time travel TV show per se, but going back-and-forth through time is a big element of the series, thanks to the character of Hiro Nakamura, who can close his eyes, make it look like he's about to give birth to a baby, and — poof! — transport himself to a completely different moment in time. Time travel is a tactic that this human with an extraordinary ability uses to save people in the future. However, Heroes also often explores the most sobering of realities: that going back in time doesn't always change the present for the better, or at all. Heroes' four seasons are available to stream on Netflix, and you'll find its 13-episode event series, Heroes Reborn — which premiered last fall and featured the return of Hiro, other faves from the original series, and newbies with superpowers — on Hulu now.

Outlander

Starz's Outlander might not have as much time traveling going on in each episode as some of the other series in this list, but it does quite enough by detailing what happens to a World War II nurse named Claire Randall after she is transported back in time to 1743 Scotland. As Outlander chronicles what happens to Claire in her new and former situations, it is the ultimate exploration of the phrase, "in another life." Starz just aired the Season 2 finale of Outlander on July 9, but the series will be back for a third and fourth season, the network announced in June, according to TVLine.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow

DC's Legends of Tomorrow combines two of TV's biggest trends right now: time travel and superheroes. And yes, this CW series is just as epic as its title suggests. If you want action and adventure spanning decades in the past, present, and future, you need to check out DC's Legends of Tomorrow now. You'll find some of Season 1's episodes currently availablt to stream on Hulu, but Season 2 is scheduled to premiere on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. ET, according to the CW's fall premiere dates, as reported by TVLine.

11.22.63

One of the reasons why people long to have the ability to travel back in time is to stop atrocities of the past from happening. Hulu's original eight-part event series 11.22.63 explores one man's journey to the past to do just that. Based on the bestselling Stephen King novel of the same name, 11.22.63 follows high school teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) as he travels to the past to try and stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr. on Nov. 22, 1963. But, as you can probably imagine, that is way easier said than done.

If you don't have time to start any new TV series, you could always go back and relive Seasons 1 and 2 of 12 Monkeys before Season 3 premieres.

Images: Ben Mark Holzberg/Syfy; Giphy (6)