History Series / TheTimeTunnel

* YouCantFightFate: Not that it stops them from trying! Though in fairness, smaller events that wouldn't necessarily make it into the history books are still malleable, like making sure specific characters in the events manage to make it through okay.

* YouCantFightFate

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Lt. Nakamura in "Kill Two by Two" definitely thinks this way. He was a kamikaze pilot who lost his nerve, choosing to crash his plane rather than go ahead with his SuicideAttack, so his own men punished him for his cowardice by abandoning him on an island with only the elderly Sgt. Itsugi for company. By the time Tony and Doug arrive on the island, he's gone into DeathSeeker mode; he plays HuntingTheMostDangerousGame with them, hoping that they'll grant him an honorable demise in battle. Doug refuses to kill him, but [[spoiler:Nakamura finally gets his wish when an American GI [[KillingInSelfDefense shoots him in self-defense]]]].

* TheDiseaseThatShallNotBeNamed: In the Titanic episode, Althea Hall refers to her brain cancer only as being "ill" and having a "growth."

* InterruptedSuicide: Tony intervenes [[JustInTime just in time]] to save Althea Hall from letting herself go down with the Titanic.

* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Tony does this to Althea Hall to a certain extent in the series pilot. Althea's initial intent isn't to commit suicide; however, when the Titanic is sinking, she decides to take advantage of the opportunity because, due to a brain tumor, she's going to die soon anyway and she doesn't feel she's worthy to take a place on one of the lifeboats. Tony is luckily able to talk her out of it.

** Another has Carrol O'Connor as a British general in the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812, and his descendant in the present day.

* ShoutOut: Part of the unsold {{revival}} pilot takes place in the World War II Battle of Hürtgen Forest (vs. the ever-popular enemy of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany). Two of the heroes masquerade as German soldiers named [[Series/HogansHeroes Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz]].

* ShoutOut: Part of the unsold {{revival}} pilot takes places in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany. Two of the heroes masquerade as German soldiers named [[Series/HogansHeroes Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz]].

** NASA at that time was planning for a Mars landing mission in 1986, powered by nuclear rocket engines being developed and tested by Aerojet and Westinghouse.

** Dr. Swain states that he “always wanted to believe, but secretly doubted”, while General Kirk follows along with his personal Bible as the story of Jericho plays out in the Tunnel.

* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy: Episode "End of the World". Halley's Comet is depicted as a brightly glowing ball in space, like a miniature sun.

* Brainwashed and Crazy: Doug in "Invasion" after being caught by the Nazis, is psychologically reprogrammed to hunt down Tony.

** Could the MacGregor family be related to the MacGyver family?

* MagicalDefibrillator: Episode "End of the World". After a Time Tunnel technician suffers a heart attack, Ann uses some ripped out electrical cables to shock his heart into beating again.

** About the only technician who gets any dialog at all is “Jerry” (played by Sam Groom); he sometimes came up with ideas that were resisted by Ann, Ray, and the General—but occasionally worked.

* BrainwashedandCrazy: Doug in "Invasion" after being caught by the Nazis, is psychologically reprogrammed to hunt down Tony.

* Brainwashed and Crazy: Doug in "Invasion" after being caught by the Nazis, is psychologically reprogrammed to hunt down Tony.

* FlatEarthAtheist: In "The Walls of Jericho", Dr. Swain firmly claims that he does not believe in the supernatural. Yet, he and his colleagues had just witnessed a ghost in the previous episode, "The Ghost of Nero".

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Somewhat undermined in the pilot. Senator Leroy Clark is legitimately concerned that the billions they are spending is a waste of time. And his threats to shut down the project precipitate Tony making an unauthorized time transfer. But he does pitch in, and at the end he pledges his support to keep the project going until they bring Tony and Doug back.

* TickTockTune: Music/JohnWilliams' theme music.

* TheChase: In "Chase Through Time," Doug and Tony travel from 1547 to 1,000,000 A.D. to 1,000,000 B.C. in pursuit of a murderous spy.

* LostTechnology: In "Chase Through Time", the dystopian government of 1,000,000 BC has lost the ability to time travel, so they recruit one of the Time Tunnel techs to turn DoubleAgent and get it for them.

* DemonicPossession: In "The Ghost of Nero", the title character possesses Tony and UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini.

* EternalEnglish: Every person in every time period speaks perfect 20th Century English, no matter how far into the past or future the travelers go or what country they are visiting. Sometimes foreign characters will have [[JustAStupidAccent stupid accents]] when the travelers end up in a place like France or Germany, but that's as far as it goes. The 2002 revival pilot solved this problem by giving its cast {{Universal Translator}}s.

* OverTheShoulderCarry: Doug carried Tony like this in "Attack of the Barbarians" because he was unconcious after his experience on the rack.

* {{Seppuku}}: Undermined in "Kill Two by Two." Nakamura plays HuntingTheMostDangerousGame because he can't bring himself to commit seppuku and hopes that his victims will kill him. Doug can't bring himself to do it, but Nakamura finally gets his wish when an American GI shoots him.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Ann is the only female regular on the series. Kirk and Ray often disregard her suggestions and, if anyone is going to be kidnapped or held hostage, it will be Ann.
** If a dangerous situation arises in the control room, Kirk always shouts "Get Ann out of here."

* SpidersAreScary: In "Kill Two by Two", a tarantula crawls on Doug while he's hiding from Lt. Nakamura and the sergeant. He can't do anything while the two soldiers are there, but the moment they leave he immediately gets the thing off him.